New-York tribune., 1872-02-12
THE COAST SURVEY.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT PIERCE-oPERA-
TJOys BY LAND AND WATER-FACTS ABOUT
THE GULF sTREAM-ASTONIsHING BLUNDERS

RIOR sTATES-NEEDS AND ESTIMATES.
To the Secretary Of ne Treasury
SIR: have the honor to present this detaiied
report showing the operatons Of the parties allotted for
the survey the coast during the year ending win e
month OF October and including in few cases mention
Of work carried on until this date. It is distinguishing
feature of the service undemy charge that while mas
a specific and direct object in It's bearing on the interests
OF and navigation, the performance involves
operations and Investigations which almost rival in Yaue
the primary function OF the The methods ana
processes used have been all times the best afforded
by science and art, and the form Of publication
has gained in yaccuracy and beauty, so that
our charts from the first have been unsurpassed
by any which have been elsewhere produced
The methods OF astronomical observation employed IN
the survey are now universally adopted and have greatly
increased the precision with which elements OF the
relative position Of places upon the earth are determined
Our deepsea explorations have incidentally opened new
worlds OF discovery the naturalist and the physicist
The laws OF the tides and Of the distribution Of mag
nesm have traced with increased dstnctness and
have been made intelgibe by the observations
made In the progress Of the survey And In the general
mention OF Incidental advantages it may be added that
the necessary connection between the geodetc opera
tons pon the sides OF the continent gives oppor
tuntv the suggestion Of which cannot be Justly
omitted TO take steps for the geodetie survey ot
the country the essential foundation OF all local
surveys, Typographical OF geological IL opens
moreover, the opportunity Of extending To the
states the INTERIOR benefits similar 10 those which
have argady been afforded to states on the seaboard
The interest manifested in q few determinations OF
geographical position within the year In the Western
states shows fun appreciation OF the advantage that
aure from extended operations similar in kind in
the local development OF that great region The few
points the West in geodetc relation with such as
have been determined the progress Of the survey OF
the coast will be mentioned In this report.
GtVFRAL sCHMARY-TITE ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST.
with the exception Of Delaware and Alabama the sur
vey has been progress in all the seaboard and Gun
States determinations have been made OF latudean
longitude a several points in the interior On the coast
Of Maine the geographical surveys include somess Sound
and South West HarbOr; several Of the Fox Islands
which bound Seal Harbor. and others at the
entrance Of Penobscot Bay; the western shores
OF that bay between Camden and Belfast ana
sebsro near the Belfast Bay the shores OF
Androscoggin and Cathance Rivers between Bfals~ck
and BoWd0nAam the shores OF the Saco ana he coast
| northwdrd spurwink River. The hydrography has
developed Prospect Harbor and the ledges IN me vcny
of NOose-a-bec Reach sOmes's sound including south
PenObscot BAY between Camden and Belfast Gllkeys
Harbor at IslehOrO; efges near the Fox lsanls the
lower part Of the Androscoggin aud Cathance Hyeis
the vicinity of Cape Porpolse ana stage Island winter
orar the approach SarO River and the present con-
diton Of harb0rs generally between cape omali folo
and Boston with reference to accuracy n tue salhg d
rrctons Tidal observations have been cohtlnuSd at
North Hayeu N Penobscot Bay ana ~ tfs 6os1Gu ia m
Points have been determined ny tranga On
the Androscoggin and Cathance Rivers ana others Ia
were made to determine longitude at several points in
VINEYARD Haven and Nantucket Hlr5or were conducted
with view determine the causes which aHeet the
larbOr facilities Plane table work done in Rhode Island
completes the detailed survey Of Narragansett Bay ~
cudng the coast in the vicinity Of Point judith ro1T
westward marks along the coast OF Conneetcat
and Long Island have been examined WIN reIerehce 10
The riansGason and toP&Ssrabpny & sb0rs
line survey Of the greater part or Lake Tnampln, Anu
the cpvelOpment Ofits channels between Burlington W.
have heen conducted in Hudson River and in New-YOrk
Haroor including tidal observations and the survey OF
rvcrs which eIser IT, In NcwJersey the Held Work com
prsed operations IN the vicinity Of Mount Holy, GTea
3ay and Little Egg HarbOr In Delaware River, close
, , be lover nart ~ tbe schnyIkin The sites
ON the Atlantic coast Calvert station, Tanger Island
IA yof Tran on chesapeake Bay; the Severn, Chester
QUO 'liu h+rf Rvers. lanes Piyer and tidal observl-
ton. M heretofore at Old Point Comfort The main tri
aneuaton has been continued along the Blue Ridge, and
u,,uetic observations have been recorded at Washing
ton. y. c. On the coast of North Carolina inc survey
has been advanced by additional work IN the waters OF
pamlico sound latitude, azmuth and magnetic obser-
vations Portsmouth, n G. development OF Pam
,u RIVER 10 The vicinity OF Washington soundlngs on
| tho Hatteras Shoals and the plane table survey OF
Bogue and the adjacent coast Progress has been
ment OF parts Of the Combabee Chechessee, and
virgins River win others III or tnf fne system system
of Georgia and Florida the work Of the year includes
Amea and Talbot Island the shores ana the approacles
from seaward Of Nassau SOUND te sea Ma.er cnAnsls @
between the 81. Mary's and st. johns RIVERS ana Ma
| River below ST. Augustine. turther develop
mcnt has made by photographic operations in the
vicinity Of the TCrtugas. On the Gulf coast the prnc
pal channel at Cedar Keys was sounded as also tne nn
| were conducted at St JOsephs Bay and 81 Andrews
Bay Further westward the Gulf coast, including Santa
Rosa Sound, was developed rom 1hoct1~ en u
trance to OF Pensacola Bay In the interior
OF this section, latitude, Longitude ana the magnetic
elements were determined at Cleveland and Columbus
| in Ohio and at Falmouth, Oakland, and shelbyve, IN
Kentucv On the Gulf the Eastern part OF Lake
Pontcnrtrain was sounded Operations the coast Of
| Louisiana include part of the Chandelenr Islands
Guf approaches to the delta of that river and hy-
geographic work in the vicinity OF trinity Snoa IN te
tri ngaaton the Mississippi River in the vicn
y OF ST Louis. On the coast OF Texas the ny
branches and soundings have been exendsd
in its connecting waters In the interior OF tns see.lo
observations were made for latitude and longitude AT
| ChetOpa IN Kansas
THE PACIFIC COAST.
On the coast of Lower California some positions have
been determined in advance of the photographic recon
nosance which ia intended for developing the dangers
in navigation between Panama and San Diego special
survey has been made within the year at Magdaena
Raw Operations north OF San Diego include. in trangu
aton topography, photography the coast OF Caior-
mn at BAHIA Ona and stretch in the vicinity or Port
Couception Santa Barbara Island, san Miguel Island
vicinity of san Louis obispo and san Simeon sound
ings in the approaches OF san Francisco Bay, and
others by the neghb0rhood OF reported snoal In
the Pacific hydrographlc developments inside OF san
trance; additional work at Oakland, and tidal observa-
ton at Diego Francisco. North OF that port
the field work has been continued Mendocino Bay
and Shelter Cove, III the vicinity OF tne ralse
Klamath. and Crescent City; and Astronomical ana
ma gnetc observations have been made at san Diego,
San Francisco. Eureka and Crescent CITY AZ tne re-
quest the Department special tests were made OF the
com weights the Branch Mint In san FRANCISCO
On the coast Of Oregon and washington territory pro
cress made the survey near Cape san SeDas
onerations incud also parts OF the Columbia River.
shoalwater Bay tidal observations at Astoria and work
in the vicinity OF Seattle. The trangulation. to-
biography and photography have been advanced also
| in the Strait = Fnca; and I'm Admiralty Inlet,
and several local surveys have been made In those
waters ON the western coast the generally
unfavorable for field operations account Of high
wnds heavy fogs and the smoke from burning forests
in oregon and in Washington Territory. Nevertheless.
che parL done ia heyond Ofp seasona