Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-14

months during the year In northern
Waters tire boatS are used I'm the sum-
mer only while in southern waters
they are employed more IN winter than
in summer. Owing to the short time
they are required at any one port the
department has found it more eco
nomical to charter the boats than to
purchase them outright. congress
annually appropriates SIS, 900 for the
hiring of motor boats for the use of
the Bureau of Navigation. While
there are 100 customs collection dis
tricts, some are equipped with reve-
nue. cutters, so that additional boats
are not required at such ports for in
speetions in connection with the en-
foreement of the navigation laws. In
many instances, however a revenue
cutter is too large for ordinary pur-
poses. For each of these districts it
| is necessary to charter O. motor boat
These 50 chartered vessels range from
40 to So feet in length. The compile
ment of each when in use is usually
three men, all officials in the customs
service
In the enforcement of the naviga
ton laws it is the duty of every Gus
toms officer to inspect all vessels en-
tering his portx for which purpose
power boat is I'm absolute necessity.
such inspection embracing. among
other things, the life preservers if the
vessel carries passengers; its whistle,
foghorn and bell, and the license of its
officers. All violations of the navi-
cation laws are reported by the GUS
toms officers, and the Secretary of
Commerce and Labor alone has power
to mitigate penalties imposed.
Vessels of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey.
Fourteen steam and three sailing
vessels are operated by the Coast and
Geodetie Survey, in the Department of
! Commerce and Labor. Five of these
ships are employed on the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts; 6 along the Pacific coast
and in Alaskan waters ) in the Philip
pines; and by the Lighthouse Blu
reau. -Four of the vessels employed
| in the Philippines are owned by the
InSular Government. but are assigned
| to the use of the Coast and Geodetc
Survey.
Vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries.
The Bureau of Fisheries owns and
operates 4 steamers and ] seagoing
schooner. The largest steamer. which
| is held Oh the Pacific coast. is es-
| pecially equipped for scientific work.
has cruised north and south Pacific
and Asiatic waters in her deep-sea ex>
rplorations, and is of frequent service
for Investigations and fishery work in
! Alaska. A smaller steam vessel in
the Atlantic, similarly equipped. is
l.employed in coastwise Investigations
of like character and in surveys of the
oyster grounds of the Atlantic and
Gulf States. The schooner operates
| in New England and offshore waters,
in fish-cultural and other work con-
nected chiefly with the cod, and lobster
| fisheries. Two. other steam vessels.
one in the Great Lakes and one in the
| Mississippi. are used for the collection
of fish and fish eggs for the propaga-
ton work in these several regions.
Besides these, the bureau charters a
steamer annually to convey supplies to
| the inhabitants of the Pribilof Islands
land to bring the sealskins to San
Francisco.
| The bureau also maintains "a steam
launches and motor boats of various
sizes in connection with its fish-cul-
turai stations throughout the country
Vessels of the Bureau of immigration
and Naturalization.
| Another bureau of the same depart
rnent. that of Immigration and Nat
| uralization, controls vessels. They
| are used in the enforcement of the
immigration laws three .being sta
toned in New York Harbor, two in
San Francisco, one in New Orleans.
La, and one in San Juan Porto Rico.
The List of Merchant Vessels and
Signal Code List.
The list is divided into six parts
showing: % Sailing vessels. CD steam
vessels. tS) unrigged vessels tcanal
boats and barges). t4) vessels lost dur
ing the year, % Government vessels,
and CD code list of seagoing vessels
and yachts.
Parts |. II. and III contain the name
of every documented American vessel,
alphabetically arranged. its official
| number, signal letters gross and net
tennages, dimensions in feet Qength
beam. depth), the approximate num-
Der of the crew (of sailing and steam
vcssels) the year and place of build
ing, and the home port.
! A vessel in order to be documentcd
must have been built in the United
States or admitted by an act of Con-
gress and must measure tons net or
over. The gross tonnage of a vessel
| is the entire internal capacity eX-
| pressed in tons of 100 cubic feet: and
| from the gross tonnage are deducted.
if steam vessel, the engine. boiler,
and bunker spaces, the remainder be-
ing the net or register tonnage.
| Vessels Lost During the Year.
Part " contains the name of every
vessel reported lost during the year
the official number, the rig, the gross
tonnage, year built, the nature, date,
place of casualty, the number of per-
sons on board. and the number al
lives lost The total numbert of
American merchant vessels lost during
| the year ended June 80. 1911. was 80
| with an aggregate of S9.353 gross tons
having 1928 persons on board and 40
lives lost. as compared with 3S9 in
I19l0, with 125,7S9 gross tons, 474S per-
sons on board and BAT lives lost In