The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-02-27
COMMUNICATIONS.
The Coast-survey Office.
WASHINGTON, d. c.. Feb. y.

To fhe Editor Qf the Press.
The broad thoroughfare running little
east OF south along the western brink of the
elevated plateau known as Capitol Hill. is
called New Jersey avenue. The carriage way.
where battalion might march in line. is
choked near the Capitol by a long row of
weather beaten sheds, covering the marble
work for the unfinished pediment OF the south
ern extension and beyond the sheds the huge
white blocks are scattered far along the street.
SO steep is the slope that each of the old-iash-
Toned houses on the western side of the ave-
nue. Is one or two stories higher in rear than
in 'front.' Between them you catch glmpses
OF the nat city below, the broad brightness of
the Potomac far way, and beyond il the blue
outline OF the Arlington Heights, melting into
the sky. These houses wear strangely neg
lected air. The steps are unswept and not
seldom displaced. The windows are un-
washed. Rubbish accumulates in the areas.
The white poplars before them are untrimmed
and the dead branches lie where they fall.
These tenements have certainly seen better
days. They might now be boarding houses of
certain class, but there is no peryading smell
o. insuferable cookery. They might be aban-
doned residences of our Southern brethren in
arms, but these sheds would have driven them
out long before the great conspiracy ripened.
If you ask any passer by, you will learn that
ten OF these buildings have long been set
".
Let us see how they are occupied
That four-story brick house on the left be-
longs to the Survey. The door stands omen.
On the second floor are the finished charts.
the consummate product of all these years of
labor. The room is crowded with shelves
and presses. For more than thirty years.
since 1882, this great work has been In nro
press, aud these are Its results. Look at this
chart OF Portland harbor. How clearly all
the channels are marked out. Here Is the
sunken rock, which the Daniel Webster dis
covered in 1856, by pounding her nose on Il.
And here below is view of all The familiar
landmarks. Why, it is like sailing into the
harbor itself. There are no more beautiful
charts than these ia the world and there are
none more exact. As long ago as 1850. Adj
miral Smyth, President of the Geographical
Society OF London, speaking in his address of
that year of the United States Coast Survey.
did not hesitate to say, that though the
Americans were last in the field. they have
per sdttum leaped into the very front of the
rank" These charts are distributed for sale
TO agents in all our principal seaports. and are
sold at from fifteen to seventy-iise cents or a
dollar apiece. Messrs. Lowell q Senter are
the agents for Portland.
The charts are printed on the first floor of
the same building, not however from the en-
grayed plates, which are carefully preserved
among the archives of the Office, but from elec-
trotype copies. The electrotyping establish
ment is on the other side of the street. This
process was employed here several years be-
fore ii came into general use; indeed the art
owes some important discoveries to series
of judicious experiments here Instituted The
aid Of photography is also called in. as well
for reducing the original sheets Of the survey
as for copying maps, letters and the like The
photographers of the Coast Survey had sue
ceeded in producing satisfactory two-ioot
plates three years ago.
A few doors down the street is the corps Of
engrayers, some of them artists of distin-
guished merit. The labor of transferring
large map or chart from paper to copper is
appalling. Nine or ten years is a short time
for the completion OF full sized chart. The
engraved plate costs sometimes $50, a square
inch. To guard against accident the halffn-
ished plate is often electrotyped. An unex-
perienced person came TO one OF these engra-
yers not long since, and engaged him with the
consent OF the Secretary OF the Treasury to
engraye an exact fac-simile of the legal-tender
notes. The expense was of no account: the
object was TO convince the Secretary that the
notes could be counterfeited and induce him
TO adopt some contrivance to escape the sup
posed danger. The work was begun. After
week or two il was found that less than Gan
inch OF the engraving had been finished at
cost OF more than hundred dollars. At that
rate, ii seemed that pretty nearly the whole
issue oil greenbacks might be sunk in the pro-
duetlon OF the plate, and the costly expert
nent was abandoned. Undoubtedly the notes
might be counterfeited, but they are not likel Y
to be in that Udy.
Inc labor OF engraving is exceedingly ex-
hausting. The plate lies a little inclined be-
lore large window, from which the light
falls upon 1t through a white screen. Over
TINS plate, day after day aud year alter year
the engraver bends, his whole faculties inteu-
sey concentrated upon the slowly progress
ing work. Few men can bear more than
three hours ofsuch confinement daily. when
a large chart is finished, the engrayer usually
dies. II you speak TO him he will most likely
reply IN an unknown tongue for few of them
are Americans; but he will be sure to repIy
courteously, and il you have any right 10
question him, will take great pains to explain
the process OF his art, in the neryous flushed
manner that so painfully works the foredoom-
ed victims OF oyertaxing sedcntary employ
ment. leu DID him good afternoon gently.
as if it was an everlasting farewell
There are the draughtsnen besides who nro-
ject the maps and charts in The ilrst place and
the computers, who review independently aIl
the computation made in the field. To these
must be added the instrument makers and
carpenters, and We shall have then a fol
cradle notion of the amount and yariety or
work performed in the Washington Office
alone. About hundred men are now en-
ployed here. Add to their labor the prelm-
nary feld-work. the triangulaton of such
cost as ours, the minute topography and the
countless Surroundings, and you will begin to
see in the beautiful charts the permanent re-
cord ofa great national undertaking. skiIfully
directed and most admirably and thoroughly
executed.
The mercantile community have long been
satisfied that the expense OF the Coast Survey
isevery year repaid by the additional securi-
ty OF our commerce. Not only that. but the
additional facilities are not TO be overlooked.
Ine most seryicabe channel in New York
harbor, now used by vessels of the largest
class, was wholly unknown till il was deyel-
oped by the Coast Survey 1t appears from
comparison of old and new charts. that this
channel was La axisfanoa In Iras Ia ~.