The Elbert County tribune., 1916-07-07
Government Has Spent Millions
to Make Waterways Sale
for Ships.
PERIL OF JAGGED REEFS
Herculean Fight Against Unseen
Shoals That Menace Navigation Has
Been Carried on Since 1sa1-
New Method of Sounding.

Detroit. Mich.-Sunmer nfter sum
the broad expause OF the i've lakes
and the score of bays und inIets
searching for danger spots that may
cliiim their heavy toll In huunun life
and vessel tonnnge.
Probably no frequented waterways
in the world ure SO hazardous as the
Great Lakes. AT no time is -ste;iiher
ON them more thnn II comparatively
few hours from shore and periodically
fierce storms arise, fully ns violeni AS
hose experienced OH the ocenn. which
play with the steel ships, bnttering
hem helplessly about. threatening to
engulf or sweep them ashore.
over S5.OU0.OO0 has been spent by
the government since 1911 for the
prosecution of the work OF chnrting
The lakes. Locked In heavy timber
boxes, protected from lire In Immense
vnults In the old posi- office building.
Detroit. are over 1,3oO field charts.
ltting back to 1878. when II survey Of
Lake Erie was nnltle by officers of The
British navy. With few exceptions
the maps are the result of the sclen-
iific researches of United States engl
neers and surveyors.
Work Of Generations.
These maps represent the work of
generations of men who have toil.-d
TO make the Great Lakes snfe. A. II
result of their Investigations light
houses have sprung from barren rocks.
ar ri, ,F
buoys cnrries their warnings to pass
ing navigalors.
While the work of chnrting the
lakes has been carried on since 1871
with only one break in the task. which
occurred In 1880 ind LASTED until 1880.
there Is still much to be done to make
The survey thorough one. In fact
II was only - years ago that what
might be chilled an unfuIling system
for testing the depths has been devised.
Previous 10 that time the old me,h-
cd of dropping n weight OF twelve
pounds or So trying to keep the lines
plumb. was employed. The system
wns far from infallihIe.
This lightweight testing method was
employed until the '90s. Then came
the heavy 100-pcund sounding hell.
This henvy obstacle was dragged
through the water. mnchine on board
ship registering the angle the metal
was detected from the boat ms The
ship steamed along. The bell's sheer
weight made II nm excellent drag.
But This system was too crude and
imperfect. Twelve yenrs ago Na Ior
Keller. United States Engineer corps.
In charge of the lake survey. devised
II method whereby n piano wire from
1000 TO 5000 feet In length. slung
from two launches and weighted down.
was used to search for shonl spns
and other elevations of submnrne
land.
Today this Ingenious device is In
use on the hikes md ns result Of II
mnny shonl and reef regions. hitherto
unknown. have been listed
Increase in Commerce.
During the years OF The decade ne
ginning In 1870 the commerce of The
Grenf Lakes had begun to nssnme ron.
siderable proportions. and the Amerl-
cnn government planned II canal M
Snulte Ste. Marie to connect Lake Su.
perior and the lower lakes. The only
cfarting. however. hnd been accom-
plished by engineers connected with
the British navy.
In 1871 Capt. W. q. Williams. who
was NJ that time In chnrge Of hnrl,or
improvements In Buffalo hnrbor. was
ordered to take clinrge Of the survey
n nj ta I nh
wns assumed to he u Thorough survey
Of the lakes had been mn1e and III
following fwO years were spent In The |
compiling of documents md thc per.
fection Of clnrrs then In existence and |
circulation
The years that had been spent up
IN 1850 on mnking the geodefir or sub.
mnrine survey Of the lnkes had wi.
messed mnrvelons chnnges. The flow
of population moved westward like u
tidnl wave and cities sprung seeming. |
~ ont Of the very earth. The five |
hikes were white with the sails OF com.
merce.
Ry 1870 schooners were fast becom
ing obsolete. The heavy drift |
sfcamer that Displaced water 10 the |
depth Of 20 feet hnd driven The Iigh'
vessels Of II and 10 feet draft from
the field.
Thai II rcsurvey prusf he mnde he
riinie evident. Provisions had hecn |
made only for vessels of ieh, disrincp
menf. Appropriations were mat. h,
congress 10 carry on the work u',nin
In searching for II shoai nrei
ms much rs s10.H09 has been spent
The work of The Lake Survey Ens for
It's object the preparation Of nccurnte
navigntors' chnrts of the InlSes and no