It seems that Mr. Johnston did not make any special bargain with the Siwash. Tak-quokette, who brought us down from Camp Muir, besides the numbers. Yesterday he dressed up in an old blue naval officer's coat and came bringing his letters of recommendation with him, to receive his pay. I gave him $15, which was quite sufficient, considering that we did all the rowing down to this place. He was very well satisfied and asked for a recommendation, which I wrote for him. Later in the afternoon he brought back the $15 on the counter of the store where I was sitting and said it was not enough; he wanted $20. I put the money in my pocket and have said nothing more about it. His relatives had evidently put him up to it. Two of the men here, the store-keeper and the superintendent of the fishing seem quite intelligent. The founder is an Englishman, speaks correctly, has traveled a great deal, and seems to have read considerably. I have had many interesting conversations with him.
September 17th
Still no steamer. Hope deferred waketh the heart sick. How glad I would be [to] see the steamer. We eat with the men; the cook is chinese, who makes excellent breads, and speaks English, but the raw materials are of a very poor quality. This morning I did some trading with the Indians, I bought a number of bone and wooden spoons and traded off one of our lanterns. I went with the Siwash to his log hut. Inside was a fire on the [MS illegible] in the middle of the floor, and around on blankets were squatted four or five women, squatted making baskets or engaged in other things, and a couple of dirty children[.] The sides of the house were piled with old boxes, old Russian trunks etc, containing the wealth of the household. Several old Russian muzzle loading guns also hung on the wall. Poles were placed across the house about six feet from the floor and fish were drying on them. A hole in the middle of the roof let the smoke of the fire exit. I was invited to sit down by the fire and then the various articles they thought I would want were brought out on[e] at a time, and a price twice too high was set on them. After two hours sitting and talking, I finally got about three spent about three dollars, and obtained various bone and wooden spoons and an adze which they use to hollow out their canoes and to make boards with. I was glad to see the inside of a Siwash home, but equally glad to get out of it. Yesterday the "Chinook", the little steamer here arrived from Noonah with 1800 salmon, this morning she went back again for more. An Indian arrived here yesterday saying he had seen the steamer going from Juneau to Sitka. That accounts for her being so late; she will stop here after leaving Sitka.
It seems that Mr. Johnston did not make any special bargain with the Siwash. Tak-quokette, who brought us down from Camp Muir, besides the numbers. Yesterday he dressed up in an old blue naval officer's coat and came bringing his letters of recommendation with him, to receive his pay. I gave him $15, which was quite sufficient, considering that we did all the rowing down to this place. He was very well satisfied and asked for a recommendation, which I wrote for him. Later in the afternoon he brought back the $15 on the counter of the store where I was sitting and said it was not enough; he wanted $20. I put the money in my pocket and have said nothing more about it. His relatives had evidently put him up to it. Two of the men here, the store-keeper and the superintendent of the fishing seem quite intelligent. The founder is an Englishman, speaks correctly, has traveled a great deal, and seems to have read considerably. I have had many interesting conversations with him.
It seems that Mr. Johnston did not make any special bargain with the Siwash. Tak-quokette, who brought us down from Camp Muir, besides the numbers. Yesterday he dressed up in an old blue naval officer's coat and came bringing his letters of recommendation with him, to receive his pay. I gave him $15, which was quite sufficient, considering that we did all the rowing down to this place. He was very well satisfied and asked for a recommendation, which I wrote for him. Later in the afternoon he brought back the $15 on the counter of the store where I was sitting and said it was not enough; he wanted $20. I put the money in my pocket and have said nothing more about it. His relatives had evidently put him up to it. Two of the men here, the store-keeper and the superintendent of the fishing seem quite intelligent. The founder is an Englishman, speaks correctly, has traveled a great deal, and seems to have read considerably. I have had many interesting conversations with him.
September 16th
Tuesday. Sunshine and rain today. Still the steamer does not come; I am growing very nervous on account of the possibility of her passing us by. I have been reading the Count of Monte Christo all day, to pass the time and keep my mind off the steamer. The boys have done some trading with the Indians, I also went thro' the cannery today. It did not increase my desire for canned salmon. Indian women, nasty, dirty things, put the salmon in the cans, chinamen doing the rest of the work.
September 15th
Monday. We were up by daylight this morning and started at 6:15. The sky was overcast and the rain sprinkled occasionally so that we kept our oilskins in readiness. McBride and I went in the large canoe, Adams Morse in the small canoe and Adams in the boat. The wind proved favorable tho' light, the water was smooth and we made very good progress, sailing part of the time. We went thro' the [Bearslide?] Islands, low moraine islands, many thickly wooded, and so close together that we the water ways between them looked like channels. Great numbers of cormorants, gulls and ducks flew up at our approach. We reached Bartlett Bay at one o'clock, coming upon it quite unexpectedly. It is not on the mainland as given in the chart but on an island. Mr. Johnston received us; our first question was about the Topeka and we were delighted to find that she had not arrived.
The cannery issituated a long frame building about 200 ft long; almost all the work is done on the ground floor. There are two or three several other small buildings for the store, diving [MS illegible] and kitchen, sleeping houses, blacksmith shop etc.; a larger house for the chinese who are employed here and a number of Indian log cabins. The surroundings are pretty, but it must be a dreary place to stay in.
Mr Johnston assigned us the upper story of the cannery as our sleeping apartments, and we carried our blankets and other necessities up there, leaving our boxes on a raft. We watch continually for the steamer. (The whole place smells of fish.) The steamers do not always call here, and Mr. Johnston does not think she will necessarily call this trip; but as Capt. Wallace told me he would, I think there can scarcely be a doubt of it.
The cannery is
Mr Johnston assigned us the upper story of the cannery as our sleeping apartments, and we carried our blankets and other necessities up there, leaving our boxes on a raft. We watch continually for the steamer. (The whole place smells of fish.) The steamers do not always call here, and Mr. Johnston does not think she will necessarily call this trip; but as Capt. Wallace told me he would, I think there can scarcely be a doubt of it.
September 14th
Sunday. Secondary Camp #7. Yesterday the rain continued. At ten o'clock Adams went to the door and saw a large canoe approaching. It contained an Indian, his squaw and three boys, bet. 5 and 12 years of age. He had come to take us down to Bartlett's Bay. Breaking camp in the hard rain was very disagreeable. We finally got off at 4 pm. Adams and Morse were in the one canoe, McBride and I in the boat and the Indian in his canoe an[d] family, with all our baggage that we did not put in our own crafts, and a number of things which we discarded, but which he was not too proud to take. We covered the things as well as we could to keep them dry. As a north wind was blowing we set sail, but after a mile the wind dies out and a little further we encountered a head southerly wind. The north wind was nearly a glorious one.
Finding the progress of the large canoe very slow, the Indian and the squaw using paddles and one small boy an oar, Morse and I went aboard, he taking an oar and I a paddle; one small boy went in the canoe with Adams, and McBride had the boat to himself. This accelerated things considerably, so that when we stopped to camp at 6:30, we had made about 7 miles. Our secondary camp #6 was on a shady beach, where we found good water and some well soaked twigs of dead elder. By a plentiful use of coal-oil we made a good fire and boiled our coffee. The Indian's tent was near ours; he seemed to make himself very comfortable. His large canoe resembles very much thepictures gondolas of the 15th century. Last night he anchored it instead of beaching. We did not have a very agreeable night, as we had to make camp in the rain, and everything was damp and nasty. My shoes and feet were wet; I took off my shoes and my feet dried during the night, but my shoes were still soaking in the morning. We were up this morning at 4:15, had breakfast and were off at 6:30, the weather appearing not quite so bad. I rowed the boat Morse and McBride rowed in the canoe, Adams and a young Indian paddled the canoe. At first all went easily, but soon we rounded a point and then wind and waves both opposed us, so that we found great difficulty in making even a little headway; we finally worked our way into a protected bay and beached our boats at 9 am. not having made more than three miles advance. The rain stopped and the sun came out, but wind and wave continue high so we remain here tonight. Our camp (#7) is beautifully situated, on a lovely bay with green islands and mountains all about; but we are so anxious lest we should not catch the Topeka at Bartlett's Bay, that we can scarcely enjoy anything. Our blankets, tent, and hand-grips have all been spread out today, I fear very much that some of the instruments and our other baggage may have gotten wet. We expect to start tomorrow as early as we can see, if the wind abates or shifts so as to give us a lee shore.
Finding the progress of the large canoe very slow, the Indian and the squaw using paddles and one small boy an oar, Morse and I went aboard, he taking an oar and I a paddle; one small boy went in the canoe with Adams, and McBride had the boat to himself. This accelerated things considerably, so that when we stopped to camp at 6:30, we had made about 7 miles. Our secondary camp #6 was on a shady beach, where we found good water and some well soaked twigs of dead elder. By a plentiful use of coal-oil we made a good fire and boiled our coffee. The Indian's tent was near ours; he seemed to make himself very comfortable. His large canoe resembles very much the
September 12th
Friday. Another very rainy day and no canoe appears yet. Our provisions are getting low. The potatoes have been out a week, the maple syrup about as long, and today we finished the sugar. We have done some little packing, tho' there was not much to be done. I made a padded box for the chronometer, to protect it from jars. I also collected a number of igneous rocks for Dr. Williams at the Johns Hopkins.
We have had a big fire in the hearth all day which is rather conducive to laziness. Morse took a photograph this morning of the interior of the house. During the last two days we have had fully an inch of rain, as shown by the pails left out.
We have had a big fire in the hearth all day which is rather conducive to laziness. Morse took a photograph this morning of the interior of the house. During the last two days we have had fully an inch of rain, as shown by the pails left out.
September 11th
Thursday. We were up this morning soon after six, and found it raining. The rain has continued steadily all day; and we have packed as steadily. Tonight nea everything is ready but the last closing up.
For the last few days we have beenmak baking bread, and we find it a great improvement on the very hard hard-tack which we had left.
We have been all day on the look-out for the canoe. It will be very disagreeable if we have to make the trip to Bartlett's Bay in the rain.
For the last few days we have been
We have been all day on the look-out for the canoe. It will be very disagreeable if we have to make the trip to Bartlett's Bay in the rain.
September 10th
Wednesday. Another fine day. The last three nights there has been scarcely any wind, and in the morning the flag hangs limp; but late in the day, by nine o'cl. the glacier wind makes it stream out to the south. The self-recording thermom. shows an almost straight slowly falling line for the night temperature for these three nights while the day temp. is a jagged line ranging 8 or 10 degrees within an hour. The night lines have usually been like the day lines.
I went up to the glacier today alone and made a few photos of the ice ridges. I also made some observations on temp. of water in streams on ice in front of Dirt glcier, at end of White glacier. They ran from 0 degrees to 0.1 C.
I returned in time to make my midday magnetic observations. While in the magnetic tent about 2 pm, Adams called that there was a letter for me. I came out and found that a Siwash had come in his canoe, of course with his wife, and brought me two letters, one from Mr. Cushing written at Bartlett's Bay and the second from Mr. Johnston there. It appears that Mr. Johnston cannot send the steamer "Chinook" for us, but promised to send a large canoe to take us and our traps. Mr. Cushing in his letter seems anxious about our getting away, and gave us directions about coming down the coast. There would be no difficulty in our working down to Bartlett's Bay or even further, but we could not take our baggage; and we could not leave that.
The distance to Bartlett's Bay is about 35 miles, and the Siwash was to receive $5 for bringing me the letter. This I gave him. I also sent a letter by him to Mr. Johnston telling him to send a large canoe. We immediately set to work packing. I had intended to go across the inlet this afternoon, but of course gave that up. The weather continues fine. Fairweather is very clear. The sunset tonight was beautiful, and afterwards there was quite a good amoral display.
I went up to the glacier today alone and made a few photos of the ice ridges. I also made some observations on temp. of water in streams on ice in front of Dirt glcier, at end of White glacier. They ran from 0 degrees to 0.1 C.
I returned in time to make my midday magnetic observations. While in the magnetic tent about 2 pm, Adams called that there was a letter for me. I came out and found that a Siwash had come in his canoe, of course with his wife, and brought me two letters, one from Mr. Cushing written at Bartlett's Bay and the second from Mr. Johnston there. It appears that Mr. Johnston cannot send the steamer "Chinook" for us, but promised to send a large canoe to take us and our traps. Mr. Cushing in his letter seems anxious about our getting away, and gave us directions about coming down the coast. There would be no difficulty in our working down to Bartlett's Bay or even further, but we could not take our baggage; and we could not leave that.
The distance to Bartlett's Bay is about 35 miles, and the Siwash was to receive $5 for bringing me the letter. This I gave him. I also sent a letter by him to Mr. Johnston telling him to send a large canoe. We immediately set to work packing. I had intended to go across the inlet this afternoon, but of course gave that up. The weather continues fine. Fairweather is very clear. The sunset tonight was beautiful, and afterwards there was quite a good amoral display.
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