The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-04

and naval service of the United States and an
astronomers and other persons as he shall DEE
proper: Provided, That nothing in this net, q
the act hereby revived, shall be construed to au
thorize the construction or maintenance of per
manent astronomical observatory"
The act of l843, without repeating any pre
vious law, directs the execution of the surye,
according to the plan to be prepared by boar,
consisting of three civilians and six officers O
the army and navy, and that the plan of tn.
board shall cause to be employed as many Off
GERS OF the army and navy of the United State
will be compatible with the successful prose-
cution of the work--the officers of the navy to
be employed in the photographed parts, and the
officers of the army on the typographical parts
Of the work."
The act of March 3, l843, appropristes for the
fiscal year ending the 30th June, 1874, as fol-
lows:
"For survey of the coast of the United States
including compensation Of superintendent and
assistants, one hundred thousand dollars: Pro
uided, Tint this and all other appropriation
hereafter to be made for this work, shall, unit
otherwise provided by law, be expended in &C
cordancc with plan recognizing the mode
executing the survey, to be submitted to tn
President Of the United States bya board o
officers which shall be organized by him, to con
sist OF the present superintendent, his two prn
cipal assistants, and the two naval officers now
in charge of the photographed parties, and four
from among the principal officers Of the corps OF
Typographical engineers; none of whom shall
receive any additional compensation whatever
for this service, and who shall sit as soon as or
ganized. And the President Of the United States
shall adoptand carry into effect the plan of said
board, as agreed to by majority Of the mem
bers; and the plan of aid board, shall cause to
ka MI ri, of
navy of the U. S. as will be compatible with
the successful prosecution of the work--the Of
ficers Of the navy to be employed in the hydro
graphical parts, and the officers of the army on
the typographical parts of the work and no
! officer of the army or navy shall hereafter re
ceive any extra pay out of this or any future ap
preparations for SURVEYS"
This plan directs not only the general princ
pies, but the mode of executing the work pro
vides for the main, secondary, and tertiary TRAN
guation; for the topography and for the sounc
ngs; for the measurement of base; for Il
astronomical determinations; for the public
ton ofresults; for the organization of the pa
ties necessary to execute the parts Of the sn,
vey the division of the land parties betwee
civilians and officers of the army; the detail
chiefs of photographic parties from the nav
and mode of organizing their parties the q
rangement of the office and its charge; the pr,
paration of journals and duplicates, and THERE
livery and preservation; the order of success
OF the parts OF the work, placing the triangu
ton first, and the topography and soundings la
the astronomical and magnetic observations
disbursements the relieving of the officers
the army and navy; the arrangement of du
in the field the suspension of officers the c.
l,ansation, supply of vacancies, proportion offs
and steam vessels for the photography I
placing of the survey as work of commerc
and rs employing officers of the army and nav
and civilians, under the Treasury Department
| This plan having been approved by the Pre-.
ident, leaves to the Treasury Department u
executive details of the work only. The pla
embodied all the experience obtaincda at the tim
and was formed by board constituted in IL
most unexceptionable manner.
That board, in which the military officers wer'
double the civilians in number, recommend
the placing of the work under the Treasury De-
partment; such was the deliberate Judgment of
Colonel Kearney, Captain Swift, and Lieutenant
Colonel Hughes, of the Typographical Engi-
neers, and of Captain Gedney and Lieutenant
Blake of the navy
The regulations of the Treasury Department
| for the general direction Of the work, under the
laws of 1907 and 1882, and the plan of reorga
izatiop, approved by the Honorable John
Spencer in 1884, have been found to answer &
the purposes Of efficiency in its executing, an
are at this time the regulations under which the
survey, in its present extended form, is carried
on.
The practical operation of these regulations
has proved their excellence in trial of sever
years.
Every year tho superintendent submits to III
examination of the Secretary Of the Treasury
the details of execution Of the work of the year
comprising directions to all the persons EN-
ploycd. These directions, after approval are
committed to the execution of the superinten-
dent, who is directly responsible to the depart
ment
subjon copy of these general regulations,
and of the directions for the past year.
The expenditures are on the usual footing of
bureaus in the Treasury Department. The Off
GERS are by the plan Of organization, disbursing
agents for their parties. Their estimates mist
be approved by the superintendent. The gene
raj disbursing agent first audts their accounts
and submits them to an administrative examina
ton by the superintendent such rs is made BY
the chiefs of the engineer bureau and others IN
the army and transmits the whole, quarterly TO
the First Auditor, by whom they are examined
and passed to the First Comptroller. Under
this system, not cent has been lost in disburs-
ing for the coast survey, from the time of its or
ganzation to the present day.
Beginning with the law passing through the
plan of organization by the combined board; the
regulations by the Treasury Department; the
directions by the same; the execution by COM
petent, scientific men the effective control,
both general and fiscal, of this department; it
may be affirmed that there is no other work
under the direction of the government which
has been so thoroughly legisated for and regu-
lated this.
The experience of the department is all favor
able to the harmony efficiency, and economy,
of this system and no theoretical reasons, how
ever plausible, should, in my opinion, be suffered
to weigh against practical experience so ample
and conclusive.
3. Whatever of efficiency is to be had from
the science of the country, and it cannot be CON
tended that science can lend nothing to work
prominently and confessedly one of high sci
ence, the coast survey now has, or can have, from