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ice, the wind had moderated and we had no more difficulty until we reached
Cape Onman. Here wewwere delayed one day. However, we reached Cape Van Kearn
on the 28th, but could not go around the Cape, as the ice was pressed up against
the point. There was open water along the coast North of the Cape, also south,
but the ice pressed against the end of the Cape's point for a distance of about
two miles. We got one-half way through and there stopped for two days.

On the second day the trading schooner, Amy, from Nome, which had
passed Van Kearn a couple of weeks earlier, came back from the north, stating
that they had gotten within fifteen miles of Cape North, which had been their
farthest point west. They reported that the ice from Van Kearn north was solid
pack, the outside was like we had found in East Cape and Van Kearn. They also
reported that the schooners, Chukok, Silver Wave, and Blue Sea were frozen in the
ice fifteen miles off Cape North.

Captain Larson, of the Amy, advised me that it was very unwise
to pursue farther. With this information I felt convinced that it would be use-
less, and even dangerous to attempt to go farther along that coast.

After a hard struggle with the ice - we had to pull the vessel
with tackles, cut our way through the ice for a mile - we got back to open water
south of the Cape and made our way east. We experienced much difficulty around
Cape Onman. After we got through we landed on Kolution Island. This island is
quite lofty, and on a clear day one can see a great distance, in every direction.
No water could be seen except along the coast to the east. Looking north and
northwest it appeared to be a solid pack, while to the northeast the ice seemed
to be broken up, although there was no open lead. I then decided to come back and
wait until I could find some lead to enter the ice and see if I could not get
across to the"Outside Passage."

On September 4th we reached Cape Serge, in the evening, and from
the top of the Cape we could see open lead, leading north through the broken ice.
I decided to wait until morning and if weather conditions permitted would enter
this lead and see if it were possible to get across the belt of ice.

At daylight, on the morning of September 5th, we entered what had
been the open lead the night before, but was now covered with ice, as much as 1"
thick in places, still we were able to make fairly good time, as the wind was to
the South and we used sails, as well as the engine. We soon found that the young
ice was cutting into the plank, above the iron sheeting, pretty badly and we tied
up to an ice field and put on some iron sheeting and in a couple of hours were
able to continue our outbound journey. By dark we had made a little over forty
miles. Then on account of fog, and the ice being pretty tight, we tied up.

The morning of the 6th was bright and clear and we started on our
way at daylight. By two o'clock we came into a fairly wide open lead, possibly
about five miles wide. There was no ice to be seen to the East, but across the
lwad on the north side, to the northwest, there was a solid arctic pack of very
much thicker ice than we had been going through. Our position then was fifty-
five miles west of Cape Serge. There were leads of open water inside of the main
arctic pack and the shore ice lying the to the west - northwest - but they were
very narrow and I did not consider it safe to enter those leads with a heavy
pack of ice on either side of me, particularly at this time as the wind had just
sprung up from the northwest and the ice began to close in.