[7] WOEK OF STEAMER ALBATllOSS. 9 



the bottom being a light chocolate ooze, rich iu foraminifera* The 

 sounding was finished and we started ahead about midnight for still 

 another danger marked " Perseveranza." It was our intention to sound 

 at meridian on the 12th, but a southerly gale was blowing and the sea 

 was so high that it was not considered advisable. 



We had heavy rains during the day, and between 10 and 11 p, m. 

 came a heavy shower with very large drops, a sure indication under the 

 circumstances, both in the Atlantic and Pacific, of a shift of wind to 

 the westward. The barometer ceases to fall and frequently begins to 

 rise during such a shower, preceding the change of wind from a few 

 minutes to an hour or more. At 11.10 p. m. the wind veered to WNW. 

 with clearing weather, and later to NE. with a long heavj^ swell. The 

 ship had been in the trough of the sea most of the time since leaving 

 Hatteras, and, the wind backing to the southward, fore-and-aft sail only 

 could be carried. The behavior of the vessel under the adverse cir- 

 cumstances was admirable, the heaviest lurch being 34° to port and 22^^ 

 to starboard. 



At 9.50 a. m. on the 13th we sounded in latitude 31° 15' 22" N., lon- 

 gitude 67° 39' 10" W., the position assigned to the " Perseveranza " 

 shoal. We found 2,787 fathoms, and brought up light chocolate-colored 

 ooze containing but few foramiuifera. It is needless to say that shoal 

 water was not the origin of this reported danger. There was a heavy 

 swell, the spray frequently flying over the stern while we were sounding, 

 but the vessel was held in position without difliculty and without un- 

 usual strain on the engines except occasionally when the propellers were 

 thrown out of water. The lashings of the rudder chains were, however, 

 soon carried away by the force of the sea. 



We took the trade-winds during the night in latitude 29° 00' 00" N., 

 from SE. to ESE., light to gentle breeze ; the long, rolling swell from 

 the NE. still continued. At 8.41 a. m. on the 14th we sounded in 2,957 

 fathoms, latitude 28° 17' 07" K, longitude 60° 17' 37" W. 



At 11.48 a. m. on the 15th we sounded in 3,006 fathoms, yellow clay, 

 latitude 24° 35' 14" :N'., longitude 05° 13' 07" W., on the position assigned 

 to the danger marked " Mourand, 1773." There were already two sound- 

 ings near the same spot, ET. O. No. 21, one 3,560 fathoms and the other 

 2,850, but the danger still remaining on the chart led us to suppose that 

 some doubt existed as to the accuracy of these soundings, and to settle 

 the matter we concluded to take another, which proved conclusively 

 that shoal water does not exist in that locality. 



The trades continued light from SE., and the NE. swell having 

 left us we had practically a smooth sea. Two soundings were taken 

 on the morning of the 17th; the first in 3,468 fathoms, latitude 19° 

 15' 00" N., longitude 65° 07' 00" W., and the other in 1,902 fathoms, 

 latitude 18o 59' 00" N., longitude- 65° 07' 00" W. They were taken to 

 define more fully the slope north of Si. Thomas and to fill blanks in a 

 line of soundings already plotted on II. O. No. 40. Having completed 



