sector of the North Ajnerican coastline. An attempt recently made to 

 reopen New Inlet, Dare County, N. C. affords an excellent example of 

 what is apt to happen when harbor work is undertaken in ignorance of 

 the beach currents. This Inlet, which had recently closed, was 

 dredged open by the State of North Carolina at a large expense. But 

 because of ignorance of the movements of the water along the beach, 

 the channel was not protected against the resultant drift of sand. 

 The result was that before three months had passed the cut had entire- 

 ly closed again, all the money that had been spent on th3 work was 

 wasted, and~the benefits that reopening of this Inlet would have 

 brought to the local fishery were lost. A small sum spent on study- 

 ing the beach drift there, during storms, would have safe-guarded 

 work worth many thousands to the State. 



All this applies equally to construction undertaken to protect 

 shore property, much of which has defeated its own purpose, by 

 setting in motion unexpected currents that have cut into the vcry 

 stretches of beach they were planned to protect. 



V. SOUNDINGS IN CONNECTION ilJITH THE LAYING OF SUBMARINE GABLES 



According to a statera-^-nt by Col. C. k. Seons to the Oceanograph- 

 ic Conference, 1934, it is usual to allow lOfc of length in excess in 

 cable laying for what is termed "slack", and it is not likely that 

 any cable had been laid over a long distance with less than 8fo of 

 slack, until methods of sounding by echo were developed. Taking 

 advantage of this improvement through surveys made oy the U. S. 

 Navy, the U. S. Army was able to relay its Alaskan cable with con- 

 siderably less slack than ever had b°en done before, at a correspond- 

 ing saving in cost, thanks to the more detailed knowledge of the 

 topography of the bottom so gained. 



Many other cable routes in different p.'rirts of the world have 

 leeen projected and cables will be laid as the commercial demand 

 increases. If surveys of the routes can be mode by the echo method 

 (allowing far more detail to be learned in far less time than could 

 ever be possible by the old methods), not only will the expense be 

 considerably lesS) out the c«'blc routes can be planned to better 

 advantage in avoiding the ridges pnd depressions of the bottom. It 

 is stated that an adequate survey of the Japan Deep and of neighbor- 

 ing regions would be especially valuable from this standpoint, because 

 lying in the route which will probably be chosen when additional 

 cables are laid across the North Pacific. Projects to connect up the 

 American with the British Trans-Pacific cables will entail surveys 

 between the Hawaiian and Fanning Islands. According to Col. Seone's 

 statement a survey is also needed direct from^ the Panama Canal to 

 Honolulu; also additional information all along the Pacific coasts 

 of South Central America, and South America, including those of out- 

 lying islands, (the Galapegoes for instance) that might sometime be 

 chosen for relay stations. A.s soon as commercial development in the 

 southern hemisphere demands the extension of the present cable 

 systems across the South Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Oceans, 

 information far more detailed and accurate than is now available will 

 be certainly required as to the depths and shapes of the bottom. The 

 recent expedition of the "Meteor" has already given 9 satisfactory 

 prelim.inary picture of the bottom of the South Atlantic, but we 

 believe we are correct in stating that until the "Carnegie" undertook 

 her present cruisr, only one line of sonic soundings had been run 



