The Alaska daily empire., 1915-02-12
SEI. HEN WANT AIDS
 LAun EEaaRI oI GOV.


 LAUD REPORT oF GOV
 MOVIE tbot the poolfic coaal steam
 ahip company would inaea.eiel'
 purchase 8 aucea3or .o iaa wrecked
 Delhi as annoWlced in The Empire
 wll lkely le followed closeiy witl
 news that t6o vessel nas been pur
 chased officers of the City 0t Seat
 ,le. oi the Pacific coesl Company aais
 hat nigh, lha che tals in the execu
 lige offices at Seattle seemed to iudi cate larger weasel than lRe Delh
 would be pwcllased and within yeg short tIme, il Ccpgresg puts througf its program to aid navigation with saiety in Aioska
 'I hope this etest wreel, wlll helr out in the campaign to secure moro aids to navigation in Alaska one Of the aSeattle'sr officers said laat even ins I haYe read Gov strong recommendation Tor more aids Co neyi gation lu Alaska. In his annual report to the Secretary of the Interior and hope every man who IS interested In tho North should read that recom' mendation and lhen get 10 and work if simmer Strait had been properly charied Che Delhi might not have been lost
 That part Of the Governors repori to which tbe officer referred Co reads as follows
 During the fiscal year ended June 30. 1914. l7 new lights q buoyg. md 5 beacons were added to the number of aids Co navigation in Alaskan wi. ters h the previous fiscal year 10 llghts, 2 beacons. and 9 bpoys were installed. No losses Of vessels or Of He due to ghipwreelS have been re- ported in those waters since August F. 1918, when 31 persons were drown cd in the wrcelloi tho steamship State Of California. which struck ap un. charted rock in Gambler bay Freder- ick sound and sank in three minutes. I have to renew the recommendations contained in my last annual report that survey be made of ail upchart ed waters of the Alaskan coast. and iu addition. reswveys should be made Of number of sounds bays and in. lets It is 10 bo regretted that the appropriation for this work asked by the Secretary of Commerce from the Congress failed of passage. No wa- tors of the Uuited States SO much need thorough surveys in order to safeguard vessels and human life as do those of Alaska Speaking by and large Che conditions existing last year still obtain The commerce of the Territory is large and Is steadily iu. creasing and will continue 10 increase. indefinitely with the development of the different sections. and the Install latlon of additional lights. buoys and beacons from yea~ to year. and sur veys of nayigablo channels. ls still 10 be regarded as Q matter of great economic as well as humane impor tane. Tho sum of SGoOOO was asked to make surveys during the present year. At least similar amount should he available for this purpose during the summer of 1915. The nu- morous shipwrecks that hnvc occur-0 red during the postyeara. besides the lamentahle loss of life incurred, have had the effect Of increasing the ex- penses of shop p-owners. Of shippers and of merchants doing business inI Alaska.
 There Is no more beautiful water route to be found in the world than that which skirts the Southern Alas. kan coast, and t should be made as sale as possible for the iraVolcr and Tor commerce. The periis that con- tront the yoyager are not found In storms or hurricanes, for these arc unknown on the inside rouic' Co Ale. asl,a the danger lies iu Che hidden rocks and roofs that have hitherto escaped notice and therefore have not been chartsd, out which have been too frequently found by vessels thread. ing the intricate mazes presented byl Alaskan iiords, bays. sounds, and its