Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-16
Explains the Charting of Alaskan Seas
Pinnacle Monu
Described From the
Schemes
ThemIm Lighthouse Service O. Alaska.

Alaska. 1t is nine miles wide at the
mouth, and is now navigable for 500
miles inland. The coast surveyors
have spent the past five open seasons
in charting its waters, and the great
Kuskokwim valley has now been open
ed by them to navigation. In surveying
the delta within an area of 100 square
miles something like $4,000 soundings
were taken.
The lighthouse service of Alaska
leaves a great deal to be desired. The
first buoy was f1oated in 1884 and the
first light erected ten years later.
There are now on the whole Alaskan
coast line only 329 aids to navigation,
and these include about one hundred
and forty lights. of which twenty-eight
were established in 1915. There are
but few lighthouses, and only three on
the main travel route from Icy Strait
to Nome. distance as far as from
New York to London.
At the present time the government
is awake to the dangers of Alaskan
navigation. 1t was only last year that
the necessity of exploring the waters
and erecting lighthouses. and today
Secretary Redfeld of the Department
of Commerce has number of new
He is constructing first-class coast
light on Cape ST. Elias. This light
house Is being erected on the south
end of the island of Kayak. one OF the
Alaska. 1t is where the boats. after
leaving the Inside Passage, pass on
their way into Prince William sound
and Seward. the terminus of our new
railroad. The lighthouse Is to cost
$4,000 1t will rise ninety feet above
the level and will be equipped with a
lamp of 100000 candlepower, which
can be seen more than fifteen miles
away. The light is double flash which
bursts forth every twenty seconds
new vessels for the improvement of
the Alaskan waters. One of these is
to be for the lighthouse service. and
it will be ready. for work in May. 1916.
1t is being constructed at Long Beach,
Cal. 1t is to be called the Cedar.
The boat will be double bottomed
schooner-rigged vessel 200 feet long,
thirty-six feet wide. and with dis
placement of 1850 tons. 1t will draw
thirteen feet of water, and have a
speed of twelve knots an hour. 1t
will be constructed of steel through
out 1t will be lighted by electricity,
and will have a radio outfit Of the
most modern type.
Secretary Redfeld is having new
coast survey vessel built on the great
lakes especially for the Alaskan
waters. The boat will be taken down
the lakes, out into the Atlantic ocean.
and by way of the Panama canal to
Alaska. 1t will be called the Sur
veyor, and will take the place of some
of the old tubs. known as the coast
survey vessels, now in the service.
Another government ship which Will
be in Alaska next season will be de-
voted to the protection of the fishing
rather than of navigation. This is the
Roosevelt, the vessel made famous by
Peary in his north polar explorations.
So far, the coast survey has charted
only about half of the waters of
Alaska The area to be surveyed is
bigger than the state of Texas, and
the amount already sounded is only
little larger than the state of Missouri.
/ had no idea of the work required to
explore and mark the waters of the
ocean until ! came to ketchikan. This
is the headquarters of the coast sur
vey service for Alaska, and there are
several ships now engaged in work in
the waters near here. I went out yes
terday on the Macarthur, which has
been making surveys in the Tongass
narrows. and in and about Prince of
Wales Island. The Macarthur is one
of the older ships in the service. 1t
was built in 1876 to survey the bar
off San Francisco bay, and has been in