The U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 



Suggestions for changing its status 

 were again made, and its condition of 

 apparent unstable equilibrium prompted 

 Congress to take the matter in hand. 

 Reference has already been made to a 

 committee which was appointed by act 

 of Congress in 1843 to reorganize the 

 Survey. It consisted of six commis- 

 sioned officers — that is, two officers of 

 the Navy, four of the U. S. Topograph- 

 ical Engineers, all experienced in the 

 work of the Survey, and three civilians. 

 The act of Congress provided that the 

 work should be conducted in accordance 

 with the plan of reorganization of this 

 committee, but prescribed that as many 

 army and navy officers should be em- 

 ployed upon the work as would be com- 

 patible with the successful prosecution 

 of the work. 



At the same time the committee made 

 the following recommendation : 



' ' Resolved, That inasmuch as the ob- 

 ject and purpose of the survey of the 

 coast refers principally to the commer- 

 cial interests of the country, and as all 

 the laws of Congress in relation to the 

 same contemplate the employment of 

 civilians and officers of the army and 

 navy upon said work, it is the opinion 

 of this board, and they do hereby re- 

 spectfully recommend, that it should be 

 under the control and considered a part 

 of the Treasury Department." 



The President's formal approval of 

 the plan- of reorganization and of the 

 recommendation just recited placed the 

 Survey under the Treasury Department, 

 where it has remained ever since. 



Before describing its present organi- 

 zation, it must be explained why the 

 original one was gradually modified by 

 the withdrawal of army and navy officers 

 from participation in its work. 



During the Mexican war the with- 

 drawal of all the navy officers was 

 threatened, and nearly all the army offi- 

 cers were withdrawn. At the outbreak 

 of the civil war in 1861 all army and 

 navy officers were withdrawn and the 



connection of the Army with the Survey 

 ceased altogether. The navy officers 

 did not return until about 1870, but as 

 the needs of the country required the 

 continuation of the Survey, its execu- 

 tion was entrusted entirely to civilians 

 during these years. 



At the outbreak of the Spanish war 

 the progress of the Survey was again 

 endangered by the sudden withdrawal 

 of all the navy officers and enlisted men 

 of the navy. With the concurrence of 

 the Secretary of the Navy, Congress 

 made provision to put the Survey on an 

 entirely civil basis. Its present organi- 

 zation may be described as follows: 



PRESENT ORGANIZATION 



The head of the Survey, called the 

 Superintendent, reports to the Secretary 

 of the Treasury. The Superintendent 

 is charged with full responsibility in 

 every respect for all the work of the 

 Bureau. He is aided in such of his 

 duties as cannot be delegated to officers 

 of lower rank in the organization", by an 

 Assistant Superintendent, who acts as 

 Superintendent in his absence. 



Eight officers or groups of officers re- 

 port directly to the Superintendent and 

 Assistant Superintendent, viz: 



The assistant in charge of the office. 



The inspector of hydrography and 

 topography. 



Inspector of geodetic work. 



Inspector of magnetic work. 



The disbursing officer. 



Editor. 



Chiefs of field parties. 



Heads of suboffices. 



The first four of these officers have a 

 general supervision over all the opera- 

 tions of the Survey indicated by their 

 designation, each acting as an advisory 

 officer to the Superintendent in regard 

 to the specified portions of the work. 

 The chiefs of field parties and the heads 

 of suboffices have direct charge of all 

 operations in the field. 



