The Wrangell sentinel., 1923-12-27
MUCH WORK NEEDED
 IN ALAokA WATERS
constant and Increasing Demand For surveying oI Alaska's Un-
 charted Waterways.

Ah thS ohaaai iSpOi VI luS Dl- rector ot the Coast and Geodetic survey, E. Lester Jones, the follow ing Is submitted relative to the neeus or more exploration and .narting Of the numerous as yet un- eApioIted waters or Alaska:
 The bureau is constantly in re- ceipt of large volume or insistent and urgent requests for detailed surveys of particular areas in all result of the thousands Of miles of coast line and the vast and varied amount of natural resources which are known to exist adjacent to wat er transportation in that territory, resources which include such much needed products as crude oil, tim per tor paper pulp, copper and chrome deposits, marble, lumber, and enormous numbers of food fishes. In spite of the bureaus ac- Iivity in Alaska throughout past years, extending to the limit the appropriations of Congress avail able for such work, the greater part of Alaskan waters are still un- surveyed and uncharted. The de- velopment of industry there Is di- rectly dependent on the progress of the charting of these waters. The much h-needed natural resources mentioned cannot be reached until the adjacent waterways have been made safe for shipping.
 The sources of these requests are, in general, threefold: (a) From other Government departments; (b) from steamship companies opera ting vessels in Alaskan waters; and (c) from private citizens or corpo- rations interested in the develop ment of various commercial pro- jects in Alaska.
 (a) The Navy Department, in furtherance of naval interests in Alaska, has requested extensive surveys which will require a large proportion of the whole Alaska surveying fleet several seasons to complete. The Department of the Interior is interested in establishing and assisting in the development of several industries in Alaska, partic- ularly the paper-pulp industry. Their recent request that the en- trance to Thomas Bay in Frederick Sound near Petersburg be wire dragged is to safeguard shipping in entering that bay and mane it pos sible to interest capital in the pro ject to establish pulp mill at that place.
 (b) The steamship companies op- erating in Alaskan waters are con stantly under pressure to call at nu- merous new points adjacent to their regular runs, but outside the surveyed areas, in order to make de- liveries and collections of cargo. This they dare not do until the sur veys of those places have been made and charted. Consequently. they are continually urging the immed- ate survey of such places. AS cases in point. the bureau has received the following requests within the last few months: From the Alaska Steamship Co.,, a request for re- survey of Tuxedni Inlet in Cook Inlet, and from the Standard Oil Co. a request for a detailed survey of Port Alexander, Prince of Wales Is land.
 Co The requests for surveys from private citizens and corporations are very numerous, cover all parts of Alaska, and come from people in terested financially in the develop ment of all the varied natural re- sources of that vast Territory. Re- cent insistent requests included de- tailed surveys of Portage Bay. Wide Bay. Chignik Bay, Fl Capitan Pass, | Sea Otter Sound, Keku Strait, Dry Bay, Lost Harbor (Akun Bay), Ka- mishak Bay, False Pass, and Saint Catherine Cove, and wire-drag work in parts of Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet.
 A number of these surveys have recently been made, others are now in progress, but the volume of work necessary to comply with reasonable requests already received will re- quire years to complete. working to the full capacity of the appropria- tions, equipment, and personnel authorized. Meanwhile. the urgent requests for additional surveys will continue in great volume as addi- tional resources are discovered and as old and new industries continue
 to develop.