The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-17
q. S. Coast Survey Finds Errors
In Existing Charts.
BIGGER BY 2 500 SQUARE MILES
nstfa of yukon Extends Much Fnr-
fher Out Into Herring sea faa"
was supposea-fsyan-b cshes "f
lonst Gesaefir survey Establish
Cd In seatffe-ResuIts OF Capt
Prass's Exploring Expedition

The Tinted States coagT survey party
under Capt. J. + Pratt whi16 returned
e. seattle yesterday. Saturday, or tia gun
boat HaseiiTza. af1eF -ps-1a-@E '@4 summer
81 making x4yveFs # rtsa ina1ta. cF ratilsF
mouths. x tn Yukon. made tNe discovery
thai Alaska IS .arxer oy ~ sgeare yniles
than was formerly s1ap1spa Tae d"sta
az the river extends f1is-g further o.. INTO
lger.ag pea than Ia shown ~ the existing
charts.
capt. Pratt. Graer oglers from tse ;rsas-
ury department, Will open Off IN Se&it.e
snd spend the winter mere Win several a.
s.ktants III writing I'D tho notes 81 the
expedition and. incidentally, q former
surveys 81 ;he nortawas: coast. This city
viii 1aus become th% Soria Pacific coast
HEADQUARTERS 81 tie United S.ates cast
and gegdetie surysy Gac- pg1tt's party
Consisted Of himself and f9gty-two fren ana
Officers Df these thirty -;@1 N@ee PAID oif
g. Seattle Saturday. TIE Jtoefs. W}tA tat
exceKt.or ~ fhree officers, w'H sc on ga
Washington. II. e. 70 spend gsie winter.
The survey has determined that one az
Tbs, moutha ~ the Yukon riyer--tne kuSii~
vac, or south mouths twenty-five miles
further out and the ApaoG.. or aortp
mouth. nine miles further OGl III the OCEAN
than * shown ngl thu, present charts. Ebis
extension al the mouth % the river VIII
that 90 the adjoining COAST lines makes
Alaska go square niles larger than u vas
UEekt3uAiS Known "a h4 aIt lEf)E 8idtfafE
VIII b. OF great value 70 mariners fFe-
attentiug thai part n EaFinE sea
The party iell Seattle oa tAe Wheeling
for ST. Miehaei. wheFc % began work. capt
pratt had designed = small steaneT for
ase on tl9e survey, and tht craft had been
constructed and shipped in sections from
New York. II Vas put together at -.
Michael and enrlStened the Yukon. An
other similar - +, MSS huiii IA Sau Fran
cisco 8Dd also delivered 80 the government
81 81. Michael. II Was known As the Taku.-
Each az the 1ittle steamers was seventy
five feet IN length ana o. very light draft
There were. In addition two steam
launches.
One division o. the surveying party was
placed on the mainland while two others
were assigned Ia the steamers The first
work was "A survey OF the ocean be we9u
81 Michael and the mouth ~ the Yukon
known a. the Aphonn. There the water
was found 10 b,' very shallow at mean
low tide. In places only I'VE feet deep
In the Aphoon mouth there il a bar where
the water ~ two feet IN depth at mean
low tide. II rises tn six aud seven feet
"a high tide ana most steamers must wat
fer htgh tide To cross over.
This Aphoon is the main mouth OF the
Yukon river, ar rather The one which Is
most used by the steamers plying on the
river from ST Michael and II IL Of this
That tne survey has developed the fact
that il Is nine miles farther ont IN the
ocean than Was ever before known
Ths distance between the north and
south mouth-the kusIvac--is some 40
miles: SO great that n survey could not
be made in the short time in which Capt
Pratt had to work. Blu; II was determined
tina. the depth at mean low tide is eight
feet and that the month is twenty fiVe
miles farther out than IL shown on present
charts.
I'VE have found" sad Capt Pratt.
that the United States Is 800 square
miles larger than was heretofore sunros-
ed. and have secured much information
concerning the mouth ~ the Yukon
There has been no real survey nothing
hIt "Reminiscences. We. OF course "a not
complete the work for Il IS Il very large
task and viii require another season At
LEAST. 10 finish. The water Is very shall
low about the mouth ~ the river SO
That during heavy seas AMI gales the work
VAS quite risky. With only two or three
feet OF water between the bottom ~ the
steamer and the ocean hed Won could net
tell when dur'ng storms pou might he sent
down 10 Dafy Jones' locker.
1T VIII take several months to write
~ the notes Of the work. That viii be
done here"
Capt. Pratt received orders last night
from the TREASURY dcparttnent at Wash
inston 10 open An ct''ce in Seattle Th.S
ci;y Will thus become de hosiuuarter~ for
the coaei and geodatic survey work Of
Washington aud Nj Alaskan coas.s.
Capt. Pratt will scCUra -. r.Tiees is soon
~ possible ana Will probably open them
this week. Three of - assistants wi,
remain with him. = u Dericksars. - r.
Putnam and r A Young They WI he
empiove! during tae winter on The notes
OF the Yukon survey 'n connection witch
former surveys n Puget sound Two
Other assist ante~~R, r faris and 4 r.
f,aidNiu Will ga or 81 Washington. where
thHv viii 1c assigned tn ether work by the
treasury department.
Cani pra.t Is AZ present the guest Of
W. \ Peters.