346 NOTE TO ACCOMPANY THE CHART 



Lisianski Strait as the place where the boats of the St. Paul met 

 with disaster. 



BEGINNING OF HOMEWARD VOYAGE 



In accordance with the decision of the council the homeward 

 voyage was begun. At noon of the 26th Mt. Fairweather was 

 sighted at a distance of 40 miles, and on the morning of July 27 

 they made out Ocean Cape where the land falls away to form 

 Yakutat Bay. On August I the Kenai Peninsula came into view, 

 and Chirikov hauled to the southward. At noon Cape Elizabeth 

 was 50 miles distant. At noon of August 2, although the St. Paul 

 was keeping well offshore, the northern end of Afognak Island 

 was sighted with Mt. Douglas in the distance, and on the 3rd 

 they caught a glimpse of the high land in the vicinity of Cape 

 Chiniak. Chirikov now worked to the southward and westward 

 until the parallel of 53 was reached on the 12th, when he again 

 hauled to the westward; but a spell of contrary winds and bad 

 weather set in, and between that date and the 30th the St. 

 Paul advanced but 100 miles to the westward. On August 31 

 the wind was fair, and good progress was made until September 

 4, when Umnak Island and the Islands of Four Mountains were 

 sighted. At noon the St. Paul was about 25 miles to the south- 

 ward of the islands, the weather was clear, and as the land seemed 

 to extend to the southward and westward Chirikov stood in that 

 direction for two days before continuing west. On September 8 

 there were many indications that the ship was again approaching 

 land, and on the 9th they found themselves on soundings. At 

 sundown it was calm with a dense fog ; a cast of the lead showing 

 only 30 fathoms of water, Chirikov wisely brought his ship to 

 anchor. During the night they could hear the surf breaking on 

 the beach, and the lifting of the fog the following morning re- 

 vealed a rocky shore scarcely a quarter of a mile away. The 

 St. Paul had anchored in one of the small bights on the south 

 shore of Adak Island, probably the easternmost one. During 

 the night the tide was running to the westward, and but for 

 Chirikov's prudence the night before the St. Paul would have 

 drifted upon the rocks in the fog. 



