232 LOG BOOK OF THE "ST. PETER" 



4. Because of the snow and ice it is difficult to say whether the ship can be 

 floated; if it can be floated, it can be repaired and used with the help of Almighty 

 God. 



5. At present it is difficult to say how badly damaged the bottom is; and, even 

 if it were, it could be repaired. 



These are my views, and these are the reasons why I refuse to sign the report to 

 the effect that the ship was unfit for further service. 



Sailor Dimitri Ovtsin 

 January 27, 1742. 



January 29, 1742 

 Rebuttal 

 Lieutenant Waxel, Fleet Master Khitrov, all the lower officers and members of 

 the crew of the St. Peter met today to listen to the reading of the statement of 

 Dimitri Ovtsin which he handed to Lieutenant Waxel on January 27 of this year. 

 In this document Ovtsin said that he hoped that the St. Peter could be saved, that 

 it could be floated, that the damage could be repaired, that is to say the stem and 

 everything else, that a new rudder could be made out of timber to be found on the 

 island, and that the anchors lost at sea near here could be recovered. After listening 

 to his statement and reasons they were rejected by all who were present, because on 

 January 18 they had examined the ship and found it unseaworthy. A report on 

 this subject had been made and was signed by the officers and crew. Even if the 

 ship were sound it could not be floated since we have no anchor, no timber, and 

 not enough men for such work. Taking all this into consideration it was agreed 

 (Ovtsin dissenting) that in March the St. Peter should be broken up and out of the 

 wreck some kind of small vessel should be made to take us to Kamchatka. In the 

 meantime we should watch for an opportunity when the weather is favorable to 

 empty out the water from the hold and to inspect again the ship with a view of 

 determining its seaworthiness. 



Lieutenant Sven Waxel 

 Master Sofron Khitrov and 

 all the officers and men ex- 

 cept the Sailor Ovtsin 



February 23, 1742 

 Assistant Navigator Yushin with four men was ordered to follow the 

 shore to latitude 56° 10' N, which was the position of the mouth of the 

 Kamchatka River. On the way he was to make a careful observation of 

 the country. 



March 8, 1742 



Yushin and his party returned and reported that he had not gone 

 farther than 70 versts from our camp because his advance was blocked by 

 a rocky bluff which could not be passed even at low water. A fierce 

 blizzard interfered also. Yushin said that when he was about 50 versts 

 from camp he sighted land to the eastward, about 10 miles away, which 

 seemed like an island. 1273 



J27o See bracketed statement in third paragraph from bottom of p. 237. 



