﻿III.— 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  WORK 
  OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  FISH 
  

   COMMISSION 
  STEAMER 
  LOOKOUT 
  FOR 
  THE 
  YEAR 
  ENDING 
  

   DECEMBER 
  31,1885. 
  

  

  By 
  Mate 
  .Tamf.s 
  A. 
  Smith, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  Commanding. 
  

  

  [Abstract.] 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  beginning- 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  Lookout 
  was 
  at 
  Waters's 
  wharf, 
  Bal- 
  

   timore, 
  Md., 
  as 
  stated 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  my 
  last 
  report. 
  

  

  On 
  January 
  22 
  instructions 
  were 
  received 
  to 
  prepare 
  for 
  a 
  cruise 
  to 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  making 
  an 
  investigation 
  into 
  the 
  

   fish 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida. 
  On 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  

   equipment, 
  February 
  4, 
  sailed 
  from 
  Baltimore, 
  touched 
  at 
  Norfolk 
  for 
  

   coal, 
  proceeded 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  and 
  Albemarle 
  Canal 
  and 
  through 
  

   Pamlico 
  and 
  Core 
  Sounds 
  to 
  Beaufort, 
  N. 
  C, 
  arriving 
  there 
  on 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary 
  12, 
  where 
  we 
  were 
  detained 
  by 
  bad 
  weather 
  till 
  the 
  21st. 
  Ar- 
  

   rived 
  at 
  Charleston, 
  S. 
  C, 
  on 
  the 
  22d, 
  and, 
  continuing, 
  touched 
  at 
  Tybee 
  

   Roads 
  and 
  Feruaudina, 
  coaled 
  ship 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  and 
  arrived 
  at 
  Cedar 
  

   Keys, 
  Fla., 
  on 
  March 
  12, 
  where 
  we 
  awaited 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  Assistant 
  Com- 
  

   missioner 
  T. 
  B. 
  Ferguson, 
  who 
  joined 
  the 
  vessel 
  ou 
  March 
  14. 
  

  

  On 
  March 
  17 
  sailed 
  from 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  for 
  Pensacola, 
  stopped 
  on 
  the 
  

   way 
  at 
  Saint 
  Joseph's 
  and 
  Saint 
  Andrew's 
  Bays, 
  and 
  on 
  March 
  24 
  ar- 
  

   rived 
  at 
  Pensacola 
  at 
  5 
  p. 
  m. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  sailed 
  for 
  Mobile, 
  Ala., 
  

   reaching 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  26th, 
  during 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  which 
  day 
  hauled 
  

   the 
  vessel 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  floating 
  dock 
  to 
  make 
  some 
  repairs, 
  a 
  slight 
  leak 
  in 
  

   the 
  stern 
  having 
  been 
  discovered 
  during 
  the 
  passage. 
  On 
  March 
  30, 
  re- 
  

   pairs 
  being 
  finished, 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  launched, 
  and 
  sailed 
  for 
  Pensacola, 
  

   arriving 
  ou 
  the 
  31st. 
  Coaled 
  ship, 
  and 
  sailed 
  for 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  on 
  April 
  

   1, 
  touched 
  at 
  Saint 
  Joseph's 
  Bay 
  and 
  Appalachicola 
  Bay, 
  and 
  arrived 
  at 
  

   Cedar 
  Keys 
  on 
  the 
  4th. 
  Was 
  at 
  Anclote 
  Keys 
  on 
  the 
  5th 
  and 
  at 
  Clear 
  

   Water 
  Harbor 
  ou 
  tlie 
  Gth. 
  On 
  April 
  7 
  was 
  at 
  Tampa, 
  coaled 
  ship, 
  and 
  

   proceeded 
  to 
  Punta 
  Rassa, 
  which 
  was 
  reached 
  on 
  the 
  9th, 
  and 
  remained 
  

   in 
  that 
  vicinity 
  till 
  the 
  13th, 
  when 
  we 
  sailed 
  for 
  Key 
  West, 
  arriving 
  

   there 
  at 
  2 
  p. 
  m. 
  Coaled 
  ship, 
  and 
  sailed 
  for 
  Havana, 
  Cuba, 
  at 
  4 
  a. 
  m. 
  

   on 
  April 
  17, 
  and 
  reached 
  there 
  at 
  5.45 
  p. 
  m. 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  22d 
  Assistant 
  

   Commissioner 
  T. 
  B. 
  Ferguson 
  left 
  the 
  vessel. 
  

  

  S. 
  Mis. 
  70 
  7 
  ' 
  

  

  