LANDING ON KAYAK ISLAND 99 



July 21, 1 7 41 

 Report on St. Elias [Kayak] Island*^ 



The island of St. Elias lies NE and SW. It is about 3K miles from the mainland 

 to the bay. It is about 3X German miles long and not more than 3K versts across. 

 According to my calculation it is in latitude 59° 39' [or 49' — not clear] and 48° 42' 

 of longitude from Vaua on the course E by NXN, distant 416X miles from the 

 northerly point. This island stands out alone in the sea like a stone column; 

 extending from it a submerged reef of rocks may be seen in low water. From its 

 northerly point about X of a mile there lie, in the bay between the island and the 

 mainland, other islands which offer shelter from winds. To one of these islands the 

 Captain Commander sent me with several men in the longboat to examine the strait 

 and to find a good anchorage. In going there between N and E, the depth of the 

 channel was 25, 22, 18, 10, 7, 6, 4, and 3K fathoms where it is possible to anchor; 

 and in going to it one should keep in the middle between St. Elias and the island 

 and watch out for the projecting cape of the island, because running out from the 

 middle of the island of St. Elias and this island are submerged reefs. On this 

 island there are many trees, namely, fir, larch, cedar, and other kinds, but little 

 of it is good for shipbuilding because we had occasion to look for a piece of timber 

 for the topsail yards but did not find it. We came across (on the island) a hut which 

 was made of hewn boards; the floor was also made of these boards. In place of an 

 oven there was in one corner of the hut a fireplace. Near the hut was found a 

 wooden basket in which were shell fish, which showed that the inhabitants here used 

 them for food. We did not see any people, but it was quite evident that they had 

 been here shortly before our arrival. I brought from this island, in order to show 

 our Captain Commander, one basket, a shovel, a small stone with copper stains 

 on it. It was not possible to tell whether there was or was not suitable timber for 

 shipbuilding on the mainland, which land is two miles from this island. The main- 

 Ian 1 has high snow-covered mountains and volcanoes, and, from this as well as from 

 the fact that the m.aterial for the hut and floor was of good wide boards, we may 

 assume that there may be good timber there. 



On St. Elias Island there is also plenty of wood. On that island there was dis- 

 covered an earthen hut containing dried fish which were cured this summer. On 

 the beach were seen human tracks in the sand, a fireplace, and running foxes. From 

 all this it may be reasoned that the natives, on seeing us, ran away and hid or that 

 they have their habitations on the mainland and come to the island in summer to 

 catch fish and other sea animals. The Captain Commander decided to send to that 

 hut, in order to please the people, several of the things which we had to give as 

 presents: namely, 16K arshins of green material, 2 iron knives, 20 Chinese strings 

 of beads, 2 iron pipes for smoking Chinese tobacco, called '"shar." All these things 

 were left there. The attached sketch map gives the position of the bay and the 

 islands and their relation to the mainland. 



^^ From Khitrov'vS journal. Khitrov's sketch map, mentioned in the last sentence of 

 this report, was published by Sokolov in Zapiski Hydrogr. Depart., Vol. 9, St. Petersburg, 

 1851, and reproduced by Lauridsen in his "Vitus Bering," Chicago, 1889. In style of 

 execution it resembles his hitherto unpublished map of the Shumagin Islands, our Fig. 11. 



