﻿[9] 
  WORK 
  OF 
  STEAMER 
  ALBATROSS. 
  11 
  

  

  few 
  more 
  species 
  by 
  remaining, 
  lie 
  thought 
  the 
  chances 
  too 
  remote 
  to 
  

   compensate 
  us 
  for 
  the 
  delay. 
  Being 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  opinion 
  myself, 
  we 
  

   started 
  for 
  the 
  Campeche 
  banks, 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  making 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   amination 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  its 
  fauna, 
  &c. 
  

  

  At 
  7.42 
  the 
  following 
  morning 
  we 
  sounded 
  and 
  put 
  the 
  tangles 
  

   over 
  in 
  20 
  fathoms, 
  sand 
  and 
  coral, 
  on 
  the 
  Campeche 
  banks, 
  in 
  latitude 
  

   22° 
  OS' 
  30" 
  K, 
  longitude 
  80° 
  49' 
  W. 
  Fishing 
  with 
  hand-lines 
  was 
  also 
  

   tried, 
  but 
  without 
  success. 
  Seven 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  were 
  made 
  

   at 
  various 
  intervals 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  resulting 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  specimens, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  new 
  to 
  us, 
  besides 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  red 
  groupers 
  with 
  hook 
  and 
  line, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  very 
  large. 
  The 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  where 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  live 
  coral, 
  sponges, 
  a 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  growth 
  resembling 
  sea-lettuce 
  (Ulvn 
  lactuca), 
  and 
  was 
  of 
  course 
  

   swarming 
  with 
  life. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  our 
  intention 
  to 
  spend 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  

   region, 
  particularly 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  fish 
  products, 
  and 
  then 
  proceed 
  to 
  New 
  

   Orleans; 
  but 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  to 
  change 
  the 
  program. 
  One 
  of 
  

   our 
  seamen 
  was 
  very 
  sick 
  with 
  typhoid 
  fever, 
  which 
  took 
  an 
  unfavora- 
  

   ble 
  turn 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  the 
  patient 
  failing 
  very 
  rapidly. 
  The 
  surgeon 
  

   finally 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  chance 
  of 
  saving 
  his 
  life 
  was 
  to 
  get 
  him 
  into 
  

   a 
  hospital 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible; 
  and 
  as 
  Pensacola 
  was 
  our 
  nearest 
  port, 
  

   we 
  made 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  our 
  way 
  there, 
  arriving 
  at 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  at 
  2.30 
  p. 
  

   m. 
  on 
  February 
  2, 
  when 
  the 
  patient 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  hospital 
  for 
  

   treatment. 
  

  

  Wo 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  coal-wharf 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  3d 
  and 
  made 
  prepa- 
  

   rations 
  for 
  coaling; 
  the 
  fires 
  were 
  hauled, 
  boilers 
  blown 
  down, 
  and 
  the 
  

   water-line 
  painted 
  where 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  scraped 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  ice 
  when 
  leaving 
  

   Washington. 
  Coaling 
  was 
  commenced 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  4th 
  and 
  

   finished 
  a 
  little 
  before 
  dark 
  on 
  the 
  5th. 
  The 
  boilers 
  were 
  filled 
  with 
  

   rain-water 
  from 
  the 
  yard 
  tanks 
  and 
  fires 
  started 
  under 
  the 
  starboard 
  

   boiler 
  for 
  heating 
  and 
  lighting 
  the 
  vessel. 
  

  

  At 
  4.10 
  p. 
  m. 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  yard 
  for 
  the 
  fishing 
  bauks 
  off 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias, 
  

   purposing 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  the 
  marine 
  fauna, 
  

   and 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  taking 
  the 
  red 
  snapper. 
  A 
  resident 
  fisherman 
  was 
  

   engaged 
  for 
  the 
  trip. 
  While 
  steaming 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  harbor, 
  near 
  Fort 
  Pick- 
  

   ens, 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  three-masted 
  schooner 
  Fanny 
  Whitmore, 
  of 
  Rockland, 
  

   Me., 
  on 
  shore 
  in 
  a 
  dangerous 
  position, 
  with 
  signals 
  of 
  distress 
  flying. 
  

   We 
  went 
  to 
  her 
  assistance, 
  got 
  her 
  afloat, 
  and 
  proceeded 
  on 
  our 
  course. 
  

  

  At 
  8.11 
  a. 
  m. 
  on 
  the 
  7th 
  we 
  sounded 
  in 
  27 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  and 
  black 
  

   sand 
  and 
  broken 
  shells, 
  about 
  latitude 
  29° 
  15' 
  K, 
  longitude 
  S5° 
  32' 
  W., 
  

   put 
  over 
  the 
  fishing 
  lines, 
  and 
  took 
  117 
  red 
  snappers, 
  the 
  largest 
  weigh- 
  

   ing 
  27J 
  pounds, 
  4 
  groupers, 
  3 
  gags, 
  and 
  32 
  porgies. 
  All 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  

   were 
  examined 
  externally 
  and 
  internally 
  for 
  parasites, 
  and 
  the 
  contents 
  

   of 
  their 
  stomachs 
  were 
  noted. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  females 
  with 
  par- 
  

   tially 
  developed 
  roe, 
  none 
  being 
  ripe. 
  

  

  Having 
  taken 
  as 
  many 
  fish 
  as 
  desirable, 
  we 
  commenced 
  an 
  investiga- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  with 
  tangles 
  and 
  trawl. 
  Eight 
  hauls 
  

  

  