26. Rain last night and this morning; pleasant afternoon. 27. Pleasant day; wind west and N.w. 3; calm in evening. 28. Pleasant day; wind w. 3; calm in evening. 29. Pleasant day; wind w. 5. ternoon, about thirty-five miles. Run to Copper Harbor in af 30 to Sept. 3. Pleasant weather; winds not noted, except on 2d in afternoon, a strong current of water set out of the bay at Copper Harbor, and one of our voyageurs in a light bark canoe came near being driven off the land. A heavy blast of warm air from the land blew at the same time out of the harbor, and the water fell in the Bay about one foot. Sept. 3, 4. Heavy wind and rain storm from the north, both days. 5. Pleasant, with warm land breeze from the south. 6. Stormy, and strong west wind. Blew violently with heavy rain through last night. Embarked on board steamboat Julia Palmer; but she did not leave harbor in consequence of the violent storm. In the afternoon, blew very heavily and in gusts from the south. 7. Blew a gale with hard rain all night and till noon to-day from the west, and then hauled to N.w. and north, and continued through most of the night with equal force. 8. Pleasant, calm morning and day. Light breeze from s.E. and east. Landed at 10 P.M. at the Ontonagon River. Boat nearly swamped among the breakers at the mouth of the river, and with difficulty recovered the channel. 9. Cloudy and rainy most of the day; N.E. Storm. Cleared off in the afternoon. A moderate land breeze with strong puffs of warm air blowing off shore. Water rose suddenly 13 feet, and in receding carried off some boats. Heavy squall approaching from N.W. At 10 P.M. the thunder-gust came on, blowing a perfect gale, blowing down the tents, and unroofing a house, and the steamer had great difficulty in keeping off the lee shore. Rain fell in torrents, and the lightning was almost constant. Heavy wind and rain from N.w. and north continued all night. 10. Wind still heavy from north, but otherwise a pleasant day. 11. Pleasant day, but very windy, and lake very rough. Calm evening. Beautiful aurora borealis in the evening; stripes of light of varied colors passing with rapid motion. Calm through the night. 12. Calm, bright, beautiful day. Went to Misery River. 13. Boisterous day, but sun shone. Wind west. and wind through the day 14. Severe thunder-storm last night, from the north and N.w. 15. Pleasant day; wind not noted. 16. Pleasant morning, with strong west wind. Went to the Portage. Voyageurs said we must land-"wind too much." Nearly swamped the whale boat, in landing in the most sheltered place that could be found on that coast. Wind continued all day till night, when it became calm. 17. Pleasant day; wind west and N.w. 4. Embarked and went to the Cross, near Gratiots River. 18, 19. Pleasant days; wind west. Severe thunder-storm evening of 19th. all night. Went to Eagle Harbor. 20. Wind N. 8. Lake a sheet of foam, and very heavy sea. 21. Pleasant; wind not noted. 22. Pleasant; calm in morning. Embarked and went to Agate Harbor. Squalls from every direction in afternoon. Sky looked very threatening, and water oscillated repeatedly a foot in level every half hour, and sometimes more frequently, at Agate Harbor. Blew a gale from the north and N.w. through the night. 23. Lake very rough, and several sets of waves, producing a very cross, chopped sea. Squall clouds in various directions. Embarked, but nearly swamped several times, from the cross seas. Heavy squall came suddenly from N.w. Run into a little boat harbor before it struck us. In a moment the lake was a sheet of foam, and the wind continued blowing heavily from the N.w. all day and night. 24. Pleasant and calm, but lake too rough to pass the breakers on the deeper parts of the reef. In afternoon, embarked and went to Copper Harbor. Strong blasts of warm air from off the land, with intervals of calm. 25. No note of weather. 26. Storm; heavy surf on the shore from N.E. 27. Storm; heavy surf on the shore; wind N.W. 28. Storm; N.E. misty rain. 29. Pleasant day; wind not noted. 30. Pleasant day; wind w.N.w. 6; heavy surf on the shore. Oct. 1. Stormy day; wind from east, and hauled round to south in the afternoon. 2. Pleasant calm day. 3. Cold stormy day. Embarked on board steamer Julia Palmer, for a voyage along the Canadian shore. 4. Sailed from Copper Harbor. Pleasant; wind moderate from the west in the forenoon, freshened too much for the steamer to head it in the afternoon, and went into Siskowit Bay and anchored. Calm in the evening. This was the first voyage of a steamboat on the north coast of the lake, where there are many unexplored reefs and islands. 5. Sailed from Siskowit Bay at 7 A.M. Calm, but wind soon came from w.s. w., and freshened till 3 P.M., when its force was about 7. Anchored in Prince's Bay, opposite Spar Island, twentyfive miles north of west end of Isle Royal. Shifted to N.E. at 10 P.M. 6. Northeast storm; wind very heavy all night and all day. Low scudding clouds and some rain, and a little snow. 7. Wind N.E. 5; some rain and a little snow; misty thick weather. Sailed from Prince's Bay to mouth of river near Fort William, in Thunder Bay. Clear and calm in the afternoon. Beautiful aurora borealis in the evening; waving stripes of light. 8. Sailed from Point William at 3 A.M., where it was calm, but at the Welcome Islands, heavy N.E. wind, storm struck us, and continued all day. Steamer battled against the storm and heavy head sea all day to reach the western inlet to Neepigon Bay. 9. Wind blew from the north last night with great violence. Beautiful aurora in the evening. Several arcs visible, one above the other, and an apparent bank of clouds below the two lower ones, but stars visible through it. Arcs variable in height and progressive undulating movements of these arcs, strongly marked like waves, thus Almost always in the afternoon and beginning of the evening, before the light of the aurora borealis was observed in the north as a segment of a circle with its highest point in the magnetic meridian. Long lines and stripes of light of various colors sprung up from the east, and extended entirely over the western horizon and from all points from cast around by north to west, and some extended even over to the southern horizon. The crowns of the successive arches were a few degrees east of north, but in the magnetic meridian. Water rose so 10. Wind blew a gale all day from the east. much as to carry away the trestle pier, and create a very strong current to the south from Neepigon Bay to Lake Superior. Wind hauled to south in the evening and blew a gale all night with rain. Strong current from the Lake into Neepigon Bay. 11. Wind s.E., a gale with rain till 12th when the rain ceased but wind did not moderate very much. The air over the main Lake seemed to be clear, but when the masses of air from the Lake reached the mountains of St. Ignace and Fluor Islands, dense black threatening clouds were formed and rolled up and spread over the land with great velocity. This was observed continuing for hours. Steamer weighed anchor and went to a little harbor on the N.w. side of Flour Island. Wind hauled to west at 10 P.M. and blew a heavy gale. 12. Wind hauled to N.w. at daylight, blowing very violently, but gradually moderated. Some hail and sleet last night. Sailed for Sault St. Marie with strong but fair wind from N.w. Pleasant but windy day. 13. Heavy squalls from west and N.w. in night. Arrived at Sault St. Marie. Weather very foggy from White Fish Point, which we passed at 9 A.M. Squalls from north and west. Steamer had to feel her way frequently with the sounding line. Nearly swamped the whale boat, in landing in the most sheltered place that could be found on that coast. Wind continued all day till night, when it became calm. 17. Pleasant day; wind west and N.w. 4. Embarked and went to the Cross, near Gratiots River. 18, 19. Pleasant days; wind west. Severe thunder-storm evening of 19th. all night. Went to Eagle Harbor. 20. Wind N. 8. Lake a sheet of foam, and very heavy sea. 21. Pleasant; wind not noted. 22. Pleasant; calm in morning. Embarked and went to Agate Harbor. Squalls from every direction in afternoon. Sky looked very threatening, and water oscillated repeatedly a foot in level every half hour, and sometimes more frequently, at Agate Harbor. Blew a gale from the north and N.w. through the night. 23. Lake very rough, and several sets of waves, producing a very cross, chopped sea. Squall clouds in various directions. Embarked, but nearly swamped several times, from the cross seas. Heavy squall came suddenly from N.w. Run into a little boat harbor before it struck us. In a moment the lake was a sheet of foam, and the wind continued blowing heavily from the N.w. all day and night. 24. Pleasant and calm, but lake too rough to pass the breakers on the deeper parts of the reef. In afternoon, embarked and went to Copper Harbor. Strong blasts of warm air from off the land, with intervals of calm. 25. No note of weather. 26. Storm; heavy surf on the shore from N.E. 27. Storm; heavy surf on the shore; wind N.w. 28. Storm; N.E. misty rain. 29. Pleasant day; wind not noted. 30. Pleasant day; wind w.n.w. 6; heavy surf on the shore. Oct. 1. Stormy day; wind from east, and hauled round to south in the afternoon. 2. Pleasant calm day. 3. Cold stormy day. Embarked on board steamer Julia Palmer, for a voyage along the Canadian shore. 4. Sailed from Copper Harbor. Pleasant; wind moderate from the west in the forenoon, freshened too much for the steamer to head it in the afternoon, and went into Siskowit Bay and anchored. Calm in the evening. This was the first voyage of a steamboat on the north coast of the lake, where there are many unexplored reefs and islands. 5. Sailed from Siskowit Bay at 7 A.M. Calm, but wind soon. came from w.s. w., and freshened till 3 P.M., when its force was about 7. Anchored in Prince's Bay, opposite Spar Island, twentyfive miles north of west end of Isle Royal. Shifted to N.E. at 10 P.M. 23, 24. Pleasant weather; wind not noted. 25. Pleasant weather, very fine day; but in the afternoon a breeze came off from the lake, and it became suddenly so cold that a fire was necessary. Strong land breeze off shore in the evening. 26, 27. Pleasant; winds not noted. Generally at this season of the year calm, or with moderate winds during the warmer part of the day, and a land breeze in the evening from s.s.E. at Copper Harbor. 28. Pleasant day; land breeze off shore in the evening. 29. Clear but very windy day; strong wind from the south. Temperature of water on the shore 44° F. 30. Temperature of water on the shore very cold, not noted. Clear day; wind not noted. Probably calm, as I used the artificial horizon without the glass cover. July 1. Clear day; calm in middle of the day; wind not noted. Used artificial horizon without glass cover with sextant. 2 to 8. Pleasant weather (from recollection, not noted in diary.) Land breeze almost every evening from about 6 P.M. from S.S.E. at Copper Harbor, on Porter's Island. On the 7th of July, Dr. C. T. Jackson kindly supplied me with a barometer, by means of which a register has been kept to Sept. 6, shewing the barometric pressure, with the temperature, the courses and force of winds, variations in the lake level, &c. The thermometer detached from the barometer, corresponded with the attached thermometer within less than half a degree, and only one is registered except where a fire was made in the room, and then the detached thermometer was removed to the outside of the building with a proper exposure. During this calm season of the year the surface of the lake water becomes warm, while a little below the surface it is quite cold. The northerly winds, which make the air cold, drive the warm water upon the shore; while the warm land breezes that blow at Copper Harbor almost every day, and often through the night, carry the warm surface water out to sea, and the cold underlying stratum replaces it along the coast. This fact has been frequently observed at Porter's Island during the last sumSometimes a change of wind from north to south of a few hours duration, makes a difference of 20° F. in the temperature of the water on the north side of Porter's Island during the calmer period of the summer. mer. |