508 THE HARRIMAN ALASKA EXPEDITION 



Upon its shores are many glaciers, few of which are of record, 

 which extend down to tide and drop bergs into the sea. In this 

 region Mr Gilbert explored and mapped one of the finest glaciers 

 of Alaska, situated upon the north shore, just west of Port Valdez, 

 to which the name of Columbia glacier was given, the fiord into 

 which it enters being called Columbia fiord. Port Wells, an ex- 

 tensive fiord on the northwest coast of Prince William sound, was 

 also explored, and a sketch map of the upper part of this inlet 

 is presented on page 511. 



From Prince William sound the boat visited Homer, in Kache- 

 mak bay, and thence proceeded to Kadiak island, where parties 

 were landed for hunting and for scientific work. Thence the boat 

 coasted the Alaska peninsula, passing among the Shumagin isl- 

 ands, and thence on to Unalaska, stopping at numerous points 

 on the route. Leaving Unalaska, a short pause was made at 

 Bogoslof, a group of two volcanic islets, one of them a century 

 old and the other but fourteen years of age ; thence the course 

 was north to St Paul island, where a short stop was made to visit 

 the fur-seals, and thence to Plover bay, in northeastern Siberia, 

 where the Innuit people were first encountered. The ship then 

 crossed to Port Clarence, passing just south of Bering strait, 

 within sight of the Diomede islands. At Port Clarence was 

 found a fleet of arctic steam whalers which were waiting there 

 for the ice to retreat from the vicinity of the straits. From Port 

 Clarence the boat visited various islands in Bering sea — St 

 Lawrence, St Matthew, and Hall islands — and thence steered 

 a straight course for Unalaska. From that point she returned 

 to Seattle, following much the same course as on the way up and 

 stopping at comparatively few points. 



Throughout, the exi3edition was greatly favored by the weather. 

 It is a common saying that nothing can be certain about Alaskan 

 weather except that it will be unfavorable. Still, during the two 

 months that the expedition was in Alaskan waters there was but 

 one rainstorm, and there were many clear, bright, sunny days. 

 Although fogs and cloudy weather were frequent, they commonly 

 occurred when there was little to see or do, and the work of the 

 expedition was but slightly delayed or hampered by it. 



The entire south coast of Alaska, from Portland canal to the 

 Aleutian islands, is composed of a succession of glacial fiords, 

 which continue inland as branching glacial gorges, reaching far 

 up into the coast mountains. Man}', if not most, of the gorges 

 are still filled with glaciers near their heads, and in scores of 



