- INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATROSS. 219 
COAST OF CALIFORNIA, MARCH AND APRIL, 1890. 
We left the navy-yard at 9:40 a. m., March 10, and proceeded to sea. 
Crossing the bar at 2 p. m., we lowered the trawl ten minutes later in 
20 fathoms, and notwithstanding a heavy westerly swell succeeded in 
running a line of dredgings to the South Farallones. There we hove to 
for the night, rolling and tumbling about in the heavy swell, to the 
great discomfort of all hands. 
Resuming work at daylight the following morning, we extended our 
explorations to the southward in depths ranging between 391 fathoms, 
16 miles 8. 4 E. from South Farallon light, and 20 fathoms, 5 miles NW. 
~ W. from Pigeon Point. After the last haul was completed we ran off 
shore a few miles and lay to until 5:46 the following morning, when 
operations were resumed by casting the trawl in 296 fathoms, fine gray 
sand, Pigeon Point light bearing NE. by E. # E., 18.8 miles. Working 
to the southward as before, twelve stations were occupied during the 
day, the last one being 6.8 miles WNW. $ W. from Santa Cruz light- 
house. The weather moderated until at sunset the sea was quite smooth. 
We anchored at 5:55 p.m. off Santa Cruz, where good protection is 
afforded from the coast winds. 
Mr. Alexander was landed at daylight on the 15th to continue his 
fisheries investigations. At 6 a.m. we got under way and made a line 
of soundings and dredgings across the outer extremity of Monterey 
Bay, finally anchoring off the old town of that name. The naturalists 
were employed in shore collecting until noon on the 14th, when we left 
the anchorage and made a series of dredgings across the bay in from 9 
to 48 fathoms, following the general direction of the coast line, finally 
anchoring off Santa Cruz at 6:23 p.m. 
Getting under way at 6:20 next morning, we examined a rocky area 
off Santa Cruz on which a number of fishing boats were employed. 
The Coast Survey chart gave no indications of rocky bottom, and our 
attention was called to it by the presence of fishermen. The center 
of the bank is 2 miles SSW. from the light-house and the bank has an 
area of about 14 square miles, the depths ranging from 8 to 20 fathoms. 
Having completed the examination of the bank, we ran a line of dredg- 
ings to the northward in moderate depths as far as Pigeon Point, the 
last haul being finished at 5:45 p.m., when we started for port, anchor- 
ing off Saucelito at 11:25 p.m. We were under way again at daylight 
on the 16th, and reached the navy-yard, Mare Island, at 8:20 a. m. 
Thick rainy weather prevailed until the 19th, when we ran down to 
San Francisco, took on board 92 tons of coal on the 20th, and at 9:40 
the following morning got under way and proceeded to sea. At 12:50 
p.m. we cast the trawl in 21 fathoms, fiie gray sand, Point Bonita 
bearing NE. by E. 3 E., distant 9.8 miles, and ran a line of dredgings 
to the westward until 3:50 p. m., when we swung ship under steam for 
compass errors. The dredgings were then continued in the direction 
