davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1921-08-21
BY JAMES A. BUCHANAN.

IF Thomas A. Edison. recently
credited with stating that there
>-swas one department of the gov
ernment that is 190 per cent
efficient, would but take the trouble
to come to Washington he would
learn, to his amazement. that the
poorest paid department. of the United
States government is.. and has been
for some time, 100 per cent efficient.
The branch of the government re-
ferred to is the United States coast
and geodetic survey. 1t is crying
shame that this branch of the gov
ernment is not and has not been pro-
Fided with more money with which to
carry on it's very important labors.
While 1t is fashionable, as we'll as
proper, at this time to economize,
yet economy that does not make for
efficiency and an ultimate saving is
not economy. When one stops to con-
slider that the work of the coast and
Eeodetic survey is a constructive as
we'll as protective labor-it will then
be realized that Congress has been
negligent In its duty to this branch
Of the government. If Congress and
the people Of the country can but be
brought to realize the great value of
the work carried on there is no doubt
that sufficient appropriations can be
squeezed out from some less worthy
undertaking to enable the burthu to
have such funds as are necessary for
the successful carrying on of this
highly important work.
The first scientific bureau to be
organized by this country. after it
had won its independence, is the one
now known as the United States
coast and geodetic survey. Our fore
fathers recognized the fact that
tie prosperity of the country de-
pended upon the safety of navigation
and tha growth of commerce.
1t was during the administration
of Thomas Jefferson that Ferdinand
r. Hassler, then occupying the chair
of mathematics in the Military Acad-
emy at West Point, was commits
stoned 20 organize a bureau for the
surver of the coasts and harbors
of the United States And in its long
histofy the survey has been fortu-
nate in securing as its directing
heads men Of great ability. who
We're conscious of their own worth.
but without egot3sm. 1t is related
of Hassler that when invited to or
ganize and direct the survey of the
coasts he demanded and received
salary equal to that of the head of
Evening star., 1921-08-21
Coast and Geodetc Survey 100 Per Cent Efficient Burea

tic coast to the northern point of
the Pacific coast. II we add the
coast lines of Alaska. Philippine
Islands and other territories of1be
United States our coast line will be
more than $1,000 miles in length, To
survey this enormous stretch. ta-nap
1t on charts 30 that land and water
features. both surface and subsur-
face. may be shown, is no small. un-
.dertakins. A chart to be used by
navigators Is of value only when
it gives absolutely accurate informa-
tiop. - -.
No shipwreck or accident has been
caused by mistakes or errors In the
charts issued by the United States
coast and geodetic survey.
-
TN connection with the publishing Of
it's charts. the survey has made
valuable contributions to the science
of cartography. 1t is evident that
the representation on plane sur
face. as that of a chart, OF the sur
face of the earth. which is spherical,
Is not a simple matter. and for differ.
ent purposes different kinds of rep
resentation must be used. The sur
vey. has. therefore. developed meth
published a number of technical
treatises on cartography. which are
standard in their field.
One Of the most important instru-
ments in navigation, as well known. Is
the magnetic compass. For when no
landmarks or heavenly bodies are visible
it is the compass that the mariner de-
pends upon to guide him across the
trackless oceans. Unfortunately. the
compass needle generally does not point
true north. and. what is even worse. 1t
does not point in exactly the same di-
rection at all times at any given place.
In the United States for example. the
compass needle points 22 degrees west
of true north in northeastern Maine and
% degrees east of true north in north
western Washington. One hundred and
fifty years ago it pointed degrees
further to the west in Maine than II does
now.
A knowledge of compass variation Is
indispensable to the navigator and this
inclination Is furnished by the survey
on its charts as result of exhaustive
studies made of the variation OF the
compass. With the building of iron and .
steel ships the troubles of the navigator
increased, for the construction of his
vessel resulted in marked disturbing ef-
fects on the needle. Here again the
surrey came to the rescue.
While the compass Is the matter under |
it is we'll to recall the fact |
that nearly all the early land surveys |
Evening star., 1921-08-21

| minute and visit the office OF g. T.
Rude, chief of the tides and currents
division. where, with his assistant.
H. A. Mariner. he holds forth: These
| two gentlemen are authorities on
tides and currents. and while on the
! subject of currents. the writer fs en-
| abled to give to the world the first
| information regarding an important
discovery made by these gentlemen.
| For several months they have been
| having observations made as to the
effect produced by strong winds on
currents, and the knowledge secured
and the data worked out will prove
| Of great value to the mariner. OBJ
servations taken on the Pacific coast
| as well as on the Atlantic have shown
that the currents produced by strong
winds always drive a vessel to the
| right: for instance. a steamer sails
| coast bound for Jacksonville. heavy
wind rises, and unless the navigator
has taken the ship well out to sea
he will. il the weather is cloudy. be
piled up on the shore Off Barnegat
the coast. The angle made in open
sea is about As degrees: near the
mouth of bays. where fresh water
flows into the ocean. it may be less
the northern hemisphere; in the
southern hemisphere the influence
will be to the left. 49,
Landsmen have been heard to state
that the moon can have no influence
on tides on cloudy night. This. how
ever. is incorrect. These two gentle
earnest endeavors. have contributed
much to the service. Up a flight of
steps, around a corner and you enter
couple Of rooms where are. housed
Adams and Reynolds. who are real
mathematicians They Just do all
sorts of things with higher mathe-
matics, and il there is anything that
gentlemen. 1t is because there isn't
anything that can be done. Without
undue praise. it can be said that the
mathematicians in the survey have
reached the zenith Of mathematics.
The salary for these mathematicians
is 81 400 per annum when they enter
the bureau, and the most they can
possibly secure is $4,000 per year.
We twist and turn until we enter
the little dismal Office where Mr.. Da-
Wis, an engraver, has his workshop
Despite the fact that he has been
as spry as a kitten and day by day
turns out an excellent quality OF
work. The same Is true of Mr.. Was
serbach. who for the past forty years
His work is of the highest character
and, despite>-fis' long term of sere-
ice, he is full OF pep and is .devored
to the survey. The next step takes
us to the new building. and in this
structure you will dnd stored for
immediate use such; Instruments as
the man in the field requires. a call
comes for q sextant from a mar
working on the Mississippi delta:
within an hour it is at the office of
the. express company. "A few steps
along the hall and we are In TIT
once Of the chief OF the :nsfr,it.atni
Continued on Eighth Page.s
Evening star., 1921-08-21

with regard to route to be followed
ana all Information that would be of
help to us. Why is the rise and fall
OF the tide at the entrance to the
upper end. while in the Bay of Fundy it
is about fifty feet? How far up the
James river can l go in boat that
draws four and one-half feet of
water? Two vessels collided in our
narpor March 16. What was the
I'm. on that date?
viii You please aid me in deter
mining the latitude and longitude of
the Garden OF Eden from the follow
! ing data. A canal is to be built con-
Meeting two large bodies of water.
rents In this canal? 1t has been
stated that the reason for the severe
winters the past few years is that
the gulf stream. and the Japan cur
rent have changed their courses
Please give me your opinion as to
the Atlantic end of the Panama canal
the rise and fall of the tide is less
than a foot, while at the Pacific end
II is from twelve to sixteen feet.
Please explain why this is SO. We
are planning to utilize the energy of
the tide at Smithville. Please advise
US at to the power that may be de-
veloped by the following plan. An
oil well here in Kansas is flowing in
termittently and I believe it is due to
the effects of the tides. Please give
me your opinion on the matter What
is the cause of the cold surface water
on the Florida coast? What is the
effect of the gulf stream on the cli-
mate of Atlantic City? Where is the
best place in Washington to build an
apartment?" In addition to such
questions as indicated. numerous
questions are received daily from en-
gineers. mariners. scientists and the
public generally, as well as from va
rious government and state agencies.
relative to the latitude and longi-
tude Of certain points TO the tides and
currents along the coast and in the
interior. and to matters connected
with the compass.
Two questions that have been asked
illustrate the attitude of the public
to the survey and the nature of the
work of the survey. The one was
asked of the branch office of the sur
vey in San Francisco as to the shadow
cast by the Call building. When this
information was furnished wonder
was expressed as 10 why the coast
survey was asked this question. and
the questioner replied that he had
been informed that the survey was
able to answer any questions that
Evening star., 1921-08-21

could possibly be asked. The second
question had to do with the time
necessary for the survey to complete
lY finish its work. The answer to this
is very simple. namely. that the work
Of the coast and geodetic survey will
be entirely completed when the tides
have ceased to rise and fall. when
the currents have stopped ebbing and
flowing, and when all movement that
tends to produce changes in land or
water has completely ceased. Until
then the surveys work is unfinished.
THE home Of the Coast and Geo.
detic survey is situated ON New
Jersey avenue southeast, within the
shadow of the dome of the Capitol.
The main building was erected for
hotel purposes, but was taken over
by the government The rooms in this
building are small and not suited for
office purposes. but the director and
his associates by constant effort have
made them semi-habitable. Another
section occupied by the survey con-
sfsts Of. the building built by Gen.
Ben Butler years ago. The only real
office building is the small new part
that was added during the war.
AS you enter the main entrance on
New Jersey. avenue you are asked
whom you desire to see. The ques-
tione@ is Mr.. Mcdowell. courteous.
veteran of the civil war and one of
the men who with Miss Clara Barton
ORIGINATED the, American Red Cross.
While Mr.. Mcdowell participated in
twenty-three battles during the con-
fiict between the north and the south,
he is still a pretty spry gentleman.
The moment you enter the home OF
d.
Immaculate floors and walls. This
is all the more remarkable when you
stop to consider that in a building
OF this character. it takes unceasing
effort to keep it looking spruce and
fit, but the members of the survey
from the. director down to the latest
appointed charwomap take q per-
sonal pride in keeping everything In
perfect order. The spirit of cooper
alton cannot be excelled. In the lit
tie cubbyhoie Of waiting room
are, interesting pictures, showing the
activities Of the survey. From here
You proceed to the. Office of the direc-
tor. Col. e. Lester Jones. and in this
room are pictures Of the kind Of
work performed by the members- of
the survey, also a bust Of Hassler.
On. the desk is Sdictagraphone,
which communicates with every Of
fce In the building. a valuable aid
IN the Saving OF time, as IL WORKS
directly to: the room. desired. moe
interesting exhibit of the
work done by the men is the aerial
map Of Atlantic City, consisting of a
Of photographs SO placed that
they give a perfect air picture of
that famous resort. It is technically
known as a mosaic. Before attempt
ing to describe the different sections
II Els best to state that on account
Of the different heights Of the build
ings there are sixteen levels that you
must traverse. There are runways
the Butler. building With
Evening star., 1921-08-21

IN this country were made by compass
and the boundaries in the deeds were
defined compass directions. AS the
years passed and land values increased
controversies arose as to the location
Of boundary lines, and in order to re-
trace the. lines Of a piece OF land, sur
veyed originally by compass, the sur
veyor must know the change in direc-
tion. of the compass needle In that par
ticular locality between the date Of the
original survey and the resurvey. When
ever old surveys are in question the
coast and geodetic survey is the final
arbiter as to the direction Of the COM
pass at any particular past time.
During the past few decades numerous
individuals have caused quite conmo-
ton along that famous street in New
York. they call broadway, but there is
only one man in the world that has ever
moved Broadway, his name is Col. e.
Lester Jones, director Of the coast and
geodetic survey. In a recent case he
decided as to just exactly where Broad
way should be.
THERE is one book that is .reli-
: giously carried on every American
vessel, no matter whether 1t be
fighting ship or merchantmen. a 1t is
the volume Of tide tables published by
Iho SuA SSJ' ohu Ae1Ahy sdSlouiSA tuO
landsman to know that this publfca-
tion is issued, annually; q year or
more in advance;->it foretells for every
day, of the year the time and height
of each high and low water at the
principal ports of the world. 1t also
contains tidal information telling of
the, time of tide at thousands :. of
places. and itsis by referring to, these
tide tables that.the captain of a mod
ern leviathan knows the best time to
carry his vessel over the bar that fre-
Quently Hes at the entrance of har-
bor.'. While these tide tables are
in times of peace, they re-
quire even added Importance in time
of war. Few people realize the added
expense entailed when q ship is COM
q fiarbor until the tide Is favorable;
in time Of war lying outside the har-
Dor means furnishing an easy target
for enemy submarines. With accu-.
rate tide tables the navigator has ad-
knowledge which permits him
to time the arrival Of his vessel SO
there will be no need Of waiting for a
favorable tide. In the earlier days,
tide tables were predicted "by hand"
that hundreds Of computers
worked untold hours at rows upon
plfsh the desired result. Because of
its extensive maritime interests, the
English had devoted considerable
time to the study Of the tides, and In
1879 brilliant English mathemati-
ci4R invented machine to predict
the tides. With this tide predictor, a
curve was drawn which represented,
accurately. the rise and fall Of the
ade At any given place. and from this
Evening star., 1921-08-21

w ORK of the Survey Has Been Means of Saving Many Millions Of
Dola-Ns of Wonderful Discovery Relating Announced
for First Time in This Exclusive
ord Bureau PerfectSome of Worlds Scientists Employees
Of One Destroyer.
Evening star., 1921-08-21

!Gontinued on Eighth Pase.S
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
One JUDGE GRANTSl38
DIVORCES in MINUTE
By Alfred j. West,

'fH(United Press Staff Correspondent
London, May 28.-America has so
long been regarded as the home of
quick and easy divorce, that it has
come as distinct shock to staid
Britishers to learn that the divorce
courts in London are churning out
DEGREES at. the rate of one every seven
and a half minutes of working time.
Further, there is a waiting list of
some 1000 persons seeking divorces.
when the judges have time to spare.
The British divorce court is part of
the high court Of justice, headquarter-
ed in London. and "The Probate.
Divorce and Admiralty Division" as
it is called, is run by Sir Henry Duke,
president of. the division, and two
high court Judges. One Of these is
always required for admiralty or
probate (wills) cases, so that hither-
to there has hardly ever been more
than two courts working at the same
time. British high courts sit from
10 to a p. m. week-days, except Sat-
urday, and the intervals between the
various law terms are lengthy. So
tremendous has become the conges-
ton that strenuous measures have
had to be adopted. Wherever pos
sible spare judges have been loaned
from the kings bench court, the lord
chief justice and even the lord chan
cellor have lent a hand, working on
Saturdays as well. Lord Birkenhead
was the first lord chancellor to tackle
divorce cases. - c#.. rsf
Lord Mersey, the retired octogen-
arian law lord, and one of England's
greatest divorce judges, also came out
of his retirement and volunteered to
lend hand, disposing of cases with
astonishing speed. Now as many as
six or seven courts are grinding out
divorces at an unprecedented rate.
Justice Hill recently broke all records
by "unmarrying" 1873 couples in one
minute. He accomplished this by
taking his entire list Of "decree
nisis," (the final divorce decree after
the statutory period Of six months
from the trial, when the divorce is
pronounced absolute and pro-
nouncing them absolute in one
bunch. after the clerk had read the
names. q 49,. '+
The divorce courts have never
worked very rapidly, and We're usual
ly in arrears in pre-War days but the
enormous increase Of petitions for
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
of marriage is attributed
to the fading of war romances, the

dissolution Of marriage is attributed
to the fading of war romances, the
huge proportion of "undefended,''
cases, proving the failure Of many
hasty war weddings. The process OF
"unmarrying" is expensive in Eng.
land, the cheapest "undefended" sun
costing over SO pounds. In the case
Of very poor people, certificate may
be obtained enabling them to plead
"In forma pauperis" for about 10
pounds. .a.--Ef - =
! The fact that there were over =,
900, cases in the last term list proved
very disturbing to the clergy and So SO,
ciai workers, and it has been alleged
that such system makes divorce too
easy. I'd On the other hand; very
strong body Of public opinion insists
that British divorce laws are too COM
plicated and distinctly unfair on the
wife. A divorce is far from being
easy for a wife to obtain, it being
necessary to prove cruelty, and, or
desertion. as well as misconduct,
while misconduct alone is sufficient
ground for the male petitioner.
After the "decree nisi" has been
pronounced, there must be an inter
val of six months, during which pc
Rod an official known as 'sthe king $
proctor" is supposed to look into the
ease to see whether there is any cyl
dence of collision, perjury, or GRIM
NAL offenses. Usually the king
proctor ignores the suit unless the
Judge calls his attention to any I'M
on fisf a cf0rv features -...
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
HOME MISSION SOCIETY --'' '>..
HOLDS FINE CONVENTION
Continued From Page y


citv. Mrs. Charles Kerr Of Long
Prairie responded, assuring the iadles
they were glad to come. and thank
ing the people of Bemidji for their
hospitality. She said that all the gooa
and extravaganza things she had heard
of Bemidii, she had found to be true;
A duet by Misses Thorgr1mson anu
James was very nicely rendered. Mrs:
G.. w. Harnwell was their accom-
PIANIST. =.--9 -
: Mrs. I. w. French, district presl,.
dent. then introduced the speaker OF
the evening, Miss Rosetta Hendricks
of Minneapolis, whose subject was
'"The Open Door" She told how much
room there was for work, and what
the w. H. M. S. is doing; how it had
not fulfilled the command of the COS
mel "To go into all the world and
teach all nations" but how the world
was coming to it by the hundreds OF
thousands of immigrants from all
parts of the world each year. and
these had to be educated and Chris
tianized : how the W.. H. M. 5. was
sending trained workers among them
for this purpose, and to teach them
to be good citizens how they were al
50 taking up the social settlement
work, establishing industrial schools,
children's homes, hospitals, etc. she
made an appeal for more workers,
more members of the society, and
more funds to carry on the work.
The meeting closed with song and
ibenediction. The convention lasted
throughout Sunday. In the morning
the devotions were led by Mrs. hoy
of Minneapolis. There was special
music by the choir and contralto
solo by Mrs. w. z. Robinson. after
which DIR. >Zentz delivered the mes.
sage. 4. -.
In the evening, devotions were led
by Mrs. A. L.. Molander Of Bemidji,
there was song service, and AN adj
dress by DR.. J. C. Craig, after which
DR.. Craig very impressively installed
the new officers. ss
The final number of the conven-
ton was a pageant, "The Soul Of the
City," given by the Queen Esthers.
The different parts were very we'll
taken and showed much, preparation,
and it was much enjoyed by all pres.
ent. -. -..s1..s
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
LADIES OPEN GOLF STARTS ~
AT TURNBERRY. SCOTLAND
(By United .Press)

Turnberry, Scotland, May 30---The
British Ladies Open Golf Champion
ship opened here today, prominent
among the entries being the Ameri-
cans. Miss Alexa Stirling, Miss Hol-
Inns. Miss Sherwood, Miss Edith
cummings of Chicago and Mrs. QUEEN
tin Feitner. Big crowds followed
Miss Stirling round this morning,
while similar greetings OF en-
,thusiasts attended and incidentally
,hampered the British champion, Miss
Cecil Leitch, and the ex-championl
Mrs. Temple Dobell. - =
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30

REMIDu MEN VISIT - Z 1 sl<..-
PLACES IN. CALIFORNIA

Oscar Ulricksen and Gerhard Gun
derson of Bemidji are making an It
itinerary through California, and &C
cording to a letter received from the
Sacramento Chamber of Commerce,
they have just visited the Sacrament
to Valley. They recently registered at
Suffer Fort in Sacramento. They
were very much impressed with that
famous landmark of the gold rush
DAVIS. and with the remarkable 'botan-
ical gardens of SO acres surrounding
the State Capitol building which
they also visited. .~..- --....s.:<.ss- 49,.
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 4
MEETS AT FARGO TODAY
.(By United Press)

Fargo, May 30.---Knfghts of Col
|umbus are holding three day ses,
sion in Fargo. The annual conyen'
tion is in progress today with How
ard Manley of Grand Forks, state
deputy, preside ing. -Four delegates
will be- named to- the supreme con-
vent ton in San francisco in August
Tomorrow 800 will receive the
Fourth degree with B. H. Eeatins
Fargo, master of the Fourth degree
lin charge. ea ss.. 4 - sti1f
b "wednesday the Fargo council VII
confer three degrees on loo, candi-
dates. FssE.f
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
NORTH DAKOTA BUILDING =
IN MEMORY OF VETERANS
.5~a;' (By United Press) -

! bismarck. Nav 30.---WOrk has
commenced on the 100000 library
Memorial building on the state cap
sitol grounds in memory OF the Deys
who served during the world wal.
THE new building will house the his.
storical society, the adjutant general
and memorial to the late Theodore
Roosevelt. = -, - - & 81 r. - :
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-05-30
THIS TIME. LAST YEAR

Ruth went without homer aiter
hitting his eleventh the day previous
off Joe Bush. -.
4 Kelly, Giants first 4baseman, pat,
ted in five runs with a single anu
two doubles against the Phils. =.
cleveland tied the score with the
white Sox with five runs in the sew
senth and won with two more IN the
eighth. g. r. r. -, -.
CoHeleski called away from the
Cleveland Indians by the death od
his wife. ysi.Gs5- :. li.4iz;s Z / 'f's}} :.