76 A.XMAL iiKroirrs of department of agriculture. 



NORFOLK-IIATTERAS (VA.-N. C.) SECTION. 



[Telegraph.] 



The 17'2 miles of liinil line, inolndini!; several short cables totaling 

 about 4 miles, "worked unusually Avell and is in excellent condition. 

 New insulators were installed from Norfolk to Coast (xuard station 

 No. 1C5, a distance of about 35 miles, materially increasin<^ efficiency. 

 Of the four conductors in the new Manteo-Najjs I lead cable, one be- 

 came u.seless in I'ebruary from the effects of lif^htnin<^; since then 

 one of the two reserve conductors has been used in lieu thereof. 

 Rej^air by the Coast Guard Service is expected in the njear future. 



Between Cape Henry and Coast Guard station No. 163. a distance 

 of 10 miles, 10 pin cross arms were installed b}^ the War Department 

 in place of 4 pin arms in a first-class manner in order to provide for 

 striufrino; several extra wires for the use of that department. 



Because of the encroachment of the sea at Nar>s Head, necessitatinjjj 

 removal of numerous cotta<2;es to a safe distance from the beach, the 

 poles were moved back about 100 yards for a distance of 1 mile. 



During April the pole line across Rudy Inlet was changed to the 

 right of way of the Norfolk & Southern Railway Co., thus removing 

 the line from private propert3\ 



This Norfolk-Hatteras line is of great value to the various gov- 

 ernmental services using it and to the public generally bj' reason of 

 the large amount and character of information collected and dis- 

 seminated through this instrumentality. 



The Coast Guard Service has cooperated most efficiently in the 

 maintenance and improvement of the line, practically all of the re- 

 pair work having been accomplished by them. 



KEY WEST-SAND KEY (FLA.) SECTION. 



The cable connecting this point is owned by the Navy Department, 

 having been laid by that department in January, 1919. No land line 

 is operated. 



ALPENA-THUNDER BAY-MIDDLE ISLAND (MICH.) SECTION. 



[Telephone.] 



Land lines, 22 miles ; cable, 6i miles. 



The total time of interruption during the j^ear was three days on 

 the Thunder Bay line due to necessity of repairs on the 12 miles of 

 land line. 



The lines are in fair condition except that the number of poles 

 breaking off at the ground, due to rot, is increasing. Seventeen 

 poles fell during the year owing to the effect of storms. One thou- 

 sand dollars should be made available for sawing off and resetting 

 those now in good condition and for replacing about 25 others. This 

 would add ap])roximately 10 years to the life of the line. 



The naval communication service contemplates the erection of a 

 radio-compass station on Thunder Bay Island or North Point this 

 fiscal 3^ear if possible. The communication between the compass 

 station and the Al]3ena radio station is to be maintained by two 

 metallic circuits. One of these circuits could be made available to 



