Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23

they begin to be Of real value and be-
come fairly good seamen, and then IN
two or three months more tney axe
discharged. They have come into ing
business as greenhorns and are tralneo.
There Is no incentive for promotion'
and the only future for them Is dis
charge.
1t is an economic waste. in DR.. Jones
opinion, for the government to do this
year after year. for on these vesse -
round in order to maintain an emcient
force, instead of having to train q
great many new men each year. 1oI
the service seldom gets the same man
twice.
Every effort is being made to bring
the vessels of the coast survey Meet up
to a very high standard OF emcienCy.
AS fast as possible they are being iuity
equipped with radio outhts ana me.
firing guns in order that the SHIPS may
be of the greatest assistance IN tne
event of a marine disaster In the teT 7n-
tory in which they are WORKING; Inc
launches are being standardized ana
the engines also, in order TO econohi1e
in operation and repair.
1T is bad to patch up old vessels ana
do other things with government yes
sells that would not be tolerated by the
law in private vessels said DR.. Jones.
The government should be little bit
more particular in the operation OF its
own vessels in order to set an example
for those operating private craft The
government should operate its vessels
only under the very best conditions.
and in that way give its moral support
to the good work of the steamboat in
spection service.
The question is constantly asked, said
DR.. Jones, as to when the survey work
will be done. 1t will never be done, he
continued. For the channels are con-
stantly shifting and new channels and
shoals being made. Currents are
changing and the survey must be ever
on the alert. Deeper draft vessels are
being used and deeper channels must
be found for them. Submarines have
shown the need of new surveys of
shore. This work must be done by the
coast and geodetic survey.
Difficulty of Water Surveys.
Increases in the commerce of the
country necessitate the establishment
of new harbors, and the experts of this
service must find out the safe roads
to get there, DIR. Jones said. 1t would
be ridiculous for great railroad sys-
tenn to send an engineer out on the
road without some knowledge of what
he was going to meet. He is provided
with instructions and signals and al
most everything to make his running
easy, but it is just the opposite with
the water surveys. Ships are operating
in some instances blindly, and no bet
ter example of this is obtained than IN
Alaska where the survey was allowed
but $4,000 last year for all work,
including upkeep of ships, subsistence
and actual surveys.
Millions are being spent on the rall-
road there. and it is good thing, but
dollars and dollars will be lost through
the wrecking of ships because very III
tie money has been provided for the
survey to detect by means of the wire
drag, all the pinnacle rocks which lay
in the path of steamers which carry
millions of dollars in freight and hum
dreds of people. 1t is case OF putting
on the door of a house before the raj
ters are up, he continued. The people
do not seem to be impressed win THIS
fact, he said, but nevertheless 1t is so.
In Alaska during the last twenty years
$4,000, 900 in vessel property has been
lost, to say nothing of the hundreds OF
lives, simply because the survey has
not had enough money with which to
carry on the work quickly.
The work of the survey requires
eternal vigilance in all waters in order
that the slightest change may be noted
in the charts, and a few dollars spent
wisely and in time will save thousands
OF dollars and priceless lives. he con-
GUIDED
DR.. Jones is not in any way antagon-
istic for the failure to make provision
for this very important branch of the
service. He attributes it to the lack
of education on the part of the people.
who do not realize the important work
of a coast and geodetic survey. He
wants the people educated, and he be-
Iieves the money then will come for
the work. He does not believe the
people want one of their most import
ant bureaus run inefficently simply
through lack of sufficient funds.