The evening times., 1900-05-11
REPORTED TO 7HE SENATE
A Statement Showing Surveys of Re-
Gently Acquired Territory.
The Navy Department Tells of the
Work That Has Been Accomplished
in the New Possessicns-Cuba.
Porto Rico, Guam, Samoa, Ra-
wall. and the Philippine Islands.

In response TO a resolution adopted
March 81 the Navy Department has for
warded a report to the Senate in regard
10 surveys made OF the islands recently
acquired by the United States.
The report is as follows:
SarnOa-The earliest surveys that were
made by the Navy Department in the ISL
snds that have recently come under the
Jurisdiction OF the United States were those
OF the Samoan group, In 1899, by the
United States exploring expedition under
the act OF Congress OF May IA, 1896. These
surveys have continued until the present
time to be the basis OF the charts OF the
Samoan group OF all natiolalities and. as
for Tutuila and the other islands OF that
group lying eastward OF the Hist meri-
dian Of longitude west OF Greenwich.
which have lately been acquired by the
United States, they have not been modi-
fed by any other surveys excepting those
which were made in the approaches to
Pago Pago Harbor and in Leone Bay. Tu-
tuila. by the officers of the L. s. steamship
Narragansett In 1872. No additional sur
yeys are required in these waters at this
time. In fact. the only two harbors that
may be called such are the two referred
to above, which are considered correct 10
date.
Hawaiian IsEands-The surveys OF the
United States exploring expedition were
1S41, and continued 10 be the principal
source Of information for the charts Of that
group issued by our own and foreign ua-
tions. until within the present generation
during which a trigonometrical survey has
been extended over the principal islands,
and the minor harboEs have been surveyed
by the former Hawaiian governments. In
1892 the c. s. steamship Boston made a
complete survey OF the haTbOr OF HonoIu-
lu which is represented in the latest ex-
listing official charts OF that port. and in
1897 the L. s. steamship Bennington made
a complete photographic survey of Pearl
Harbor Oahu, under the provision of the
act making appropriations for the sundry
civil expenses or the Government apprOV-
ed June T. 1897 The u. s steamship Iro-
quOis is at present preparing to make
complete survey of the Midway Isands al
the northwestern extremity of the Hawai-
ian chain. on account Of the probable es-
tablishment there of one of the transmit
ting stations Of the tTans-Pacihe system
OF telegraph cables. The only important.
harbOrs in the Hawaiian group are those
Of Honolulu ana Pearl HarbOr. both OF
which having been surveyed by the Navy
in recent years, no additional surveying
work is required in the Hawaiian group at
this time. or likely to be in the near fu-
ture.
"Guam-The harbor of San Luis d'Apra.
which is the only safe ,harbor in the island
OF Guam, was surveyed in the latter part
Of 1899 by the L. 5. s. Yosemite. and the
results of this survey are published as
HydrOgraphic Office chart No. 1886. Prep
srations have been made for the continu-
arlce Of the ST. sying operations of the
Yosemite. to include trignOmetrical and
typographical survey Of the entire Island
Of Guam. as well as marine photographic
survey of its entire coast line. The 6o-
semitic, being the station ship to the har-
bOr OF San Luis d'Apra. can most conven-
iently and economically complete the sur
yeying work around that island. and no
OtsST surveying vessel will be required in
this locality The ship must, being sta
tion ship, remain at the island. and there
fore there is no additional cost involved
in the surveying work which she is now
doing.
"Cuba-During the winter OF 1898 and
1899 the first regular surveys ever made
in Cuba by the Navy Department were
carried on with the L. $ :. Yankton in
Santiago Harbor, and with the L. : s
Eagle IN Guantanamo Bay. During the
past winter these two steamers have been
engaged in the harbors Of Gibara. Nuevi-
tas, Banes. and Nipe on the northern
coast Of eastern Cuba. making SURVEYS
that consist Of theodolite triangulations
among signals erected on shore of deveI-
oping the topography and representing the
the coast and embraced within the limits
OF the charts, and Of developing the hydro
graphic features and the locations of hid
den dangers by means OF soundings show
ing the depths of water in the approaches
10 the coast and in the channels and inner
waters IL may be stated that until the
work doIe by the Yankton and the Eagle
IN cuban waters there existed no accurate
charts o. the long seacOast surrounding
that island. and il is OF very great I'm
portance that the work of completing the
survey around the coast should be prose
cuted with all despatch while the island
remains under American control The
necessity for this expedition is shown by
the numerous applications to this bureau
for the surveys of harbOrs other than
those upon which work has been done. and
upon the further ground that military ne
cesSlty calls Tor the same at the earliest
practicable date Even the charts issued
by the Spanish authorities of very recent
date have been found to be inaccurate
whether purposely so or not is not kps-n:
but the fact remains that the survey work
must be Of a complete character. covering
the entire seacoast north and south. In
the opinion of the bureau as soon as prac
tleaole the force now engaged in this work
should be increased, to the end that per-
fect surveys may be promptly in the pos
session Of the department.
Porto 4deo-Beyond the precise estsb-
liShment Of the latitude and Iongituds OF
MORO Castle at San Juan by the expedition