Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-11

Offices in this city a number Of
quiet methodical clerks should
be daily in touch with ocean
perils all over the globe seems
at first. perhaps. somewhat incredible.
Yet this is just the singular situation in
the photographic Office of the Navy De-
partment located in the Mills building.
Here, from points scattered over the
four seas. reports are constantly being
received from mariners as to notable
conditions encountered. Some of these
reports are interesting. some are even
sensational. The majority, however, are
necessarily, of a routine nature Yet
even in lot of these prosaically worded
and received dispatches are to be read
veritable romances of the deep.
The reports are received through vari-
Gus mediums-some by the instrumental
ity of up-to-date wireless apparatus, some
by the sealed bottle containing, in gen
aral routine information, occasionally,
however. terrible and tragic story of
shipwreck and disaster. cast into the sea
by the sender, and reaching it's xestina-
ton, like the bread traditionally so treat
cd. after many days"
It 10 piquant fact that the sealed
bottle-readers of Victor Hugos Man
Who Laughs will recall the terrible in
cident in that weird tale in which this
method of conveying information at sea
REPRESENTATIVES, very important
source Of scientific data TO the hydro
graphic office The office furnishes every
captain of vessel, who applies before
starting on voyage. with number of
bottles. This is not in anticipation or
the mariners coming 10 GRIEF and being
reduced to this method of making known
his fate. In each bottle is a printed form,
In which are TO be entered the time and
place in which it is cast overheard, and,
in the case of it's recovery, also the time
and place in which il is found. The
form. with full directions for it's use, is
printed in seven different languages
English, French. German, Dutch, Italian,
Spanish and Portuguese--so that it has
a wide availability for proper handling
The name of the captain the name of
the ship and the time and place of set
ting the bottle afloat having all been
properly entered. the form is sealed up
in its receptacle, and the latter is con-
signed to the waves. Then. when the
bottle is picked up and opened, the form
well preserved, IL the sealing has been
carefully done. is taken out, the entry Of
the finding made in the same manner as
the entry of the casting overheard and
the form transmitted either to the near
est United States consul or directly to
the photographic Office.
The aim of the information thus
quantity gathered from old ocean Is
10 supply data regarding the strength
and direction of the currents. When
q bottle is cast on the water and. by
reason OF being alright. floats per-
fectly, II is, of course, taken up by the
currents and carried in the direction
of the latter, at their own rate OF
speed With the time and place OF
starting and stopping all accurately
recorded many valuable differences are
possible regarding the course and the
nature of the journey.
Curious, indeed, is some OF the fnfor-
nation thus conveyed. even in this
routine manner Occasionally a cap
tain on discovering bottle opens il
and makes the due record in the form
then reseals IL and casts IL again into
the sea to continue its course Bottles
have been recovered that have foated
over 1000 miles. and others that have
been in the water more than year.
Tortuous courses have been followed
by some of these remarkable TASKS.
Some have gone straight across the At
lantic I'm the wage OF the ocean liners.
others have been discerned and picked
up in midocean; some have been found
ucraping up and down rough beaches
and some have even come to light In
the bodies Of sharks. 1t Is enevitaole.