The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-07-20
|CHARTING LAKES
HAS TAKEN YEARS
Government Has Spent Millions
to Make Waterways Safe
for Ships. 'sn
PERIL OF JAGGED REEFS
HercuIean Fight Against Unseen
Shoals That Menace Navigation Has
Been Carried on Since 1841-a
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 steamer
on them more than 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, gathering
them helplessly about, threatening to
engulf or sweep them ashore. =.
Over $5,0O0OOO has been spent by
the government since 1S41 for the
prosecution Of the work of charting
the lakes. Locked in heavy timber
boxes, protected from fire in immense
vaults in the old post Office building,
Detroit, are over 1900 field charts,
dating back to 1873 when a survey of
Lake Erie was made by officers Of the
British navy. With few exceptions
the maps are the result of the scien-
tific researches of United States engi-
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 q
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 1S41
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 a thorough one. In fact
it was only IL years ago that what
might be called an unfailing system
for testing the depths has been devised.
Previous to that time the old meth
cd Of dropping a 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 zoos. 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 it 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
a 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 1t
many shoal and reef regions, hitherto
uukuOWU, nave D06u IlSLcu.
Increase In Commerce.
] During the years Of the decade be-
ginning in 1880 the commerce of the
Great Lakes had begun to assume con-
siderable proportions, and the Ameri-
can government planned a canal at
Saulte Ste. Marie to connect Lake Su-
perior and the lower lakes. The only
charting, however, had been accom-
iplished by engineers connected with
the British navy.
In 1871 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 1873 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 ur
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 a
tidal wave and cities spraEg seeming
~ 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 draft
steamer that displaced water to the
depth of 20 feet had driven the light
vessels of IL and II feet draft from
the field.
That a resurvey must be made be-
came evident. Provisions had been
made only for vessels of light displace-
ment. Appropriations were made by
congress to carry on the work again.
In searching for a shoal area
as much as $4,000 has been spent.
The work of the Lake Survey has for
it's object the preparation of accurate
navigators' charts of the lakes and no
pains are spared to make the maps
complete. The work of searching for
shoals is long and tedious. To sweep
q full square mile costs somewhere
around $50.