74 



The National Geographic Magazine 



present time the Hydrographic Office 

 has received reports of 127 collisions 

 with ice, derelicts, and wreckage in 

 the north Atlantic alone, and others 

 probably occurred which were never 

 heard of. 



The Navy Department exercises an 

 espionage over all wrecks and derelicts 

 on our Atlantic seaboard which are out- 

 side of the three-mile limit, and when 

 deemed necessary sends vessels out to 

 destroy them or tow them in. During 

 the past year 38 dangerous obstructions 

 were hunted for on our coast by vessels 

 of the Navy, of which number 15 were 

 located and destroyed. It is to be re- 

 gretted that no international legislation 

 provides for the destruction of such dan- 

 gers in the broad ocean. 



This pilot chart keeps our Weather 

 Bureau's storm signals before the mar- 

 iner, tells him where to find our branch 

 hydrographic offices, and gives him no 

 excuse for not knowing what charts are 

 published, canceled, or extensively cor- 

 rected. 



THE VALUE OF THE PILOT CHARTS 

 TO SHIPPERS 



I think 3'ou will now admit that, as 

 far as our government is concerned, the 

 mariner is fairly well looked out for. 

 Our Weather Bureau watches over him 

 while in our home ports, and the Hydro- 

 graphic Office does all possible to guide 

 and guard him while at sea. 



Many complimentarycommunications 

 on the work of this office have been re- 

 ceived from outside our own country, one 

 of which I feel justified in reading to 

 you, as it is from the highest maritime 

 authority in the world — the British 

 Lloyd's : 



Lloyd's, 1 8th July, 1902. 

 Sir : I am instructed to express to 

 you the best thanks of the Committee 

 of Lloyd's for ; the Pilot Chart of the 

 North Pacific, which is forwarded to 

 this office periodically by your instruc- 

 tions. This chart is believed to be of 



great value to mariners navigating the 

 waters of the North Pacific, and I am 

 directed to inquire whether there is any 

 intention on the part of the Hydro- 

 graphic Bureau to have a similar chart 

 constructed for the South Pacific* 

 I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

 Jas. M. Hozier, 



Secretary. 



The Chief of the Hydrographic 



Bureau, Washington. 



Last month's Nautical Magazine con- 

 tained a copy of a speech in the House 

 of Lords by Lord Ellenborough, urging 

 the printing of tables by which the cen- 

 tering error of a sextant could be deter- 

 mined at any time. In concluding this 

 speech Lord Ellenborough quoted an ex- 

 tract from a letter from the late Captain 

 Lecky, whose publication "Wrinkles 

 in Navigation ' ' made him famous. The 

 quotation was as follows : 



' ' I certainly think the Nautical Al- 

 manac ought to undertake the star dis- 

 tances-; but you will probably find the 

 United States Hydrographic Office will 

 do it. They have no hesitation in un- 

 dertaking anything they think worth 

 doing, whereas our people take a few 

 years to think about it." 



Having thus sketched the work of the 

 Hydrographic Office, it becomes my 

 pleasure to say that the results achieved 

 by this office are due to the intelligent, 

 zealous, systematic, and painstaking ef- 

 forts of as competent an office force as 

 can be found in any similar office in any 

 country. Some are graduates of the 

 Naval Academy, and these, with many 

 others, are practically devoting their 

 lives to this good work. 



In conclusion, I hope that I have 

 made it clear that the mission of the 

 Hydrographic Office is to provide for 

 the safe navigation of American ship- 



*The Hydrographic Office is considering the 

 plan of publishing Pilot Charts of both the 

 South Pacific and South Atlantic Oceans. It is 

 hoped that in the near future it may be feas- 

 ible to publish these additional Pilot Charts. 

 Editor. 



