﻿[27] 
  WORK 
  OF 
  STEAMER 
  ALBATROSS. 
  29 
  

  

  tions 
  reliable, 
  it 
  was 
  proved 
  beyond 
  all 
  question 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  such 
  

   danger 
  in 
  that 
  locality. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  reported 
  position 
  of 
  Watson's 
  Rock, 
  we 
  stood 
  for 
  the 
  

   southern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Newfoundland 
  Banks, 
  taking 
  soundings 
  at 
  intervals, 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  23d, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  of 
  the 
  

   banks, 
  we 
  found 
  1,070, 
  523, 
  820, 
  970, 
  and 
  471 
  fathoms, 
  respectively, 
  thus 
  

   developing 
  a 
  ridge. 
  The 
  trawl 
  was 
  put 
  over 
  at 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  soundings, 
  

   but 
  failed 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  bottom 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  unexpectedly 
  

   deepening. 
  Eleven 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  were 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  23d, 
  the 
  

   principal 
  results 
  being 
  numerous 
  specimens 
  of 
  Opkioglypha, 
  Pentacta, 
  

   and 
  Bryozoa. 
  Haul 
  No. 
  2434 
  contained 
  several 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  Nor- 
  

   way 
  haddock 
  and 
  20 
  pole-flounders, 
  their 
  aggregate 
  weight 
  reaching 
  

   100 
  pounds. 
  

  

  We 
  then 
  stood 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  and 
  eastward 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  

   examining 
  the 
  slough 
  in 
  the 
  Grand 
  Banks, 
  reported* 
  by 
  the 
  schooner 
  

   Augusta 
  H. 
  Johnson, 
  of 
  Gloucester, 
  Mass., 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  verify 
  the 
  exist- 
  

   ence 
  or 
  non-existence 
  of 
  the 
  Nile 
  Bocks, 
  reported 
  as 
  a 
  little 
  north 
  of 
  

   the 
  slough 
  above-mentioned. 
  Arriving 
  in 
  the 
  supposed 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Nile 
  

   Rocks 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  24th, 
  we 
  took 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  hauls 
  with 
  the 
  

   trawl, 
  but 
  a 
  dense 
  fog 
  prevailed, 
  making 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  

   ship's 
  position 
  with 
  sufficient 
  accuracy 
  for 
  hydrographic 
  purposes. 
  A 
  

   strong 
  wind 
  then 
  springing 
  up, 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  bank 
  swell, 
  obliged 
  

   us 
  to 
  cease 
  trawling, 
  and 
  being 
  unable 
  to 
  afford 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  wait 
  for 
  

   clear 
  weather, 
  we 
  stood 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  under 
  low 
  speed, 
  and 
  at 
  day- 
  

   light 
  on 
  the 
  25th 
  began 
  trawling 
  again. 
  

  

  Ten 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  the 
  results 
  being 
  mainly 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  sea-urchins, 
  sand-dollars, 
  starfish, 
  hermit-crabs, 
  and 
  dead 
  shells. 
  

   We 
  communicated 
  with 
  two 
  fishing 
  schooners 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  — 
  the 
  

   Garland, 
  of 
  St. 
  John's, 
  Newfoundland, 
  and 
  the 
  Keewatim, 
  of 
  Lock- 
  

   port, 
  Nova 
  Scotia, 
  both 
  reporting 
  good 
  fishing. 
  In 
  the 
  afternoon 
  we 
  

   sounded 
  and 
  trawled 
  over 
  the 
  position 
  assigned 
  to 
  Jesse 
  Ryder 
  Rock, 
  

   H. 
  O. 
  chart 
  21a. 
  We 
  found 
  40 
  fathoms, 
  which 
  corresponded 
  with 
  the 
  

   depth 
  marked 
  for 
  the 
  vicinity 
  on 
  the 
  chart, 
  and 
  dragged 
  the 
  trawl 
  over 
  

   the 
  reported 
  position. 
  The 
  weather 
  being 
  clear 
  and 
  the 
  observations 
  

   reliable, 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  

   existing 
  in 
  that 
  locality. 
  Fishermen 
  who 
  had 
  their 
  trawl 
  lines 
  laid 
  

   around 
  the 
  position 
  said 
  they 
  knew 
  nothing 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  rock. 
  Five 
  

   hauls 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  were 
  made 
  the 
  following 
  morning, 
  June 
  20, 
  the 
  re- 
  

   sults 
  obtained 
  being 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  previous 
  day. 
  At 
  8.40 
  

   a. 
  m., 
  August 
  Peterssen, 
  seaman, 
  fell 
  overboard 
  while 
  taking 
  in 
  the 
  

   trawl, 
  and 
  was 
  drowned; 
  the 
  ship 
  was 
  stopped, 
  a 
  life-buoy 
  thrown 
  

   within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  him, 
  and 
  the 
  dinghy 
  and 
  whale-boat 
  lowered, 
  

   the 
  former 
  reaching 
  the 
  spot 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  minutes 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  

   fell 
  overboard, 
  but 
  being 
  unable 
  to 
  swim, 
  he 
  sunk 
  before 
  it 
  reached 
  him. 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  F. 
  C. 
  Bulletin, 
  1865, 
  p. 
  291. 
  

  

  