Photograph of a portion of the ship, Aleutian, as viewed from the side and close-up in Valdez. The photograph appears to tilt downward towards the right. The ship is in partial view and is viewed from the side. Three decks enter frame at right and extend towards the left. Cabins and walkways line all three decks. Two passengers stand near a stairwell on the middle deck, left-of-center. In front of them, a life saver hanging from the guardrail reads, "[S.] S. ALEUTIAN [...]." On the upper deck, a lifeboat sits at right. On its side it reads, "S. S. ALEUTIAN [?]02 [...] [?1] PERSONS." The cabin on the upper deck sits recessed back at center. Atop it, a sign reads, "ALEUTIAN." Beyond the ship, mountains are visible in the far distance at left.
Photograph of Mertie West standing on a dock in Valdez and toying with a camera she holds. Mertie West stands in the foreground, left-of-center. She faces towards the right and looks down towards a camera she holds in her hands. Behind her, the pier stretches across the image on an upward angle from right to left. A man walks along the pier, behind Mertie, at center. Adjoining, garage-like buildings line the right side of the pier. The building is viewed at an angle from the front, facing left. A sign spans the front of the 2 buildings. It reads, from left to right, "CENTER OF THE Prince William Sound Gold and Copper Belt," "VALDEZ TERMINUS OF A GREAT SCENIC ROAD THE RICHARDSON HIGHWAY," and "SHORT ROUTE TO Interior Alaska Chitina-Fairbanks-Circle." A garage door stands below the sign on the right side of the building. To the right of the door, a person sits on the ground. A dozen or more barrels are loosely lined up in front of the building, extending towards the left, behind Mertie and out-of-frame at left. Mountains are visible in the far distance. Some twisted streaks of white occupy the upper left corner and lens flare appears to radiate from it towards the center of the image.
Photograph of the Standard Oil Company tanker, J. H. McEachern, sailing through Port Valdez. The waterway occupies the majority of the image. It spans the foreground and extends back into the distance. The tanker sails just below the top edge, left-of-center. It is viewed at a slight distance from the side as it sails towards the right. Birds are visible flocking around the tanker. Hills rise across the opposite shoreline in the far distance.
Photograph of dock workers unloading a pallet of cargo from the Aleutian and onto the wharf in Valdez. Two spectators stand in the foreground at left with their backs to the camera. A pallet sits in partial view on the ground to the right of them. The dock stretches horizontally across the image ahead of the man and the woman. Dock workers attend to a cart laden with cargo at center. Netting hangs down behind the stack of cargo on the dock. The Aleutian is moored at the dock and is viewed from the side. It is in partial view and stretches across the image. The 2 lower decks appear to be lined with passenger cabins. A life saver attached to a guardrail at right reads, "S. S. ALEUTIAN SEATTLE." On the upper deck, equipment and rigging are visible.
Photograph, from left to right, of a ship's officer, Mertie West and Frances Wells conversing on the bridge of the Aleutian. A rail along the deck runs across the foreground, jutting towards the camera at center. Behind the rail, the ship's officer, Mertie West and Frances Wells stand on the deck and converse in the near distance at center. The officer leans against the rail as he faces towards the women to the right. Mertie West and Frances Wells stand facing towards the camera, but look to the officer at left. Directly behind them, a lifeboat hangs from rigging. At left, a cabin enters frame at left and stretches back towards center. A ladder rises up along the side of the cabin at far left. Beyond the cabin, a ship's funnel extends out-of-frame. The waterway the ship sails through is visible at right. Tree-covered hills rise from the shore in the distance at right.
Photograph, from left to right, of an officer of the Aleutian and Mertie West chatting outside the bridge on the top deck of the Aleutian. Mertie West and the officer both stand in partial view in the lower right corner. Mertie stands along the right edge and is visible from the shoulders up. She faces left to converse with the officer. The officer stands to the left of her. He is visible from the torso up and faces right to converse with Mertie. Behind them stands the bridge or cabin. It stretches on an angle back from left to right. A ladder rises along the side of the cabin behind the officer. Atop the roof and left-of-center, a signboard reads, "ALEUTIAN." At far right, a funnel rises tall behind Mertie; it billows smoke.
Photograph of a local woman standing along a dirt road and feeding pigeons in Valdez, Alaska. A dirt and gravel road stretches up through the image from the bottom edge and towards the left. In the near distance, right-of-center, a woman stands in profile, facing left, along the side of the road. She holds her hands outstretched in front of her. About a dozen pigeons stand in the road to the left of her. Down the road, a man wearing an apron stands along the left frame and holds a camera up to his face. He too photographs the woman feeding the birds. Heavy machinery stands behind the woman at right. A few buildings line the right side of the road as it stretches into the distance. Dark smoke billows from somewhere far behind the man with a camera.
