REPORT OF CAPT. HOOPER, DATED SEPTEMBER 6, 1892. 215 



from the honorable the Secretary of the Treasury. At 11 a. m. got 

 under way and stood offshore on a W. by N. course. At 2 p. in. stopped 

 engine and made fore and aft sail. Sent otter boat and dingy out to 

 hunt. At 5 p. m. called boats alongside; each boat had taken two 

 seals, all full grown females, three nursing cows, and 



'. -r\ • j.i • i ■ i ix- Female seals taken. 



one virgin cow. During the evening seals were plenti- 

 ful. 



August 22d running off on a W. by N. line; sea smooth, wind moder- 

 ate ; but very few seals seen during the morning. At meridian St. Paul 

 bore about E. x S. 190 miles distant. At 1 p.m. changed course to 

 WSW.; at 6:30 saw one seal, the only one seen during the day, after 1') 

 o'clock a. m., although a careful lookout was kept at all times. At 8 

 p. m. St. Paul bearing E. \ S. distant 260 miles, changed course to 

 SSW.: wind variable during the night with occasional squalls. 



August 22d at 8 a. m., St. Paul bearing E. x N. \ distant 305 miles, 

 changed course to SSE.; wind westerly, fresh, and weather squally. 

 At meridian St. Paul bore EKE. distant 305 miles. 



At 10 p. m. St. Paul bore NE. £ distant 285 miles, shaped course for 

 it. During the sixteen (16) hours of daylight this day the vessel 

 steamed 146 miles on the track indicated on the chart from lat. 57° 28' 

 ¥., long. 179° 13' W. to lat. 55° 18' K, long. 17S°39' W. without seeing 

 a seal. 



August 24th, steering NE. \ N". for St. Paul Island, at meridian, 

 200 miles distant; during the forenoon, weather fine, sea moderate; 

 later in the day, wind NW. fresh and squally, sea making up; took 

 iu light sails and reefed mainsail; saw no seals until 3:40 p. m., then 

 only a few scattering individuals. During the night wind hauled to 

 NE., speed fell down to 5 knots. 



At 6:45 a. m., August 25th, St. Paul bore KE. £ distant about 50 

 miles, strong head wind, vessel making but little headway, decided to 

 make a fair wind of it and run another line off shore. 



Accordingly changed course to SE. and ran 12 miles. At 7, St. Paul 

 bearing NKE. \ E. kept away to SSW.; \ W. ; made all square sails; 

 no seals seen during the morning, running off under all sail before the 

 wind. At 4 p. m. having seen no seals during the day, changed course 

 to east. At 8 p. m. hauled up to NKE. and later N. x E. £ E. Vessels 

 close hauled on port tack under fore and aft sail. Wind moderated 

 during the night. At daylight August 26, wind freshened with squalls, 

 and barometer falling. At 8 a. m. kept away for St. George Island, 

 and about 1 p. m. came to anchor at Garden Cove in 9 fathoms water, 

 starboard anchor and 45 fathoms chain. Later in the day wind in- 

 creased to a fresh gale, veered to 60 fathoms on starboard chain. Scat- 

 tered seals were seen in the morning watch when about 40 miles from 

 St. George and during the forenoon as we approached the island, but 

 only in limited uumbers. 



We remained at anchor at Garden Cove during the night. Wind 

 blowing a fresh gale with occasional heavy squalls. At daylight on the 

 morning of the 27th wind moderating a little, barometer rising, and 

 weather altogether showing signs of improvement. At 11 a. in., the 

 gale having abated, we got under way from Garden Cove and steamed 

 around to the village, but finding the sea still too rough to make a land- 

 ing at that place, kept on for St. Paul; arrived and came to anchor off 

 Village Cove at 5 p. m. ; found the Rush at anchor, she having arrived 

 the day previous from a cruise to the eastward. 



