The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-07-02
CHART|NG LAKES HAS
/ TAKEN MANY YEARS
Government Spends Millions to
Make Waterways Safe for
/ Vessels. 81

DETROIT, Mich, July z.-Summer
after sumnnr the feet of the Lake Sur
vey sails the broad expanse of the Ave
lakes and the score Of bays and inlets
searching for danger spots that may
claim their heavy toll in human life
Since 'i isii ' the ttnited States Govern.
ment has been silently carrying on this
work. a herculean light against the
Jagged reef and the unseen shoal that
menace navigation. Sounding lines have
square miles Of water. and still today
there are areas that have not beer
charted In which passing barks may
AT present three of the live steamer.
that compose the fiotilla are In active
service. The two others are unders oins
repairs. The three steamers. Search
crews of twenty-five men. The two
other boats are smaller, having but ten
or twelve men for a crew.
,b pro 1ar,S no no freauented waterways in
Great Lakes. At no time is a steamer
on them more than a comparatively
few hours from shore and periodically
ssperienced on fa thy ocean, ss xoe %hiss
them heiplessly about, threatening to
5ver sSeep the ssm ss ssho se.n, ev
Government since 1871 for the prosecu-
ton OF the work OF charting the lakes.
Locked In heavy timbered boxes, pro-
tected from fire in immense vaults in
the old postoffice building, Detroit are
over 800 Held charts. dating back to
1913. when a survey OF Lake Erie was
madc by officers OF the British navy.
With few exceptions the maps are the
result of the scientific researches OF
United States engineers and surveyors.
These maps represent the work or
generations OF men who have toiled to
make the Great Lakes safe. AS q re-
suit OF their Investigations lighthouses
have sprung from barren rocks, and the
solemn ringing of bells on buoys car
res their warnings to passing naviga-
tors.
New Methods of Sounding.
These maps represent an epoch IN
human progress" said Andrew J. swift.
owl engineer. connected with the Lake
survey. IT would be impossible to es-
innate their value In dollars and cents
without them today navigators would
SUI crawl through the lakes. The sur
vey has been one OF the potential fac
tors In the making OF commerce of the
Great Lakes. Hundreds or millions OF
dollars would be a low estimate OF the
real value Of the work.
While the work Of charting the lakes
has been carried on since B4l. with only
ono break In the task. which occurred
stu much to DO done to make the sur.
veg q thorough one In fact, II wal
only twelve years ago that what Nigh,
be called an unfaiiing system for test
ing the depths had been devised.
Previous to that time the old method
Of dropping q weight Of twelve pounds
or so. trying to keep the line plumb
was employed. The system was far
the line was drawn UP the vessel would
pass possibly twenty feet before the
next sounding was made. In the inter-
vening space between the two soundings
the very shoal or reef sought may have
lurked. mere point rising In the desert
This lightweight testing method was
employed until the sos. Then came the
heavy 100 pound sounding bell. This
heavy obstacle was dragged through the
water. a machine on board ship regis
tering the angle the metal was DETECTED
from tho boat as the ohip steamed
along. The BELLS sheer weight made II
But this system was TOO crude and
imperfect. Twelve years ago Major
Keller. United States Engineer Corps
in charge of the Lake Survey. devised
ethGd ny whereby 3srf y sIp Piano . wrs from from
two launches and weighted down, was
used to search for shoal spots and 9th
er elevations Of submarine land. Tho
wire is connected with an upstandinH
bright tin can. bearing a flag. Wher
the cans and flags sink the engineers
and surveyors knew the wire hat
caught on An obstacles.
on the lakes and as a result Of 1t man,
shoal and reef regions. hitherto n
known, have been listed.
Increase in Commerce.
During the years OF the decade be
-
Lakes had begun to assume consider
able proportions. and the American Gov
eminent planned a canal at Saulte Ste
Marie to connect Lake Superior and tn,
lower lakes; The only charting. how
sineers connected with the British navy
In 1&1 Capt. w. G. Williams. WHIT
was at that time In charge of harbol
improvements In Buffalo harbor. was or
dered to take charge Of the surveying o.
assumed to be a thorough survey Of tn,
lakes had been made and the followins
two years were spent IN the compiling o.
documents and the perfection of charts
then in existence and circulation.
The years that had been spent I'D Il
1880 on making the geodetc or subma
rine survey OF the lakes had witnessed
marvellous changes. The flow of popu
lation moved westward like tidal wav,
and cities sprang seemingly out OF tn,
very earth. The five lakes were whit,
with the sails of commerce.
BY 1880 schooners were fast becon,in,
obsolete. The heavy draft steamel
that displaced water to the depth O
twenty feet had driven the light vessel,
of eleven and twelve feet draft from
the field.
That a resurvey must be made becam,
evident. Provisions had been made onl,
for vessels of light displacement. APP
propriations were made by Congress [,
carry on the work again.