THE DISTRIBUTION OF CHARTS, SAILING DIRECTIONS, AND OTHER NAUTICAL PUBLICATIONS. That the Hydrographic Office may be at all times ready to issue, when called upon, charts, sailing directions, navigators, etc., it should maintain on hand, corrected and ready for issue, an ample supply thereof; but the appropriations for the Hydrographic Office and the force of employees therein have not been materially increased since 1898, in spite of the fact that the Navy and the appropriations therefor have both enormously increased since the Spanish War. As a consequence thereof it has been impracticable to increase the number of charts kept on hand and ready for issue. The maintenance of an emergency supply of charts for distribution to the fleet would require an increase in the number of employees, larger quarters, and an increase in the appropriation for "Contingent and miscellaneous expenses." The distribution of charts for ships of the Navy has been carried on by means of station catalogues. These catalogues are based upon an abandoned arrangement of naval stations, the waters of the world being now divided into three naval stations instead of five as formerly. New catalogues for each of the three naval stations should be compiled, edited, and published. This should be done in a modern, systematic manner. There should also be compiled lists of charts for possible strategic moves of the fleet. The above-outlined work requires the services of a naval officer of experience, versed in the strategic as well as the navigational needs of the fleet and with a knowledge of or adaptability to a similar type of modern business methods. THE HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE. The Hydrographic Office, laboring under the disadvantages of an insufficient number of naval officers on duty therein, an insufficient and low-paid force of civil employees, an insufficient equipment, a lack of properly arranged and ample quarters, and insufficient appropriations to meet its needs, has nevertheless struggled to keep up its high standard and make its output the best practicable under the circumstances. In this connection it is desired to invite attention to the pamphlet submitted by the Hydrographer on June 29, 1911, "Organization and output of the Hydrographic Office." In this pamphlet special attention is invited to Plates J and K, the former showing the extent to which the Hydrographic Office (and the fleet) is dependent upon the British Admiralty for navigational charts, and the latter showing the "urgent work that can not be done," giving the reasons therefor. The office should have the services of more naval officers, more technical civil employees, and an adequate increase in its clerical force. These, with the needed equipment and ample funds to carry on the work under an efficient reorganization, would enable the Hydrographic Office to live up to the high reputation it has always held and to be ever ready to promptly and fully supply the fleet with charts, sailing directions, and navigators. It is desired to invite attention to the report of the Hydrographer for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1910. JOHN J. KNAPP. A. SUMMARY OF ANNUAL REPORT, DIVISION OF CHART CONSTRUCTION, HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE, FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1911. CHARTS PUBLISHED. Engraved in Division of Chart Construction.... Emergency editions produced by United States Geological Survey by lithog raphy... Lithographic chart of the North Atlantic Ocean by contract with Columbia 1 Total number of charts published during fiscal year ending June 30, 97 CHARTS IMPROVED. By incorporation of new surveys and other important data and by substitution of new standard compass roses for the old style.. Standard compass roses placed on 185 plates....... Projections engraved on large scale plans.... Minor corrections made to plates (mostly copperplates). Altos... Total.. Navigational charts printed.. PILOT CHARTS PRINTED. 46 412 255 443 Total pilot charts printed during fiscal year ending June 30, 1911..... 147, 499 210, 488 Total number of charts printed by division during fiscal year ending Ten position plotting sheets, on Mercator projection, covering each about 6° of latitude and 10° of longitude, have been prepared, printed, and issued to ships for plotting their positions by the Sumner method. They have met with high approval by the service and navigators generally. Seventy-two charts have been canceled, most of which were of the Philippines, Hawaii, and Panama, in order to avoid expensive and useless duplication by this office and the Coast and Geodetic Survey. A contract has been awarded to the Eckert Lithographing Co. of Washington, D. C., for the reproduction on zinc plates of about 200 British Admiralty charts, standardized in conformity to the conventional signs and symbols, etc., of the Hydrographic Office. When finished and printed they will be put on issue. Engaged in surveying duty were the U. S. S. Eagle, Hist, Paducah, and a party of civilians under Mr. H. L. Ford. The Eagle surveyed the south coast of Haiti from False Cape to Saona Island and made special surveys of English and Caldera Bays. Astronomical stations were established and positions determined at Viego de Azua, Saona Island, Cape Viego Frances, Cape Engano, and Port Rincon. From the latter station the relative and geographic positions of Capes Samana and Cabron were determined by triangulation. This closes the survey of the coast of Haiti, extending with interruptions from 1905-1911 and enables this office to complete the already started series of 12 special coasting charts on a scale of one-half inch equals 1 minute of latitude. The Hist was engaged off the south coast of Cuba in the waters south of Santa Cruz del Sur. Dragging was found necessary in most of the channels developed. Astronomical stations were established and positions determined at Manzanillo and Casilda. The work of the Cape Cruz Casilda Survey, of which the Hist survey is a part, will enable this office to republish a new and much improved edition of Hydrographic Office Chart No. 2143, three navigational and two special charts for the use of the Navy. The Paducah was engaged in the vicinity of Cape Gracias a Dios, Nicaragua. This is a very difficult coast to survey, but about 260 square miles of hydrography and the adjacent coast line were covered. Astronomical stations were established and positions determined at Cape Gracias a Dios and Swan Island. In the determination of the longitude the wireless station at Key West was utilized, it having been previously arranged for that station to send out a tick at a certain time daily. The distance being about 600 miles, it is believed to be greater than any previous attempt to make use of the wireless for this purpose. While this office has no data for determining the probable error of this particular determination, it is undoubtedly very small, as it agrees within one-half minute of former determination by chronometers carried from telegraphic determination at Habana. The attention of the department is invited, now that the survey of the coast of Haiti is finished, to the necessity for a similar survey of the coast of Cuba. The coast between Capes Cruz and Maysi is notoriously out in latitude. Between these two capes are the important places of the Guantanamo Naval Station and Santiago de Cuba. The determination of the 20 telegraphically determined longitude stations all around the coast of Cuba will be a great step toward the accomplishment of accurate surveys of this island. B. SUMMARY OF ANNUAL REPORT Ending JUNE 30, 1911, DIVISION OF SAILING DIREC TIONS. Officers and additional civilian employees are urgently needed in this division. All those now employed work overtime repeatedly. Due to inadequate force there were no new publications printed and issued; there was only one new supplement printed and issued. The following reprints of Hydrographic Office publications, necessitating preparation of the material for the printer and proof reading, were printed and issued: 126 102 Azores, Madeira, Canaries, and Cape Verde Islands, and West Coast of Africa... 32 The following were printed and issued during the year: Supplement to Hydrographic Office Publication No. 96. Notice to Mariners.-There were 53 editions of about 3,820 copies each. Number of copies printed, 202,200; number of extracts, 1,081,290. Attention is invited to the continual increase in the amount of material published and issued in these notices. During the year over 1,200 foreign documents, books, etc., in 12 languages, have been examined and extracts translated. Charts received in the archives from all sources, 2,384; charts canceled or destroyed, 1,005; increase in number of charts during the year, 1,379. About 10,000 corrections have been transferred from old to new copies of charts, and the following have been maintained, with all corrections entered to date: Sets of index charts and catalogues.. Accession book.. Date book...... 20 1 1 3 The above work, in addition to responding to numerous calls for information upon a variety of subjects, including navigation, nautical astronomy, seamanship, piloting, the estimation of distances, etc., has been accomplished by a force averaging five civilians, and one naval officer, who has charge of two other divisions as well. C. SUMMARY OF ANNUAL REPORT DIVISION OF CHART SUPPLY, 1911. |