The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-07-06
CHART|NG LAKES
HAS TAKEN YEARS
Government Has Spent Millions
to Make Waterways Safe
for Ships.
Peril OF JAGGED REEFS
HercuIean Fight Against Unseen
Shoals That Menace Navigation Has
Been Carried on Since 1941-
New Method of Sounding.

Detroit, Mich.-Summer after SUM
mer the fleet Of the Lake Survey sails
the broad cNpauSe of the five lakes
and the score of bays and inlelS
searching for danger spots that may
claim their heavy toll in human life
and vessel tonnage.
Probably no Grequcnted waterways
in the world are SO hazardous as the
Great Lakes. At NO time IS Il steamer
on them more thHn comparatively
few hours from shore and periodically
fierce storms arise, fully HS violent as
hose experienced on the ocean, which
play with the steel ships, batterng
them hvIplcssIy about, threatening to
"uglLl or sweep them ashore.
over SjOOO.OOO has been spent by
the government since 1871 for the
prosecution Of the work of chnrtiEg
the lakes. Locked In heavy timber
boxes, protected from fire III immense
vaults in the cid post office building
Detroit, are over 1000 field charts,
dating back to ISIS, when II survey of
Lake Erie was made by officers Of the
British navy. With few exceptions
the maps are the result of the scicn-
tific researches Of United Stntcs cngi-
neerS and surveyors
Work OF Generations.
These maps represent the work Of
generations of men who have toiled
to make the Great Lakes safe. As IL
result of their Investigations light
houses have sprung from barren rocks,
and the solemn ringing Of bells on
buOyS carries their warnings 10 pass
ing nuvigatOrs
While the work of chartiug the
lakes has been carried on since 1871
with only one break in the task, which
occurred in 1850 and lasted until 1870,
there is StiIl much 10 be done 10 make
the survey thorough one, IN fact
it was only T. years ago that what
might bc called an uufailing system
for testing the depths has been devised
Previous ia that time the old meth
cd Of dropping 4 weight of twelve
pounds or so, trying to keep the line
plumb, was employed. The system
was far from infallblc.
This lightweight testing method was
employed until the '9Os. Then came
the heavy 1OO-pouud sounding bell.
This heavy obstacle was dragged
through the water machine Oh board
ship registering the angle the metal
was DETECTED from the boat rs the
ship steamed along. The bells sheer
weight made II nn excellent drag
But this system was too crude aud
imperfect Twelve years ago Major
Keller, United States Engineer corps.
in charge of the lake survey. devised
a method whereby n piano wire from
1000 to 5000 feet In length. Slung
from two launches and weighted down,
was used 10 search for shoal spots
ana other elevations Of submarine
land.
Today this ingenious device is in
use ON the lakes and as result Of 1t
many shoal and reef regions, hitherto
unknown. have been listed.
Increase in Commerce.
During the years Of the decade be-
ginning ia 1880 the commerce of the
Great Lakes had begun to assume con
siderable proportions, and the Amcri-
can government planned canal ut
Suultc Ste, Marie 10 connect Lake Su.
pcrior ana the lower lakes. The only
pliShcd by engineers connected with
the British unvy.
In lSil Capt w, G. Williams, who
was at that time IN charge of harhor
improvements in Buffalo harbor, was
ordered To take charge of the survey
Ing of the Great Lakes. by 1873 what
was assumed To be thorough survey
of the lakes had beer made and the
following two years were spent in the
compiling of documents and the per-
fcction of charts then in existence and
circulation.
The years that had been spent mp
10 l'N' VA HlNhlUE Il' E'hl'll' bI sun
marine survey of the lakes had wit.
messed marvellous changes. The flow
of population moved westward like
tidal wave ana cities spraug seeming
~ ont Of the very earth. The five
lakes were white with the sails of com.
mercc.
by 1870 sChOoncrs were fast hcrom-
ing obsolete The heavy draft
stcnmcr that displaced water e. the
depth Of 20 feet had driven the light
vessels Of II aad IL feet draft from
the field
That n r"Surycy must be made he
cnmp evident. Provisions had hecr
made only FOR vessels OF light displucr.
meut. Appropriations were mndo ty
congress to carry on the work again
I'm searching for n shoa arra
as much rs $1,000 has been spent
The work uf the Lake Survey has for
It's object the preparation Of accurate
nnyigntorS charts Of the likes ana no
pains are spared 70 make the maps
complete, The WORK &C searching for
shoals Is long and tedious. TO sweep
a fun square mile costs somewhere
around $50