44 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



The Blossom Shoals are a very dangerous lot of ridges, lying parallel with the coast at Icy 

 Cape. They have from 1 to 3 fathoms of water over them, and from 3 to 9 fathoms between 

 them. A passage with 3 fathoms exists inshore, but it is narrow and should not be used except 

 in case of great necessity, and the shore side of the channel should be followed if possible, as 

 the water decreases gradually, while the edge of the shoal is steep. If compelled to beat through, 

 it is advisable, when on the offshore tack, to "go about" on the first indication of a decrease in 

 the depth of the water. A slow working vessel will then no more than clear the shoal. It 

 is not remarkable that these shoals should remain the same from year to year. I could find no 

 material change in them since they were discovered and surveyed by H. B. M. ship Blossom, 

 in 1826, as shown on the American Hydrographic chart. If they are, as they appear, merely 

 sand banks, it is somewhat singular that they are not affected by the great quantity of ice which 

 passes over them each year. From their unchanging nature and the fact that the Blossom, after 

 dropping an anchor there, was unable to raise it again, and parted her chain in the attempt, it 

 would appear that the bottom is composed of something more solid than sand. The " Directory 

 of Bering Sea and Alaska " states that these shoals are probably the effect of a large river which 

 here empties itself into the sea. This cannot be, however, since there is no considerable river 

 here, only very small streams, entirely formed from the melting snow. Feeling our way over the 

 shoals, we followed the ice until we could see it resting on the shore at Icy Cape, when we ran 

 back well clear of the shoal and inshore to 1\ fathoms of water, where we came to anchor south 

 of Icy Cape. During the day we saw many King eider ducks; the sea in the vicinity of the shoal 

 appeared alive with them, great flocks being scared up every few minutes by the movements of 

 the vessel. Many were molting and could fly but a short distance, while others could not fly at 

 all, but used their wings to propel themselves along the surface of the water. When fully 

 feathered they are very beautiful, and fly with a strong, graceful motion. 



We remained at anchor during the night and until 1 p. in. the next day, July 23. The fog 

 lifted during the morning and we improved the time by taking observations on shore with the 

 artificial horizon. Magnetic observations were also taken. The geographical position of Icy 

 Cape, like all other points established by Captain Cook during his voyages, was found to be very 

 nearly correct. The place of observation, whicli was subsequently found to be 7 nautical miles 

 from the pitch of Icy Cape, was in latitude 70° 24/ 43", longitude 161° 55' west; dip of the 

 magnetic needle beiug 79° 56', and the variation 32° 12' east. We found the variation all along 

 this coast about three degrees less than that shown on the American Hydrographic chart, which 

 was taken from the early English surveys and has not since been corrected. At 1 p. m. we got 

 under way, and following the coast northward in 3 fathoms of waterwe passed between Blossom 

 Shoal and Icy Cape an hour later, carrying the same depth. The ice pack was still resting on the 

 north side of the shoal, but was about 4 miles from the cape. We stood to the eastward in the lead 

 between the pack and the shore, about IS miles, when we came to the end, and as the lead was 

 rapidly closing turned back, and running out through the shoals steamed to the westward a few 

 miles to speak a vessel standing in toward us. This vessel proved to be the whaling bark North- 

 ern Light, Captain Campbell, from whom we learned that the bark Daniel Webster was supposed 

 to be in the pack to the northward. About the 1st of July the ice had started off as far south as 

 Point Belcher, opeuing a lead between the shore and drift ice similar to what we had found on 

 the Siberian coast a mouth earlier, and extending much farther north. The Daniel Webster and 

 two other vessels had entered this lead, but on the first indication of its closing the latter ships 

 had succeeded iu beating out to clear water, while the Webster, apparently unaware of danger, 

 remained, and had not since been seen, as the lead soon closed and the pack set inshore as far 

 south as Icy Cape. Soon after speaking the Northern Light we came up with and boaided the 

 schooner R. B. Handy, of San Francisco, Captain Winants, walrus hunting. Owing to the light- 

 ness of the ice they had met with only indifferent success. Walrus "haul out" on the drift ice 

 along the edge of the pack, and in order to guard against surprises from polar bears they select 

 the smallest floes. On account of the unusual lightness of the ice during the present season 

 many of the floes were barely sufficient to sustain the weight of the animals when alive, and 

 when shot and killed they fall over, thus destroying the equilibrium of the floe, and the animals 



