The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-24
alaska LIGHT STATIONS.
SECRETARY OF LIGHTHOUSE
BOARD EXPLAINS THE DELAY.
Asked Congress for 100000 and
Received hut sfoo. ooo-DImcuities
Besetting Navigation in Northern
waters-outwitted the Eagles.

Special Dispatch to the Post Inte!lIgc ncer.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 5.-Mator IT, L.
Hoxie, secretary engineer of the light
fifty-sixth congress. At the last session
Of congress the lighthouse board recon-
mended that s30o.vo be appropriated fer
lighthouses and fog signal stations IN
Alaskan waters. Later, having rece.vsi
so many letters from the Pacific coast
urging the necessity OF more safeguards
than the $4,000 would provide. the board
asked, in a letter. that the amount OF the
appropriation be increased TO ssoooo1.
confidently relying upon the generosity
or congress to appropriate this 500 H1.
he says, you may Judge OF our lisap-
pointment when an appropriation FOR only
one-fifth OF this amount was allowed.
Stiil. we may get the balance as sooil as
the excitement Of the election dies away
and, when there IL no further need for
economy and retrenchment on the part
Of either party for four years, the doors
OF the treasury vaults may be throw1
open and this amount let out to us
The localities selected by the board, as
stations. were at Eldred Rock, RaIston
island, Point Retreat, Point Gardner.
Cape Ommaney, Point Stanhope. Fairw az
island, Guard Island. Mary island, Cape
Fox and Cape Fanshaw. When TIE. sr-
preparation was cut down to 10000 by
congress, however, these stations were
stricken out OF the bill and permission was
given 10 the lighthouse board to locate
two stations wherever II thought ndNis-
able TO do so. Accordingly commission.
consisting OF Commander VIM. p, Day
= NJ Cant VIM " &c C. ,, Lsngst; s y y
was appointed and sent TO ALASKA 20
determine upon the most available sites
for the location OF these two stations:
The board returned few weeks az" and
is now at work upon its report, which
will be ready by the first OF the month
Navigation in Alaska Waters.
Mai. Hoxie is no stranger to the needs
OF Alaska and the Pacific coast having
visited that section of the country fire.
quentiy and also having been to Alaska
to look over the situation there.
"No one in the East said he, can
appreciate the dangers and difficulties
besetting navigation in Alaskan waters.
The current IL so strong and rapid In
Pearl straits. the graveyard Of Alaskan
waters. that steamers can with difficulty
stem t. At high tide the rocks on the
side OF the channel are only a few feet
below the surface and A vessel drawing
fifteen feet OF water liz In constant danger
Of having its Keel taken on by being driv-
en- backward on the rocks while she Is
trying 10 beat her way forward. Now
II the appropriation had only been SUM-
cient to allow 81 Its being done. buoys
could have been placed at all OF these
dangerous places and thereby the navi,
CATION OF the straits made safe at all
times. Even as II Is. we cannot build
our stations out In the water, as IL
should be done. but will be compelled 10
place them on land and build them OF
wood thus making them only temporary
structures
When was up there the few buoys
| saw were used as camping grounds by
eagles that we're AS tame as pigeons. They
would remain there looking at the passing
vessel with wide. staring eyes until driv-
en- away by Jumps OF coal thrown at them
BY the passengers. No matter how black
these buoys. or how vermilion, or how
striped red and black, or black and white,
they were when first moored In their
places. within a few days they would be
white. We finally hit upon plan OF
keeping on the birds. II was simple burt
very effective. We drove copper nails
In the huoys with their ends protruding
90 the eagles had no place upon which
to rest their feet.
II noticed when | was up In the North
west that the Observation-Disclosures, or
Pei as 4, is Familiarity called, was
looked upon as the oracle OF the coast
and that everything the Pal said was
so II Is without the best paper north OF
San Eranrisco"