164 HYDROGRAPHIC MANUAL Page 50 



the Board on Geographical Names without further local inquiry by the Washington 

 Office. 



164. Assignment of New Names 



In an unpopulated area which is being thorouglily surveyed for the first time on a 

 large scale, names may be needed for previously unnamed features. Wlien such 

 features, in the opinion of the hydrographer, are important to navigation and will need 

 to be referred to by navigators, in the Coast Pilots, or elsewhere, he should list them in 

 the Descriptive Report, recommending suitable names (see 165). 



So far as practicable, names of the type already in use in the area and that have 

 some historic, incidental, or descriptive significance should be selected. Names with a 

 historic significance are preferable and a little research will often disclose satisfactory 

 names connected with the history or traditions of the place, some characteristic of its 

 inhabitants, or some outstanding happening in the vicinity. Descriptive names are 

 generally unsatisfactory because most of them have been used repeatedly and their 

 assignment to new features only adds to the confusion instead of providing names 

 which identify as intended. Such names as Grassy Point, Round Island, Green 

 Island, Mirror Lake, and many other similar names are in such frequent use that they 

 provide no useful identification. When the form or character of the feature is so unusual 

 that a certain descriptive name identifies it beyond doubt then that name should be 

 recommended. 



The correct generic term should likewise be recommended for the feature. Generic 

 terms are applied differently in different regions and predominant local usage in this 

 respect should be followed. In 168 definitions are given of a number of water features 

 and some guiding rules for other features. For shoals and submarine features the 

 rules should be followed for all new recommended names; for all other features they should 

 be followed where there is no conflicting predominant local usage. 



The recommended names should conform so far as practicable to the guiding prm- 

 ciples of the Board on Geographical Names (see 1671). All recommendations will be 

 reviewed in the Washington Office and when considered inappropriate others will be 

 substituted before the cases are submitted to the Board for decision. 



165. List of Geographic Names in Descriptive Report 



In addition to any other report or reports on geographic names (see 163), each 

 Descriptive Report shall contain an alphabetical list of all of the geographic names 

 lettered in pencil on the sheet when forwarded to the Washington Office (see 8433). 

 If a special report covering all of these names has been or will be submitted, the infor- 

 mation should not be duplicated in the Descriptive Report, but the latter should 

 contain a reference to the special report as the authority. The Descriptive Report 

 should supplement the special report if new facts have been discovered relative to any 

 of the names previously reported on. When the alphabetical list contains geographic 

 names which were not reported in the special report, the Descriptive Report should 

 contain all of the information available relative to them. 



Besides the above, the Descriptive Report should contain the hydrographer's 

 recommendations for names for important previously unnamed features (see 164). 



