1|? KXI'KDITION '10 I'OIXT I'.AUKOW, ALASKA. 



(hen- is a great scarcity after the frost lists scaled up sill sources of supply. The scarcity (if fuel, 

 together with their iiiailecnialc means tor melting ice and snow, causes them to sutler under ;i 

 cunsiaiit water famine from October to July, and they seemed to think that our supply was never 

 1'siilins;. 



During the tall of I.SSL' \ve experienced none of the heavy westerh gales so common in issi, 

 and the main pack, though always in sight, did not come close in. and the sea along shore fro/e 

 over comparatively smooth save for the small Hoes that were always drifting to and fro with the, 

 current. This remained unbroken until January, when a heavy westerly gale drove in the old ire, 

 to the three-fathom bar. which here lies parallel with the coast and about one and one-hull' miles 

 from it. Inside this bar the ice formed to a thickness of live and one twenty-fourth feet, and si 

 vessel m i ;jh t hsive wintered with perfect safety at the anchorage oil' the station in four fathoms ot 

 water, lioth the winters we were there, about two and oii-half miles to the Miiithwest and three. 

 miles to the northeast, the old ice came in on the land with great force. In .November and 

 December the snow galleries were again constructed to the observatories, and the winter's work 

 went on uninterruptedly. Observations of temperature in sea-water ice were carried on. and a 

 .serio of tidal observations were made extending through a period of one hundred and twelve days. 

 These observations were taken on the open coast, and goto show that the open Arctic Sea is 

 practically tidelcss, the mean rise and fall being only about t wo tenths of a foot. 1,'eport on 

 tide 



A peculiar disturbance was obserxed frequently during these observations. There would be 

 a sudden rise and fall of from three to live hundredth* of a foot, like a sudden wave. These 

 occurred when the sea was entirely closed, with not a trace of open water in sight, and apparently in 

 no way connected with the regular action of the tide. There would also be a variation in the height 

 of the water of from four to live feet, often extending through a period of from seven to ten days, 

 but in no manner affecting the normal rise and fall. 



During the winter of 188J-'S;j temperature of the sea-ice was taken in the following manner: 

 The thermometer was secured in a wooden box (> by ti by 1.1 inches, with a sliding door: this was 

 placed in the ice one hundred yards from the beach, where the sea was smoothly fro/en over, 

 one foot below the surface, and frozen, in so that the bulb was fro/en solid in the ice. 



The temperature Of the sea-water was taken top and bottom through the hole at the tide-gauge 

 in three fathoms of water. The results are given in the meteorological tables submitted with this 

 report. I found that the second winter with its long night was much more trying upon the spirits 

 and strength of the party than the first; the novelty had now worn off; there was no longer 

 anything new or strange to interest them and there w^is no relief from the monotony of the 

 routine of the regular work, and there is none so wearisome and wearing as this, without any 

 change and without hope, for wo had positive knowledge thsit there could be no change for us 

 until our work was liuislied : M> the slow time dragged on ; days into weeks, mouths into years; 

 so that exploration, or aaj work that required action, would have been hailed with joy. After the 

 return of the sun 1 made .... para! ions for a trip into the interior, to locate geographically some of 

 the discoveries made las; \v;,i. 1 had by this time secured one excellent team of eight native 

 dogs, and the sled made at Saint Michael's, given me by Sergeant Nelson hi 1SS1, still being 

 strong and serviceable, 1 was well equipped for inland work. 



Kverything being ready. I lelt the station at r>..'i(> a. m., March L'S, with Mr. A. ('. Dark, as- 

 sistant, st native guide Apaidyao, and his wife. A team of eight dogs and one sled was our only 

 means of transportation : and on it wccairied our instruments, arms and ammunition, camp equip- 

 age, twenty days' supply of coffee, sugar, hard bread, and pemmicsm. a small kerosene stove, and 

 one jrnllon <>f oil. The sled was rigged wuh a small lug sail, which was a great help with a fair 

 wind. AYe traveled along the smooth shore ice to the southwest about eight miles after leaving the 

 station, when we came to where the pack had come in onto the laud, and the ice on the sea was loo 

 rough and broken for our sled. \Ve here took to the tundra and traveled parallel to the shore until 

 we reached the mouth of si small stream about ten yards wide, coming in from the southeast, called 

 Siasiru. which has its source in ;\ lake seven miles inland. We here left the coast, our general 

 course being south, crossing the lake at the head of Sifiaru. which I found to be svven miles across, 

 and c.i in | >ed at (i p. in. on a small si ream llo wing to the not thesis* : marched thirty-seven miles. The 



