104 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



month. June came in with light and variable winds and foggy weather ; 

 but the ice opening somewhat, the ships pushed through in sight of Cape 

 Navarine, where they took five or six whales, and for a short time heard 

 many more spouting among the ice. About the middle of June the ice 

 opened still more, and the lleet passed on through Anadir Sea, taking a 

 few whales as they went. By the 30th of June the vessels had passed 

 through Behring's Straits, preceded by the whales. Waiting the further 

 breaking up of the ice, they commenced catching walruses, but with com- 

 paratively poor success. During the latter part of July, the ice disap- 

 pearing from the east shore south of Cape Lisburne, the fleet pushed on 

 to the eastward, following the ice, the principal portion of which was in 

 latitude 69° 10'. A clear strip of water appearing ou the east shore, 

 leading along the land to the northeast, they worked along through it to 

 within a few miles of Icy Cape. Here some of the vessels anchored, un- 

 able to proceed farther on account of the ice lying on Blossom Shoals. 



About the Gth of August the ice on the shoals started, and several 

 ships got under way. In a few days most of the fleet was north of the 

 shoals, and, aided by favorable weather, they worked to the northeast as 

 far as Wainwright Inlet, eight vessels reaching there on the 7th. Here 

 the ships either anchored or made fast to the ice, which was very heavy 

 and densely packed, and whaling was carried on briskly for several days, 

 and every encouragement was given for a favorable catch. On the 11 th 

 of August a sudden change of wind set the ice inshore, catching a large 

 number of boats which were cruising for whales in the open ice, and 

 forcing the ships to get under way to avoid being crushed. The vessels 

 worked inshore under the lee of the ground ice, and succeeded, despite 

 the difficulties of the situation, in saving their boats by hauliug them 

 for long distances over the ice, some of them, however, being badly 

 stoven. On the 13th the ice grounded, leaving a narrow strip of water 

 along the land wp to Point Belcher. In this open water lay the fleet 

 anchored or fast to the ice, waiting for the expected northeast wind that 



those seas. The locality includes the water between the Asiatic and American coasts 

 north of 50° north latitude: 



Year. 



No. of 

 ships. 



183:) 

 1840 

 1841 

 1842 

 1843 

 1844 

 1845 

 1846 

 1847 

 1848 

 1849 

 1850 

 1851 

 185-2 

 1853 

 1854 

 1855 

 1856 

 1857 



2 

 3 

 20 

 29 

 108 

 170 

 263 

 292 

 177 

 159 

 155 

 144 

 138 

 278 

 238 

 232 

 217 

 178 

 143 



Average 

 barrels. 



1,400 



587 



1, 412 



1, 627 



1,349 



1, 528 



953 



869 



1, 059 



1, 164 



1, 334 



1, 692 



626 



1, 343 



912 



794 



873 



822 



79CJ 



Total 

 barrels. 



2, 

 1, 

 28, 

 47, 

 146, 

 259, 

 250, 

 2? 3 

 187, 

 185, 

 206, 

 243, 

 86, 

 373, 

 217, 

 184, 

 189, 

 146, 

 113, 



Tear. 



1858 

 1859 

 1860 

 1861 

 1862 

 1863 

 1864 

 1865 

 1866 

 1867 

 1868 

 1869 

 1870 

 1871 

 1872 

 1873 

 1874 

 1875 

 1876 



No. of 

 sbips. 



196 

 176 

 121 

 76 

 32 

 42 

 68 

 59 

 95 

 90 

 61 

 43 

 46 

 40 

 27 

 29 

 22 

 16 



Average 

 barrels. 



620 

 535 

 518 

 724 

 610 

 857 

 522 

 617 

 598 

 640 

 708 

 890 

 1, 069 



729 

 665 

 915 

 1, 374 

 656 



Total 

 barrels. 



121, 650 

 94, 160 

 62. 678 

 55, 024 

 19, 526 

 36, 010 

 35, 490 

 36,415 



56, 925 



57, 620 

 43, 230 

 38, 275 

 49, 205 

 15, 000 

 19, 680 



19, 300 



20, 129 



21, 980 

 5,250 



