Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1916-08-04
Government Has Spent Millions
to Make Waterways Safe
for Ships.
PERIL OF JAGGED REEFS
HereuIean Fight Against Unseen
Shoals That Menace Navigation Has
Been Carried on Since 1e41-
New Method of Sounding.

| Detroit, Mich.-Summer after sum-
mer the fleet of the Lake Survey sails
the broad expanse of the five lakes
and the score of bays and inlets
searching for danger spots that may
claim their heavy toll In human life
and vessel tonnage.
Probably no frequented waterways
In the world are so hazardous as the
Great Lakes. At no time Is a steamer
| on them more than a comparatively
few hours from shore and periodically
fierce storms arise, fully as violent as
those experienced on the ocean, which
play with the steel ships, battering
them helplessly about, threatening TO
engulf or sweep them ashore.
over $5,0O0,000 has been spent by
the government since 1871 for the
prosecution of the work Of chartlng
the lakes. Locked I'm heavy timber
boxes, protected from fire In immense
vaults In the old post Office building,
Detroit, are over 300 field charts,
dating back to 1918, when survey of
Lake Erie was made by officers of the
British navy. With few exceptions
the maps are the result of the sclen-
tific researches of United States engi-
neers and surveyors.
Work OF Generations.
These maps represent the work Of
generations of men who have toiled
10 make the Great Lakes safe. AS a
result of their Investigations light
houses have sprung from barren rocks,
and the solemn ringing of bells on
buoys carries their warnings to pass
ing navigators.
While the work of charting the
lakes has been carried on since 1871
with only one break In the task, which
occurred In 1880 and lasted until 1890,
there Is still much to be done to make
the survey thorough one. In fact
II was only IL years ago that what
might be called an unfailng system
for testing the depths has been devised.
Previous to that time the old meth
cd of dropping q weight Of twelve
pounds or so, trying to keep the line
plumb, was employed. The system
was far from infallible.
This lightweight testing method was
employed until the '90s. Then came
the heavy 100-pound sounding bell.
This heavy obstacle was dragged
through the water, machine on board
ship registering the angle the metal
was DETECTED from the boat as the
ship steamed along. The bells sheer
weight made II an excellent drag.
But this system was too crude and
imperfect. Twelve years ago Major
Keller, United States Engineer corps,
In charge of the lake survey, devised
method whereby a piano wire from
1000 to 5000 feet In length, slung
from two launches and weighted down,
was used to search for shoal spots
and other elevations of submarine
land
Today this ingenious device Is In
use on the lakes and as a result of Il
many shoal and reef regions, hitherto
unknown, have been listed.
Increase In Commerce.
During the years Of the decade be-
ginning In 1890 the commerce Of the
Great Lakes had begun to assume con-
| siderable proportions, and the Ameri-
can government planned canal nj
| Saulte Ste. Marie to connect Lake SUI
perlor and the lower lakes. The only
charting. however. had been accom-.
pllshed by engineers connected with
the British navy.
| In 1S41 Capt. W. G.. Williams. who
was at that time In charge OF harbor
| improvements In Buffalo harbor. was
ordered to take charge of the survey
ing of the Great Lakes. BY 1878 what
was assumed to be thorough survey
OF the lakes had been made and the
following two years were spent In the
compiling of documents and the per
lection of charts then In existence and
circulation.
The years that had been spent UP
TO 1880 on making the geodetic or sub
marine survey OF the lakes had wit.
messed marvellous changes. The flow
Of population moved westward like q
tidal wave and cities sprnng seeming
ly out OF the very earth. The five
lakes were white with the sails OF com
merce.
by 1890 schOoners were fast becom
Ing obsolete. The heavy draf
steamer that displaced water TO tn,
depth OF 20 feet had driven the High
vessels OF II and ~ feet draft from
the field.
That resurvey must be made he
came evident. Provisions had beel
made only for vessels of light dispInce
ment. Appropriation were made b.
congress to carry on the work again
In searching for shoal nre,
ms much as $4,000 has been spent
The work OF the Lake Survey has 10
its object the preparation Cf nccurnt
navigators' charts Of the lakes and n
pains are spared To make the map
complete. The work Of searching 70
shoals Is long and tedious To sweel
n full square mile costs sonewher
around $50.