94 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



trails to the various rookeries near the village may also be laid out at a trifling expense, 

 and would allow ready access by foot or horseback for purposes of inspection and study. 



On St. George Island no draft animals are now used, but the construction of a 

 road connecting Garden Cove with the village seems important. It often happens that 

 a landing can be made at Garden Cove when none other is possible, but this place can 

 not be used for the landing of general supplies because of the lack of any means of trans- 

 porting the goods to the \'illage, a distance of about 3 miles. Because of this it is some- 

 times impossible to land urgently needed merchandise. A foot trail now connects these 

 places, and another facilitates travel to Zapadni, 5 miles from the village. There are 

 trails to North and East rookeries also, but they need improvement. A road to Staraya 

 Artel, at present the most important hauling ground on the island, also seems desirable. 

 The seals are now driven to the village, a distance of about 2.% miles, and a road would 

 do away with the necessity for this long drive. 



The importance of a better system of transportation in connection with the prob- 

 lem of distributing fox food has been referred to in the account of that animal. The 

 fox herds represent very valuable possibilities, and it is important that their needs be 

 fully considered. 



Supply ship. — For the transportation of the supplies needed for the Pribilof Islands 

 the charter of a ship of approximately 1,000 tons is necessary. For the Homer, which 

 has been employed for several seasons on this work, the average cost for the past four 

 seasons was a little over $21,000. The cost of the Melville Dollar for the season of 

 1914 was a little over $18,000 for 59 days, or slightly over $300 per day. It would seem 

 that an annual expenditure of this amount would justify the acquisition by the Bureau 

 of Fisheries of a ship to be used chiefly or entirely for the Alaskan service. Two trips 

 to the islands should be made ; the first with the opening of navigation and another as late 

 in the autumn as the weather conditions allow. 



The landing of cargo on the Pribilof Islands is a matter of considerable difficulty. 

 There are no wharves nor even harbors on either island. A ship must lie at some dis- 

 tance offshore in such place as affords the best shelter under the prevailing condition 

 of the wind. It frequently happens, under stress of weather conditions, that the place 

 most favorable for landing cargo has to be abandoned while the ship weathers out the 

 storm in some more favorable spot. All cargo must be landed in the native boats 

 called bidarras, which are made by stretching a cover of sea-lion skins over a wooden 

 framework. In spite of the increasing difficulty of procuring enough skins suitable for 

 this purpose, the use of the native boats has been continued. They have the distinct ad- 

 vantage of being so constructed that they stand the buffeting against the sides of the 

 ship without injury. They can carry only about 5 tons, however, so that the landing of 

 the cargo of approximately 800 tons necessitates a great many trips, even with the use 

 of two boats. During the season of 1914 the ship was detained 9 days at St. Paul 

 and 12 days at St. George at a cost of $300 per day in landing the cargo. It is evi- 

 dent, in view both of the growing scarcity of the sea lions and of the objections to the 

 use of the skin boats, that some substitute for the latter must soon be found. 



In many places cargoes are landed by means of a car running on a cable which is 

 stretched between the anchored ship and a high point on the shore. Steps should be 

 taken to ascertain whether this or some other efficient method can not be used on 

 the Pribilof Islands. 



