The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-01
HYDRocRApHIo BUREAUS WORK.
savannah Commercial Bodies Ask
That 1t he Not Crippled.

Savannah is interested in the mainten-
ance of the branch photographic office
here without any curtailment Of its work.
Influence is being brought to bear in
Congress against the item in the appro-
priation boz providing for the maintain-
ence Of the photographic bureau. The
appropriation is a limited one, and Is use1
to cover the expenses of the preparation
and distribution of maritime Information
and to defray the running expenses of the
branch offices. Except the photographers
in charge who are naval officers paid out
of the naval appropriation. Any intended
reduction in the appropriation for the by
geographic service will seriously cripple it..
The Savannah Cotton Exchange,
Board of Trade and the Mayor have ask
ed Congressman Lester to use his in1u-
enee in behalf of the service. The Geor-
gia senators have also been written 90.
Lieut. "A A. MacKethan, in charge OF the
branch office at Savannah, has taken an
active interest in the movement IN DehaiI
of a continuance OF the full approprla-
ton. The Savannah office covers the
South Atlantic coast from Wilmington, n.
c., to Key West. Last year over 600
bulletins were distributed through IL, 2'3Oo
charts were corrected 1900 coast survey
notices and $1,000 notices TO mariners were
distributed. Sixty-f0ur barometerS We're
compared, and in addition 10 TINS the
printed matter distributed through the OF
flee included in round numbers l,lUO
weather reports, 600 day marks, 200 light
lists, LOO pilot charts, 5000 pamphlets
relating to maratime matters ana large
amount of other information.
Something of al idea of the value of the
service may be gained from the report OF
the chief photographer which shows that
through the fifteen branch offices nearly
5000, 900 charts reports and various other
forms of informa lion were distributed
for the benefit of mara time interests.
At the Savannah branch office alone IN
formation was furnished in person to 1900
people. In commenting upon the work
of the bureau the chief photographer, in
his recent annual report, says:
'~The mission of the photographic office
is to provide for the safe navigation of
American shipping TO all parts of the
world. 1t is not to be supposed that, in
order to provide a set of navigational
charts of the globe, the United States
must survey the coasts and harbors OF
the globe. Foreign nations use our sur
veys and we may use theirs. The
world has advanced to high pane of en-
lightenment in the interchange and dis
semina ton of marine photographic in
formation and surveys, and the archives
of the navy department are stocked with
all the data that are requisite to carry out
this mission, toward which Congress has
manifested the strength of its favorable
intention by making continuous annual
appropriations for more than third Of
a century The greater the appropria-
tions for this purpose, the earlier the ac-
complishment of the result to be desired
namely, the possession by the United
States government Of its own means for
producing all required naviga tional charts,
without depending on the purchase of for
eign publications. Under some conditions
arising it might be difficult, or even i'm
possible, to procure for the use of the
navy the foreign charts urgently needed. ="