The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-22
ihE CRUISE OF THE ALBATROss.
D1scoyeries That She Made on the Floor
of Rerfug sea


of Boring sea.
Whatcom, Sept. 2I.-Specai-T-he ianx
summers cruise OF the United States shin
Aioatross virtually ended with her arrival
mere wednesday. direct from Bersng se.
iisF mission this year may De said 70 have
eeeh t~o-fold-to obtain as much new
knowledge as possible Of the marine life OF
the Northern waters and especially as 70
the seals and their habitat. and 10 deter
mine by careful and extensive soundings
the general submarine Topography OF Ber-
ing sea The vessel was admirably equip
PED Tor service in these tao fields The
commander. Lieutenant Commander Drake.
was especially DESTROYS or demonstrating
the truth or fais.ty OF his preconcA!vef
theory as 70 the existence Of a great ridge
or hump, In the bottom Of the sea which
ne believed might account for the course
taken by the seals In their annual n!gra-
Ton To the North This theory he out
lined IN a lecture ar San Francisco before
me Aloatross went North last sprinC The
knowledge gained this season has exploded
II, but he has the satisfaction, If there Is
any IN II, OF knowing that the work was
ali done under his direction and that there
can b. no question about its accuracy. The
selentibc work relating especially 70 the
haDlts or the seals was conducted as Il
has been for several years past. by Prof
&. H. Townsend. chief naturalist. who
spent part OF the summer upon the Prib-
HON islands, and who is probably the best
posted man in the United States upon the
sealing question. having been ono az the
most important witnesses before the Rer-
ing sea tribunal in Paris. Mai Alexander
wao was associated with him IN this work
IS stiH IN the Northern waters pursuing
MS investigations further, upon a sealing
schooner. Yesterday In his snug little office
on board the vessel. Commander Drake
gave the Post-lntelligencer correspondent
an outline Of the long cruise Of 90 miles
ana OF the work accomplished, which ia
substance IS AS follows:
The Alhatross left Port Townsend on the
oDtn OF May and went direct 70 Tnalaska
the chief coaling station IN Boring sea,
about half way out In the Aleutian PENN
sula. Coaling there. she went north 80
miles. to the pr.blloff islands and made a
preliminary examination of the rookeries
leaving Prof Townsend and his assistant.
Mr.. Miller. there. and also Mr.. +. w
True and Mr., -. w. Prentiss. jr.. OF the
Smithsonian Institution. who have returned
and gone on TO Washington City. From
the PribIloff Islands, on the Goth parallel,
the FIRST line of soundngs Was taken. in A
course little south OF west. 70 Boring ISL
and, which Is the principal island of the
kommandorsM group. lying 10 miles off
the Siberian coast and rs miles northwest
OF Attu island. the extreme westerly pos
session OF the United States. The bounda-
" u
Attu and Eefing Islands. and extends north
east to the middle OF Boring strait. pass
Ing half WY between s.. Lawrence island
and the southeast point Of Eastern Siberia.
The soundngs referred 10 developed the
fact that the Boring sea basin is what
might be termed a vast sunken plateau.
Ninety miles out on the elevated PribiloN
plateau there is drop 10 leo fathoms.
deepening To 2.000 fathoms IN a distance
of thrty-one miles. This depth IS practi-
cally uniform nearly all the way across
the sea proper 10 within twenty miles Of
Boring island. where there Is a rise IN that
distance Of $50 fathoms This island lies
In latitude 81 degrees north and longitude
les degrees east. II Is q Russian posses
son under the control OF , governor. The
population which has doubled within the
past two years by Imp0rtat.ons from the
kamschatkan coast. stlossrs by hunting
and fishing. There are quite extensive
seal roOker.es on the island which Capt.
Drake examined. taking a ride Of thirty
miles In a dog sledge with the governor
on the Fourth Of July. From Ber.ng ISL
and another line of soundlngs was run
northe1sttrly approaching the Eastern s.
berian coast near cape OLutorsky, Tor see
purpose Of examining the kamschItka ba-
sin. For the urst twenty miles from Ber-
Ing Island The depth was found % he 1,1c0
fathoms. which Increased 10 over 700
fathoms. this depth being carried a s.
lance 0f r.. m lies According ID the
chart" Says capt. Drake. this point
should have placed MS IN the plateau of
Cane Olintcrsky ia less than fifty fathoms,
but we encountered D rise in passing over
the southeastern edge OF the plateau. the
least depth % which was so fathoms.
which varied % 81 fathoms IN a d.stAn-e
Of forty miles our observations ard
soundiuEs have established the fact that
This coast and plateau are fifteen miles out
H.. 80 bot 50
say. the maps Indicate the position ~ the
coast Inc 20 he fifteen miles further 10 the
east than Il really Il. We continued IN
line - aeuud!ugs 20 a point 2i5 miles north
easterly from Bcrng is.and, the depth IN
Crtas.nr - 800 fat53'7s. with cane DIN
tarsky bearing west northwest ie5 miles.
Being again in the BeT og sea basin. We
changed our line OF sound.uCs to the south
and east - return 20 the Prih.iocs. finiias
an the way She same general charl-'9r,
features and depth ~ bottom rs in tho first
IRE. a7tn vithia IS miles NJ 50 Faul Isl
land. where q Tse 81 $50 fat1oHs was
found iu twenty-c.rht miles, whi,l
brought rs to the PrihiloH plateau Inside
the fo1 fsthom curve. The bottom - the
Perng sea basin is composed principally
OF brown. green and blue mud and o1zc.
While approaching the plateau on both
SIDES iioc gray and black sad IS found
on the stones mixed with grave We
and one new species az lish. \ careful sur
vev 81 the Pr!b.i-G islands ani of the
ro0kerieS vas made. q full rcPor; 90 wnioA
] WI soon forward - Washington CitT-
am convinced from my observations thai
the rockertcs ar fast being depleted sn1
that the virtual extinction of The seals
IS only n question % q few years II Their
annual slaughter g. permitted - continue
as a. present. The catch-th.s wear VIII not
vary much from that 81 last season.
discovered no violations ~ the law AMI
believe that the seaisrs are generally in-
clinea 70 respect SIS provisions I am ur-
able 70 say AZ present What our " winters
work viii he We ~ - san Francisco
ZION, here and VIII await orders there"
The Alhatross has orders from " ASKING
ron city % remain on the Sound q few
DAYS 70 make surveys Of the locations %
0sh trans AZ Point Roberts. LumEni and
San rus1 islands The order - thought 70
beva reference - the su5t 81 the Lumui
Indians against the Alaska Packing Assoc
.tetfon - prevent the caaneryneu from
,,S{ns- trans Or discriminating against In
cans in salmon lshlng. in violation. ss al
1arsa OF a treaty made BY the Indians
v-Ifh GOV. stevens. y may. however. Ne
o.fv a continuation OF the work begun ~
Prof. Townsend ard MAJ Alexander, 81
the tish commission. last spftuS