Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-08

terlies with the South Pacific and South
Atlantic These charts show the various
steamship tracks and data relative to
weather conditions. and are among those
publications having a large circulation
OF the monthly charts the total circula-
ton is about 10000 per month, while al
most 5000 copies are issued each quar-
ter of ithe others. These. like the weekly
notices to mariners, are given free to mar
iners in exchange for whatever data they
The photographic office supplies the
United States navy with all the charts
used by it. Practi-
International cally every country in
CL the world has a hydro
CAo"oAsoS' graphic office. W It h
which an exchange exists with the United
States photographic office. In this way
charts are obtainable which the various
from all photographic offices can be re-
produced. Up to the present time. how
ever. this country has purchased outright
from the British admiralty whatever
charts have been needed, while, on the
other hand. England purchases one or
more copies of each chart desired, and
then reproduces all others she may need.
A similar method will be employed by
this country in the near future At the
present time about $4,000 is being eX-
pended annually for British admiralty
charts.
In preparing nautical charts a survey
has to be made just as in the matter OF
land maps. An instance of the methods
employed in this work is shown in re-
port of the photographic office which
contains the following: THE Paducah
was engaged in the vicinity of Cape
Gracias Dios, Nicaragua. This is very
difficult. coast to survey. but about 26o
square miles of photography and the ad-
jacent coast line were covered. Astronom-
ical stations were established and posi-
lions determined at Cape GraclaS Dios
and Swan Island. In the determination
of the longitude the wireless station at
Key West was utilized. it having been
previously arranged for that station to
send out tick at a certain time daily.
The distance is about 600 miles, and 1t Is
believed to be. greater than any previous
attempt to make use of the wireless for
this purpose. While this Office has no
data for determining the probable error
of this particular determination, it is UNI
doubtedly very small as it agrees with
in one-half minute Of former determina-
tons by chronometers carried from tele-
graphic determinations at Havana"
The total area of the surface Of the
water is 142. 13o $50 square miles. For
every square mile Of known
Oceanic land in existence there are
g. 80 square miles of water.
SURVEY. That shows the size of the
work to be undertaken by hydro
graphic Office in surveying. for although
all the known area of water is not naviga-
n -, Il CT 40
fore be surveyed and charted. Another
fact which shows the vastness OF any
undertaking of this kind Is that the aver
age depth of the sea is 1890 feet. or six
times as deep as the average height OF
land. The greatest depth of water ever
sounded was 1880 feet.
The present photographic Office can be
said to be the result Of Lieut. Mathew
F. Maurys endeavors in that direction.
A scientist he studied the needs of the
seas. and did all in his power to bring
about some means by which sea travel
could be made more safe and In 1855
the photographic office came into exist
ence. The establishment of steamship
lanes grew out of his original recon-
mendations.
An interesting example of just how
large is the problem of surveying the
seas is shown by the Sargasso sea. A
mystery concerns its composition, posi-
ton and practically every feature con-
and why Is it. are all questions that have
never received final answer. When
Christopher Columbus was sailing toward
America he encountered the Sargasso
sea, and recorded the fact in his journal
as follows: They began to see many
tufts Of grass. which were very green
and appeared to have been quite recently
torn from the land" Upon sight of this
phenomenon his sailors exclaimed that
the very sea itself was turning into land
to thwart him. And to this day the Sar-
gasso sea remains mystery.
It's position. so far as has been definite
~ determined, is in the north Atlantic
ocean. Egglike in shape
The Sea the large end lies toward
ec Florida. 1t is about 800
Va N'' miles southwest of the
Azores. while the Bermuda Islands are
the only bodies of land within it's area.
being on its northwest edge. The area of
the Sargasso sea is. supposed to be about
130EO square miles. The surface of this
body of water is completely covered, or
so some claim, with masses of yellow
brown seaweed Some mariners have
Sdiu IL WAS iIHpoSSlpie lOI d vessel W
make it's way through these masses of
seaweed. but this has been found incor-
rect.
interviewer with what small percentage
of truth which has been found out about
the SargaSso sea is such large percent
age of mystery and weird phantasy that
the two almost inseparable. Some
have it that the Sargasso sea is a giant
whirlpool, from which ship, once
caught, never returns. The center of this
vast expanSe has been likened to a huge
graveyard the hulks of dead ships stand
ing as their own gravestoneS. AS for the
truth, scientists still studying it still
disagreeing about it, and the mystery
clings.
To substantiate the claim of the Sar-
gasso sea being a giant whirlpool proof
of several lost ships has been brought.
One of these. the Marie Celeste, left New
York for Europe in 1887, with thirteen
people on board, including the captains
wife and child Two weeks after setting
out a British bark sighted her in the
Atlantic ocean, without sign of life. A
ton was made. Nothing seemed wrong:
the boats were all in the davits, the hull
unchanged, rigging and spars in perfect
condition, and the cargo intact. The
sails were all set, the weeks washing of
the crew hung out to dry, a half-eaten
meal on the table, the sewing machine
open, with a child'S garment under the
needle, while the log book was posted to
within forty eight hours of the arrival of
the British boat and it showed that no
storm had been encountered. What hap
pened to the Marie Celeste? The United
States government spared no efforts to