The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-06-13
I lhe Cna,I and GcohcIir SurNrX.

In l>>l congress appointed commits
>ion. consisting Of three members Of th,
senate AMI three of the house, To con,
slider the present organization ut the
coast AMI s.o.letic survey and the hydro
srlphIe office of the navy department
with view to secure greater efficiency
anl ECONOMY of administration of the
pulllc service in said bureaus" This
commission, after sitting two winters.
has finished taking testimony and is now
drlit@ratlns what COURSE 10 pursue.
\ large number of persons interested
IN the work of coast survey are eNtnme-
IL anxious To have the present system
changed. Lieutenant George DYER. L.
=. ". has, IN a pamphlet on The Sur.
rey "f the Coast, given "A presentation
of the case, as viewed by officers Of the
navy, mariners and others who lssirs To
see a thorough survey of our coast made,
AMI who complain that the greater por-
tlon of the money appropriated for hy-
drnSraphic maps Is absorbed by useless
ami expensive geodetlc surveys.
The coast survey was lrgun in l>0s.
AMI would long since have been com.
pleted had the plans originally framed
been carried out. but the geNletic part
has been continually extended since its
creation: and in 1879 congress lrgalized
the term coast AMI geo,letic survey. thus
enabling Il 10 adopt title indicating
functions assumed many years before.
The Objection maize To the present
system Is that the maps prepared are not
thn-" of onr coast. but really ca,lastral
maps. including "A large amount of land
area, that they are expensive, unncces.
sary. and often disadvantageous. In
coast or photographic map what is most
needed Is the soundingS. the features of
the ocean and river bpttoms, bouys.
lights. etc. Distinguishing features Of the
shore may also he given. by which local
tiles may ie fixed, but the work of the
coast and gro,letic survey ges much
further. II gives complete calastral
maps, indicates not only the coniipura.
ton "f the land. but houses, fences and
oven outbulldlngs. Such charts, Dirrc.
tor Powell declares, can serve M useful
purpose. because they are artificial
Their topographic features are ephemc.
raj and change from day to day. A ship
captain sailing on the New England
coast declares that one half Of the houses
marked on the map Of that coast have |
disappeared or changed. and the result is
exceedingly confusing to mariners. |
These maps, moreover. are too complex, |
and not ot permanent value. There are
constant complaints from merchants and
coasters Of inaccuracies. Houses ARE
figure on them miles away from the
coast. anl which could not BY any pos.
slbility be seen from It.
The map Of New York htrbor, for in.
stance, which is one Of the most exy~n.
si,e published b, the bureau, is u subur-
ban guide rather than chart for mari
nors and is Of no value save to an invnd.
lng army. II includes e63 square miles
of topography, including the whole of
Staten Island and marking every villa on
it. and only sW of hydrography. The
work. which was done be
tween 1850 and 1860, IL out If date and
valieless.
The cost of the geodctic survey is 800
, square mile, which would make the
'ntlre expense Of the work $3.50. .0OO, 900
Already S20,O,O, l.I have been expended
IN il, sufficient to have long since com.
lctea the coast survey had tho bureau
followed out the plan originally pro.
posed. BIT instead II doing ~. it grad.
ially enlarged its operations. AMI n ma
Iorty OF the money appropriated for sur.
'eying the coast was spent in expensive
work.
Sucl, Is the protest made on the part
If our maritime interests, and it certain.
y rests on agooi foundation. II il the
Inst duty Of the government to make
'ompletr photographic maps Of our
'oast. This could be easily and prompt
y done il attended TO alone. II congress
hen wants n geoletic survey, II can or
Ter it, bu. why delay the very necessary
md important work Of surveying our
'oast 10y combining 1t with the exIEn
i've, slow and tedious work of preparing
IN mm"ns" typographical and calastral
nap: y. .. Times Democrat.