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

| All the experience which has been acquired
by the persons engaged would be lost to the
work.
, IL. Throwing out of view the instruction af
forded to the officers of the navy in the hydro
graphy of the coast survey, it is shown that eff
cheney and economy would be consulted by con-
D Meeting certain number of naval officers per-
manentiy with the work, and dispensing with
the use OF the sailors of the navy.
. IL. The results of the coast survey are next
shown by the statistics of the different parts of
IT, ana by reference to reports heretofore pre-
| scented to Congress, by an enumeration of it's
! discoveries, of its photographic and other i'm
} provements, of its maps and charts published
and in course OF engraving and drawing.
The large amount of useful matter collected,
and the activity in its publication, is thus proved,
and the improvements introduced attest the pro.
gressive character of the work as at present id
, mnistered.
IA. Inextmeet the objection sometimes urged
I against the survey on the score of the changes
in the coast, showing that in those parts of the
coast where this is the case the fixed marks af-
forded by the trigonometrica survey are abso-
lutely necessary.
Is. next show that the several parts of the
survey form harmonious whole-the separa-
ton of which would be the destruction of the
work.
l6. The injury resulting to the navy from the
! employment of its sailors ashore, and the inap-
. plicability Of persons Of this kind to the work,
is shown.
H. consider that the proposition to transfer
Q the coast survey to the navy is unfortunate for
: the navy itself, since it implies that there are
a more persons under that department than are
e needed.
10. Experience shows contrary to what might
+ be supposed, that photography, at distance
: from the shore. would not be increased by the
: transfer of the work.
l. The distance to which the work is carried in
land is shown to be necessary for defence and
Q useful for many purposes of navigation, and to
1t promote accuracy and rapidity in the operations
# Its extension to embrace the Gulf Stream is
necessary to the completeness of the hydro
y graphy, that current being the characteristic of
+, our Atlantic navigation.
d ~. 1t is sometimes supposed that great facili-
s ties have been derived from the coast survey
:. from the Navy Department by the transfer of
:, vessels. The contrary is shown, and the fact
8 thatthe Navy Department has no vessels adapted
: to surveying purposes.
20. prove that the employment of officers of
I, the navy in the land-work Of the coast survey
e would be calling upon the sailor to perform
It operations entirely foreign TO his education, his
a. habits, and his profession.
d 81. In conclusion, | show that if qualification
alone were made the test of claims to a work
IN the greatest confusion and warmcst conflicts
o. would occur between different branches of the
ID government.
- /. The first law, providing a survey Of the
ry coast of the United States, was that of 1907
y; 1t authorized, in the view of the President Mr.
Is Jefferson) and of the Secretary of the Treasury
t. (Mr Gallatin,) "a survey of the whole coast OF
fba enid fbor, "a tub. L..
ID and soundings" the word coast is used rs sy-
s. nonimous with the land which constitutes it,
ir and the water is distinctly and separately refer
l. red to. The survey was to combine work on
the land and on the water. The plan Of n COM
Y plete geodetic survey, as now understood, was
d sketched by Mr.. Gallatin in his circular letter
inviting plans for executing the work under the
e law, and so completely that the reply of Mr.
s. Hasser extends and anpl6es the ideas on which
the survey are based, rather than suggests new
t. ones.
k, The positions of few chief points were to
g be determined astronomicalIy, and these were to
a be connected by"a trigonomctrica survey" and
upon the basis furnished by these geodetic de-
is Examinations, nautical surveys of the shoals and
J. soundngs of the coast were to be made. The
IF distracted state of foreign relations caused
the execution Of this law to be postponed until
IT 1916, when Mr.. Hassler, having returned from
d Europe whittier he had been sent to purchase
instruments took the field to begin the work
n In this plan Of operations, Mr.. Ilasslcr sug-
Is gcsts the employment rs his assistants Of oil-
GERS from the army, for the geodctic work, and
7. Of wel-informcd officers, brought up in the mill
{ tary academy, and naval officers, in the nautical
: part of the survey. Also, the establishment of
two obscrvatories-onc in Maine and one in
0 Iouisana--to be connected with the survey of
| tt,oln ,l, al l,ttl
# President, from lis beginning, in the Treasury
Y Department, and the first arrangements for field
: work, in 1916, were made by the Secretary of
n the Treasury.
Y The original law did not refer TO the employ
d ment of military or naval officers, which was n
d suggestion Of Mr. IIassler, founded on the idea
of saving i'll direct appropriation, and of the
c use of the work as school of practice for the
It officers
c The practical operation of system is the
only conclusive test of its merit; and the diff
j. cultes which beset the organization (reying
l. upon exclusive military add were such, that
y when in 1882 the survey was recommended, we
!. find Mr.. Hasslcr urging upon the Treasury De-
3, partment, under which it was again placed, the
y appointment Of several civilians as his assist
# ants, besides officers of the army and navy. The
general idea was to obtain assistants from any
$ quarter where the necessary talents and ability
n might exist--a condition which has been pro-
r nounced by high, practical authority, professor
:, Schumacher, of AItona) to be indispensable to
# success in such work.
d In April, 1918, the act of 1907 was repealed,
: 30 far as it authorized the employment of other
persons than those belonging to the army or
It navy of the United States The insufficient
J, character of the results and the wasteful ex-
$ pcnditurc in obtaining them, will be proven in
:, another part of this report.
$ At the earnest and repeated recommendation
Of Samuel L. Southland, the Secretary of the
! Navy the former organization was revived-the
h survey being however placed as before, under
e the Treasury Department. This was done by
the act Of July 10, 1882, rcviving the law of
= 1907, with extended powers to the President
9 for the execution of the survey. Its provisions
2 are as follows;
t can act to carry into effect the act to provide