REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. vot § 
condition at a less price than one could be built for, and with the 
added advantage that she would be available for immediate use. 
Exhaustive inquiries at all practicable shipping ports were accord- 
ingly made, and many offerings were considered, but without finding 
a satisfactory vessel. The experience of this and other bureaus has 
shown that in general the policy of purchasing second-hand vessels 
is unwise. Such vessels are never primarily suited for the Bureau’s 
purposes, and to rebuild them is an expensive matter, with final 
unsatisfactory results. Ordinarily, too, if they are in first-class con- 
dition, they are not cheap. It was, therefore, finally decided to build 
a new vessel designed not only for the local activities of the Boothbay 
station but also for offshore research, surveys, and exploitation of 
the fisheries. Plans are now being prepared in the Bureau of Light- 
houses, and as soon as completed bids for the construction will be 
called for. 
NEW ESTABLISHMENTS AND CONSTRUCTION. 
The sites for the new hatchery in Utah and the new biological 
laboratory in Florida had not yet been acquired at the end of the 
fiscal year owing to delays on the part of the owners in furnishing 
titles satisfactory to the Department of Justice. No title has yet 
been obtained for the additional land which is to be acquired for the 
Cold Spring station in Georgia. 
The work of reconstructing the wharves and building a retaining 
bulkhead at the Woods Hole station has been placed under the super- 
vision of Army engineers. The new wharves, while less extensive 
than the older ones, will be of ample capacity for the Bureau’s needs 
and will be much less expensive to maintain. The demolition of the 
coal shed has been made necessary by its location on the old wharf. 
At Saratoga, Wyo., a hatchery, a superintendent’s dwelling, and a 
cottage for the fish culturist have been nearly completed; work is also 
well advanced on the pond and drainage systems; and a railroad 
siding is being built. 
The biological station at Beaufort, N. C., has been extensively 
repaired and put in first-class order with a small appropriation 
granted by the last Congress. The wooden underpinning of the 
laboratory has been replaced with brick; a veranda has been added 
on the south front; new salt-water plumbing has been installed; the 
buildings have been repainted; general repairs have been made; the 
protecting sea wall has been extended; and the grounds have been 
graded, planted, and put in thorough order. <A terrapin pond and 
large fish pool have been added to the plant. 
t Edenton, N. C., a mess house, 25 feet square, suitably arranged 
for the necessary quarters, is under construction with the special 
appropriation made at the last session of Congress. 
In an effort to relieve the crowded condition of the offices in the 
Bureau’s building in Washington, part of the space on the ground 
floor, heretofore occupied by Central Station for fish-hatching and 
other purposes, has been converted into six new office rooms sepa- 
rated by a double row of aquarium tanks leading into the grotto. 
A new ceiling and new floor have been laid, the seal pool has been 
reconstructed and enlarged, and a small space has been reserved for 
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