The Wrangell sentinel., 1922-12-21
Annual Report
 Of Colonel E.
 Lester Jones
Of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Has Much to Say About the Need of Improving the Waterways of Southeastern Alastka.

The Sentinel has been favored with an advance copy of the annual re- port of Col. E. Lester Jones. director of theU S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
 In it's published form the report makes a Look of AS pages and gives a full account of the work done dur ing the past year along the coasts of the United States, the Philippines, Porto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska. A number of pages are devoted to Alas ka, covering the subject of the need of Photographic and geodetic surveys in Alaska. There is also a review of the present condition of the hydro graphic surveys of Alaskan waters, and what remains to be done.
 We regret that space will not per init us to reproduce the entire sec ton relating to Alaska. The follow paragraphs, however, will show that Col. Jones is still working for the improvement of conditions in Alaskan waters, just as he has al ways done ever since he became di- rector of the Coast and Geodetic Sur ssy ten years ago
 "The work being done in Alaska by the Coast and Geodetic Survey should receive all possible support, as Alaska is entirely dependent upon water-borne transportation for its connection with the outside world and adequate charts are needed to protect the lives and property enter ing and leaving the Territory.
 Tt has always been the policy of the Coast and Geodetic Survey to ex- pedite the surveys as rapidly as funds are made available, but these have never been furnished in sufficient amounts to enable the survey to meet the urgent demands made upon it as result of the rapid development of the Territory. Much of the informa- tion shown on our present charts consists of mere adaptations from the work of early explorers and naviga- tors, wholly inadequate to insure the safety of vessels traversing the wa ters. Lives and property have been lost as result of this condition, and the fact that the losses have not been much greater,must be attributed to the knowledge and skill of the To- cal navigators rather than to the safeguards furnished them by the government.
 "The rapid development of Alaska along commercial lines is we'll illus trated by the growing number of re- quests for surveys and for informa- tion pertaining to areas where sites for proposed industries have been newly selected. In the past scatter ing surveys have been made in the strenuous efforts to meet the needs of commerce, but the industries have far outstripped the progress of these surveys wholly through lack of suffi- cient personnel and equipment with which to keep pace. One of the most urgent present demands is for a fur ther extension of the much-needed wire-drag surveys. These should be pushed with all possible haste, as in the deep, ,fiordlike channels of south eastern Alaska a survey by this method is the only means of insuring that all dangers have been located.
 "The Photographic and topograph- ic surveys commenced in 1917 from Dixon Entrance along the outer coast have been extended northward to Moves Island. The largest survey vessel operated by the Coast and Ge- odetic Survey is now engaged in ex- tending this work toward Sitka. This work not only includes a detailed survey of the shore line but depths are obtained from the beach to the 1000 fathom curve. The locations ofof fishing banks in this vicinity are obtained on these sounding lines
 Three vessels have recently been ! transferred to the Coast and Geodet-