34 INTRODTTCTTOK OF BOMERTTO KEfNDEER INTO ALASKA. 

 ITINERARY OF WILLIAM HAMILTON, PH. D. 



Department of the Interior, 

 Bureau of Education, Alaska Division, 



Washington, D. C, December S, lOOJf.. 



Sir: In compliance with 30111- instructions to join the U. S. S. 

 Thetis for the annual visit of inspection of United States public 

 schools in western Alaska, and to make the tour of the Yukon River 

 with a view of ascertaining the points at which it would be advisable 

 to organize schools, I left Washington on June 8, arriving at San 

 Francisco five days later. 



On June 16 I left San Francisco on the steamer Ventura, which 

 entered the harbor of Honolulu on the morning of June 22. The 

 Thetis was not there when the Ventura arrived, but returned to 

 Honolulu from a short cruise to Midway and Lisiansky islands a 

 few days later. 



While the Thetis was taking on coal and stores for the arctic 

 cruise we enjoyed many courtesies from friends in Honolulu and 

 visited manj^ places of interest on the island of Oahu. On the morn- 

 ing of July 3 the Thetis steamed out of the harbor of Honolulu with 

 Dutch Harbor, on the Aleutian Islands, as her objective point. The 

 roster of the officers of the Thetis was as follows: Capt. Oscar C. 

 Hamlet, commanding; execiitive officer. First lieut. Charles E. 

 Johnston; navigator, Second Lieut. Ernest E. Mead; Second Lieut., 

 Francis R. Shoemaker; Third Lieut., Hiram R. Searles; chief engineer, 

 Levin T. Jones; assistant engineers, William L. Maxwell and W. E. 

 Davis; surgeon, Samuel J. Call, M. D. 



For several hours after leaving Honolulu we skirted the palm- 

 fringed shores of the island of Oahu. Toward evening we headed 

 northward, and the wooded shores gradually disappeared below the 

 horizon. 



For the first two days we were in the track of the steady trade 

 winds and good progress was made. On the third day the wind 

 died down; then for three days we glided ovei the -smooth seas of 

 the doldrums. Next came the fresh breezes of the north Pacific, 

 and once more, with all sails set, we proceeded rapidly northward. 

 On July 13 we encountered the fog that almost constantly hangs over 

 the waters adjacent to the Aleutian Islands. At slow speed, the fog 

 whistle sounding, the steamer felt her way along. Sometimes, 

 steaming through the fog, we came suddenly upon flocks of whale 

 birds resting upon the smooth waters, that fled at our approach 

 with a mighty fluttering of wings. Night fell before we sighted 

 land, and, desiring to go through Unimak Pass and enter Bering 

 Sea by daylight, at 10 p. m. the captain headed away from land, 

 and during the darkness of the night we stood off and on at a safe 



