10 THE FISHERIES OP THE UNITED STATES. 



exists iu the lagoon-estuary near the village, ami the small pure-water lakes of the natives just under the flanks of 

 Telegraph hill. The Aleuts assured me that they had caught fish in the great lake toward Northeast point, when 

 they lived in their old village out there, but I never succeeded iu getting a single specimen. The waters of these 

 pools and ponds are fairly alive with vast numbers of minute Botifera, which sport about in all of them whenever 

 they are examined. Many species of water-plants, pond-lilies, alga), etc., are found iu the inland waters, especially 

 in the large lake "Mee-sulk-mah-nee", that is very shallow. 



The backbone of the island, running directly east and west, from shore to shore, between Polavina point and 

 Einahnuhto hills, constitutes the high land of the island: Polavina Sopka, an old extinct cinder-crater, 550 feet; 

 Boga Slov, an upheaved mass of splinted lava, 600 feet; and the hills frowning over the bluffs there, ou the west 

 shore, are also COO feet in elevation above the sea. But the average height of the upland between is uot much over 

 100 to 150 feet above water-level, rising here and there into little hills and broad, rocky ridges, which are minutely 

 sketched upon the map. From the northern base of Polavina Sopka a long stretch of low sand-flats extend, 

 inclosing the great lake, and ending in a narrow neck where it unites with Novastoshnah, or Northeast point. Here 

 the volcanic nodule known as Hutchiuson's hill, with its low, gradual slopes, trending to the east and southward, 

 makes a rocky foundation secure and broad, upon which the great single rookery of the island, the greatest in the 

 world, undoubtedly, is located. The natives say that when they first came to these islands, Novastoshnah was an 

 island by itself, to which they went in boats from Vesolia Mista; and the lagoon now so tightly inclosed was then an 

 open harbor, iu which the ships of the old Eussian company rode safely at anchor. To-day no vessel drawing ten 

 feet of water can get nearer than half a mile of the village, or a mile from this lagoon. 



LACK OF HARBORS: ANCHORAGES. The total absence of a harbor at the Pribylov islands is much to be 

 regretted. The village of St. Paul, as will be seen by reference to the map, is so located as to command the best 

 landings for vessels that can be made during the prevalence of any and all winds, except those from the south. 

 From these there is no shelter for ships, unless they run around to the north side, where they are unable to hold 

 practicable communication with the people or to discharge. At St. George matters are still worse, for the prevailing 

 northerly, westerly, and easterly winds drive the boats away from the village roadstead, and weeks often pass at 

 either island, but more frequently at the latter, ere a cargo is landed at its destination. Under the very best 

 circumstances, it is both hazardous and trying to load and unload ship at any of these places. The approach to St. 

 Paul by water during thick weather, is doubtful and dangerous, for the laud is mostly low at the coast, and the 

 fogs hang so dense and heavy over and around the hills as to completely obliterate their presence from vision. 

 The captain fairly feels his way iu, by throwing his lead-line and straining his ear to catch the muffled roar of the 

 seal-rookeries, which are easily detected when once understood, high above the booming of the surf. At St. George, 

 however, the bold, abrupt, bluffy coast everywhere all around, with its circling girdle of flying water-birds far out to 

 sea, looms up quite prominently, even in the fog ; or, iu other words, the navigator can notice it before he is hard 

 aground or struggling to haul to windward from the breakers under his lee. There are no reefs making out from 

 St. George worthy of notice, but there are several very dangerous and extended ones peculiar to St. Paul, which 

 Captain John G. Baker, iu command of the vessel* under my direction, carefully souuded out, and which I have 

 placed upon my chart for the guidance of those who may sail iu my wake hereafter. 



When the wind blows from the north, northwest, and west to southwest, the company's steamer trips her 

 anchor iu eight fathoms of water abreast of the Black Bluffs opposite the village, from which anchorage her stores 

 are lightered ashore; but in the northeasterly, easterly, and southeasterly winds, she hauls arouud to the Lagoon 

 bay west of the village, and there, little less than half a mile from the landing, she drops her anchor in nine fathoms 

 of water, and makes considerable headway at discharging the cargo. Sailing craft come to both anchorages, but, 

 however, keep still farther out, though they choose relatively the same positions, but seek deeper water to swing 

 to their cables iu: the holdiug-gronnd is excellent. At St. George the steamer comes, wind permitting, directly to 

 the village on the north shore, close in, and finds her anchorage in ten fathoms of water, in poor holding-ground; 

 but it is only when three or four days have passed free from northerly, 'westerly, or easterly winds, that she cau 

 make the first attempt to safely unload. The landing here is a very bad one, surf breaking most violently upon 

 the rocks from one end of the year to the other. 



OTTER ISLAND. The observer will notice that six miles southward and westward of the reef of St. Paul 

 island, is a bluffy islet, called by the Eussians Otter island, because in olden time the Promyshleniks are said to have 

 captured many thousands of sea otters on its stony coast. It rises from the ocean, sheer and bold, an unbroken mural 

 precipice extending nearly all around, of sea-front, but dropping ou its northern margin, at the water, low, and slightly 

 elevated above the surf-wash, with a broken, rocky beach and no sand. The height of the cliffs, at their greatest 

 elevation over the west end, is 300 feet, while the eastern extremity is quite low, and terminated t>y a queer, funnel- 

 shaped crater-hill, which is as distinctly defined, and as plainly scorched, and devoid of the slightest sign of 

 vegetation within, as though it had burned up and out yesterday. This crater-point ou Otter island is the only 

 xinique feature of the place, for with the exception of that low north shore, before mentioned, where many thousand 

 of " bachelor seals" haul out during the season every year, there is nothing else worthy of notice concerning it. A 



* United States re venue- marine cutter Reliance, June to October, 1874. 



