THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
EOPLE
HE FEEDS THE SOLDIERS
weather wbb clear, unusually
jBk clear for Alaska. On August 17,
1013, tho steamer State of Callfor-
liln ivna ntnfitnlnc .ilirmirvli flfim.
bier bay. Bho was In tho regular
Bteamor course. Tho chart showed
clear water on all sidoB of hor. Sud
denly thero was a terrific shock.
Tho vessel's bow roao in air. So
Biiddon was her check that men
wore thrown flat on her docks. In fifteen minutes
she had gone down, taking 31 humans and a cargo
worth $300,000 with hor. She had struck, right In
tho customary steamship course, an unchnrted
jilnnaclo of rock.
When word of tho fato of tho Stato of Cali
fornia reached Washington It added energy to
n movement which Secretary Redflold of tho de
partment of commorco and labor had boon agitat
ing for somo time. This movomcnt was to provall
upon congress to increase tho appropriation" for
tho work of the department of geodetic and coast
fitirvoy, tho department that has chargo of blazing
tho ocean trails.
At tho presont tlmo there nro three vessels em
ployed In coast Burvoy work In Alaska. Ono was
n Confederate gunboat during tho war. Sho hud
a onocylInder,ongIno. Sho Is capablo of eight
knots in still weathor, six knots agnlnst a breeze,
and nothing at all In n blow.
Tho other two wore not Confodorato gunboats,
but In other respocts they nro fully as antiquated
as tho first. Secretary Itedflold Iiob termed them
unseaworthy, dangerous, Inolllciont old tubs. And
to theBo craft nlono Is allotted tho Job of guard
ing tho safety of 43,339 passcngors who traveled
Alaskan wators last year, In addition to $30,000,000
worth of cargo and ships.
And tho government records show that tho Stato
of California is but ono of many wrecks that occur
on anchnrted rocks along tho Alaskan coast
yearly. Tho peculiar formation of tho region Is
responsible for .narrow spires of rock that riso out
of tho sea floor to within a foW foot of the surface
in localities where all around them tho water Is
navigable Soundings of tho ordinary sort seldom
reveal those instruments of death In tho wlay of
flhlps. To locato thorn properly tho coast survoy
has designed' an apparatus known as a "wlro
drag." This is a wlro Bunk bolow tho surfaco
navo at both ends, whoro It Is buoyed with floata.
Tho coast Burvoy Bhlps drag 'this devico nlong,
and covor great swoops of sea nt a tlmo, tho rock
ispurs being detected when tho wlro catches on
ithom. Thoy aro thon either buoyed or destroyed
by dynamite.
"Alaska," tho man in tho East is apt to Bay,
"why, who ovor goes up on tho Alaska coast ox
copt gold hunters and oxplorors? Whut'B tho uso
of spending monoy up thero?"
There Is but ono nnswor to this. Tho Alnsknn
coast is equal In oxtent to tho dlstanco botwoon
Charleston on tho Atlantic couot and San Diego
on tho Pacific coast. And thon, as montloned be
fore, more than 43,000 persons trnvorBOd It In
ships last year. Havo thoso 43,000 citizens not a
right to protection? asks tho hydrographlo ofTlco.
President Wilson realizes what Inefficiency In
charting tho Alaskan coast means. For on that
BUbJoct ho wroto:
"Thero Is nnothor matter of which I must ronko
npeclal mention, If 1 am to dlachargo my con
science lost It should oscapo your attention. It
may aoem a very Bmall thing. It affects only a
Blnglo Item of appropriation. Dut many human
jllvcs and many groat enterprises hang upon It.
"It Is tho matter of making adoquato provision
for tho survey and charting of our oceans. It is
Immediately pressing and oxlgqnt in connection
with tho immonso coast lino of Alaska, a coast
Hue groator thun that of tho United States them
selves, though It Is nlBo very important, Indued,
with rogard to tho older coaBta of tho contlnont.
iWo cannot uso our groat Alaskan domain, tihlpu
will not ply thither, If thoso coasts and their many
hlddon dangers are not thoroughly aurvoyod nd
charted.
"Tho work Is incomploto nt almost ovory point.
Ships and lives havo boon lost In threading wlat
iworo supposed to bo woll-known main channels.
Kvo havo not provided adoquato vessels or ade
quate machinery for tfio survey and charting. Wo
have used old vessels that wero not big enough
or strong enough and which wore so nearly unsoa
worthy that our inspectors would not havo allowed
(private owners to send them to sea. This is a
matter which, as I have Bald, Booms Btnall, but is
jln reality very -great. Its Importance has only
to bo looked into to bo appreciated."
Perhaps those best qualified to know tho perils
of this great oitant of const aro tho Bailors who
nly It, Charles T. Morltz, mate of tho steamship
fepokano, writes:
"Slnco I am going to mako tho business of
.piloting vessels through tho waters of south
eastern Alaska my llfo's work I tako raoro than
an ordinary interest In locating hidden dangers.
"The men who havo gone before ran hnyo
pointed out all tho dangers on tho surfaco and
many that are bonoath; tho cost of locating Bomo
lot tho latter has boon many human lives and many
good ships.
"Must I loso the Uvea of a shipload of pasBou
gers to discover some hidden danger? Others
have done so, and until wo know Just whoro all
jthe dangers are located more will do tho samo.
"That such dnngerB exist, and that thero is a
(Very easy wm of locating them, I hope to show
by the Notice to Mariners, Issued by the United
States coast and geodetic survey, that I will ap
pend. "If somo of tho persons who havo It In tholr
power to voto funds for this work saw this notico,
perhaps it would move them to keep tho good
work going. Could you bring this to their notico?"
It. D. McGlillnny, pilot of tho steamship City of
Seattle, writes:
"I would Ilka to add that I was pilot of the
steamship Cottago City whon the party of con
gressmen and their families, headed by Speaker
Cannon, raado on excursion to Alaska. Fortu
nately wo had a successful trip. Little did they
think of tho dangerouB wators thoy wero travel
ing. If wo had hit ono of these pinnacles then
thoy would havo looked out a little bettor for our
protection nnd tho. ship owners' interests, as well
as tho lives of tho citizens of tho country.
"I must say that I havo sailed all over tho world,
and Alaska has tho poorest surveyed waters that
I havo over navigated."
And now what of tho mon who have been labor
ing for yenrs against tromondous odds to do tho
charting of these consts with hopeless equipment
In Socrotary Rcdfleld's "unseaworthy old tubs."
To push into thoso northern seas with tholr fogB
and gales for long cruises in stanch vessels would
bo risky enough; but to go Into them In single
cylinder, lenky, antiquated llttlo junk heaps of
steamers for a work that is far more perilous than
tho layman conceives requires real grit. And It Is
fills sort of grit which stands out prominently In
tho makeup of tho men of tho coast survoy, who
havo for so long been grappling with the fog and
lco and gales of Alaskan regions.
Tho endlessness of tho coast surveyors' work
jnay bo gatherod whon It Is conBldored that novor
docs a shore lino or n channel remain precisely
tho same. Now sand bars aro made; old onoa
obliterated. Volcanic activity casts up new pin
nacles o.f rock under tho sea and lowers old ones.
Between 1835 and 1908 Rocfcawny beach grow to
the westward at tho rato of eight Inches a day.
In 73 years Coney Island's western end has shoved
itself wcatward fully 1,000 feet.
"It Is a risky gamo," Bald an officer who had
soryed on ono of tho three old-fashioned survey
ships on tho Alaskan coast. "Three times during
eight months of service on her wo wore cnrrlcd
'70 miles out of our course by only moderate gales,
and this despite the fnct that wo did our best with
full steam to hold tho craft up to tho wind. But
sho wouldn't hold; sho was too old. Sho should
havo carried 110 pounds of steam, but wo could
not hold mora than 80. Tho engine was ono of
tho old typo single cylinders in uso in Civil war
times, and In anything moro than a full sail brcezo
our limit of spood to windward was two knots.
With favorablo winds and no sea wo could some
times churn along seven knots.
"Onco wo lay to a mllo off shoro for four days
In a galo, expecting every mlnuto to bo washed
In on a loo shoro nnd ground to pulp, but lacking
tho power to claw off to clear wator.
"Most of tho tlmo wo had .our men at the pumps.
For tho old thing leaked badly, and wo wero
always having to put back to havo hor calked.
In any sea wo wore all awash, for we had no free
board, and did havo open gangways, and tho sea
Just sliced ncroas uo as though wo wero a sunken
log.
"And it was mighty uncomfortable. Wo had an
open wardroom ovoryono slopt, ato and lived In a
slnglo room, and wo had no bathroom on that
old ark. So you can Imagino that wo had a tough
tlmo of It on ,an olght-month cruise. It's Just
as tough for tho fellowa thero now they havo
tho samo boat, and hor accommodations aren't any.
. hotter, nut wo did tho best wo could. It was diffi
cult getting correct soundings and first-class work
out of a rig such as that, but wo did pretty woll.
Whon wo mlSBCd n rock It wasn't our fault. Wo
novor know It, anyway, until somo stoamor with
a fow hundred passengers aboard went into It
and sank. Thon, If we wero around, wo'd help
rescue thoso in tho wator, if wo could, nnd tho
government would put up n light or a buoy on
tho rock that tho sunken iihlp had located.
"It's just tho samo up thero now. As Secre
tary Rodfleld said, rocks wore being located regu
larly by vessola striking them and going down."
Tho work of probing ocean trails is Interesting.
In ascertaining tho depth of tho water and locat
ing all the undor-wator obstructions to navigation,
a careful record, of tho fluctuations of tho tldo
while tho soundings aro bolng mado must bo kept
it would not suffice to measure tho dopth of the
water It Its height above mean low sen level
wero unknown for tho moment of measurement.
To dotormlno thta a registering tldo gnugo is
UBed a sort of float attached to a mechanism in
which a pon traces tho rlso and fall of tho wator
on a roll of paper which a clock causoa to rovolvo
undor tho pon.
Two methods of Bounding nro used, tho ono em
ploying tho lead lino and tho othor tho wlro swoop.
In lead-lino soundings tho process Is about as
follows; A party goos out in a rowboat or launch,
among Its members being two observers with sex
tanta and a map showing tho Bhoro lino and the
objects wIiobo positions havo boon determined
by trinnEulntlon; a recorder with a clock and
record book; a leadsman and n steersman. Tho
officer In charge directs tho rocordor to mako n
note of tho position of tho boat, which is deter
mined by tho observers, and tho leadsman casts
his lino and calls out tho depth In foot or fathoms
ns ho draws It up. Tho rocordor makes a noto of
this and also of the course along which tho boat
is headed. At Intervals of a mlnuto or moro tut
leadsman casts his lead,, while every three or foui
minutes the observers take observations until tht
end of tho courso is reached, where a final Bet ol
observations locato tho end of tho lino. Tho boal
then runs other lines In tho samo way until the
entire bottom of tho surveyed area has beoi
sounded.
Tho load-lino method of sounding suffices tc
record tho lay of the bottom with sufficient accu
racy where-thero are no extraordinary obstruc
tlons; but In regions like tho coast of Maine
and that of Alaska, whoro thero are many isolated
pinnaclo rocks and ledges under water, or along
shores llko thoso of Florida, Porto Rico and the
Philippines, where coral roofs abound and corn!
heads fringe the coast, special Investigations have
to bo made. The lead line might be cast all
around a plnnablo rock might even strike It a
glancing blow and still fall to discover It.
An instance of this kind occurred in Duzzard'e
bay, Massachusetts, In 1902. Although moro than
91,000 soundings had been mado, moro than 16,000
nnglos observed and 1,462 miles of sounding lines
run, a rock whose head waa 18 feet below the
surface was run upon by tho cruiser Brooklyn
during tho naval maneuvors of that year.
In order to discover such obstructions in much
frequented waters a now instrument, tho wire
drag, has been devised. It consists of a long wire,
sometimes moro than a mllo long, weighted down
at intervals with sinkers and supported at any
desired depth by surfaco buoys. Power boats are
hitched to it, usually ono at each "end and one
in tho middlo, and with theso It is drawn around
a harbor much as a farmer drives his blndei
around his field of standing wheat. If it. strikee
no obstruction tho hydrogrnphera know that the
hurbor bottom Is clear to tho dopth of the drag.
Another lino of Information tho mariner must
havo Is about the movement of currents, so that
his ship may not be carried around by currents
whoso presence he does not suspect. Information
concerning them is gatherod by meana of current
rods, as a rulo. A current rod Is an instrument
made to float vertically beneath the water, with
only its tip showing above the surfaco, bo that
it is not disturbed by the wind. Its movement is
observed, and the observations glvo definite infor
mation concerning the currents.
HIGH COST OF ARMY FEEDING
Adjutant Netter, a French-American
from Now York, has. been pro
posed for tho military medal and pro
motion to rank of lieutenant. Ho has
been on duty day and night for sov
oral months at Noisy, ono of tho most
important military supply and, am
munition stations In Franco, assist
ing Colonol Bellenger, tho military
commissioner of the station at Noisy..
Ills functions are numerous, but- ho
accomplishes all with a smllo that
won't wear off. Ho ha3 been aston
ishing Bovcral thousand employees,
civilians and, soldiers by his wonderful
stamina and hustling for more than
three months.
Adjutant Nottor Is well knownln
tho states as former secretary of tho
Geneva Whlto Cross society and as
sistant to Dr. Harvoy W. Wlloy In tho
international pure food agitation. Tho
first thing ho did on arriving nt Noisy
was to build kitchens for tho purpose
of supplying hot soup and nourishing
food to all troops passing through. Moro than 100,000 soldiers of France
havo been fed by theso kitchens, which are working day and night. English
troops passing through Noisy got special attention from Adjutant Netter.
He always has tea, toast and crackers ready for them, also English tobacco
and cigarettes, and oven EngliBh and American newspapers. Those who
met Adjutant Netter in Now York ho was a well-known figure there will
not bo surprised at tho success of his hustling powers, but how ho has
managed to do twenty houra' work a day for three months la a mystery to
all in Paris. He does not expect to get a rest until the war Is over.
COLONEL HODGES' NEW JOB
V
In accordanco with orders issued
by General Kingman, chief of engi
neers, Col. Harry F. Hodges, for sev
eral years engineer of maintenance of
tho Panama canal, has assumed
chargo of tho District of Columbia
water supply Bystem and all river and
harbor worka in that vicinity, includ
ing the reclamation of tho Anacostia
river and flats.
Colonel Hodges was born in Massa
chusetts February 25, 1860, and is a
graduate of the United States Mili
tary acade.my, class of June, 1881,
standing fourth in his class. After
serving on staff duties and at Willets
point, to May, 1885, ho waB inapector
of rifle practice for tho battalion of
engineers, and was on duty at Creed-
moor during a part of tho time.
Among other duties ho was em
ployed at the United States Military
academy as assistant professor of
civil and military engineering, and on
various works of river and harbor
improvement, surveys, etc. Ho reached tho grade of captain in 1893, and
during tho war with Spain served as lieutenant colonel and colonel of tho
First United States volunteer engineers.
In Porto Rico that regiment was engaged in making roads and surveys,
constructing defensive works, a reservoir and refrigerating plants, repairing
masonry, timber bridges, etc. Colonel Hodges subsequently was in chargo
of certain river improvements in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. Ho
also was, among other duties, chief englnoer officer, department of Cuba, in
1901-02; was in charge of tho purchasing department, Isthmian canal com
mission, and also general purchasing officer in 1907.
Comparisons That Illustrate Germany's Bills for
Feeding Her Army.
The question of subsistence is a vital ono to 1
an army, and many battles havo been lost from
tho failure of food supplies. Tho commissary de
partment of nrmlos in all civilized countries is
In the handa of men who are In reality dietetic
specialists on a largo scale. Tho present war Is
tho Bupromo test for the quartermaBtor's depart
ment.
"Rations," as tho dally food Bupply of tho sol-
dlors la known, vury in each country according
to racial tests or climatic conditions. Thus tho
moat ration of Franco la qulto different from that
of Germany. For the purpose of compariaon wo
havo taken tho dally field ration of tho German
army, which Is as follows:
Seven hundred and fifty grams of fresh bread,
or 500 grama of biscuit.
Threo hundred and fifty grams of raw meat
(frosh or sajted), or 200 grams of smoked boof,
porK, mutton, uacon or meat sausage
Ono hundred and twonty-flvo grams of rlco
(groats), or 250 grams of pulso or flour, or 1,500
grams of potatoes.
Twonty-flvo grams of salt.
Twonty-flvo grams of coffee (roasted), or 30
grams of coffeo (green), or 3 grams of tea and
17 grams of sugar.
This supply for a week compared with tho
huge mass of Cologne cathedral shows results
very surprising, for wo havo a loaf of bread
weighing 60,130,000 pounds and 393 feet
high, which bulks woll nlongsldo tho lofty odl-
flco. Meat Is represented by a side of bacon, but
In practlco this might bo varied by BauBago,
smoKeu Door, rrosn Deer, salt meat, or mutton.
Tho bncon Is 180 foot long and would wolgh 16.-
030,000 pounds. Potatoes aro tho hoavlost Item,
weighing iHO,3?a,ouo pounda. The bag would bo
two feet less In length, whllo tho sugar bag would
moasuro 38 foet high and would weigh 1,305,000
pounas. such amounts of food scorn almost In-
credible Scientific Amorlcan.
HEAD OF THE JESUITS
Very Rev. Wlodlmlr Ledochowski.
who hasxjust been elected general ot
tho Society of Jeaus, comes of an Il
lustrious Polish family, which gave to
tho Catholic church In tho past cen
tury the courageous Mleclslas Halka
Cardinal Ledochowaki, who Buffered
Imprisonment during the Bismarckian
persecution in Germany, because ho
refused to side with the- Iron chancel
lor In his treatment of tho inhabi
tants of Poland,
Wlodlmlr, in Polish Wlodzlmlerz, Is
tho eldest son of the lato Anthony
Halka von Ledochow Count Ledo
chowski, a famous cavalry officer in
tho Austrian army, and of tho Count
ess JoBephlna zu Salls-ZIzers.
Ho was born on tho family estates
near Cracow In 1866, received a fine
education nnd entered the Society of
Jesus at tho ago of twenty-three. His
progress was steady, and in 1901, on
the day when he pronounced the Int
vnww of tho society, ho was mado
vice-provincial of Poland. Leas than a year later ho was instauea as iun
provincial. In 1906, when Francis Xnvier wernz was eiecteo geuurui m m
society, Ledochowski waa given a pluce in his cabinet aa aaalatant for Ger
many.
iZ
GREAT TRADE EXPERT
TEST OF HI8 THEORY.
"Wombat used to nrguo that It cost no more
for two to llvo than one."
"Woll?"
"Rotrlbutlon overtook him all right. Tho stork
brought twws as a starter.
HARD TO SUIT.
"How did you llko-tho comedian's song without
a chorus?"
"Why, whon I hoard it I fancied I would havo
preferred tho chorus without tho song."
IN YHE SANCTUM.
Reporter How much of an obituary do you
want about tho man with a rubber neck?
City Editor Stretch It to half a column-
Sir Richard Crawford, whom
Great Britain has sent to America ns
commercial adviser to its embassy in
Washington, has beon for a long tlmo
In tho government service aa ono oi
its most trusted and ablo representa
tives, ranking as a minister. He was
mado a knight commander oi nt.
Mlrhnnl and St. Georgo in 1911. Ho
was' a commissioner of customs for
Beven yenrs bofove thnt, and since
then ho haa been adviser to mo i urn-
lBh minister of finance Ho was born
in 1863, and was married In 1894 to
Augusta, tho only daughter of tho lato
Col. A. D. D. Lestrango.
Bolnt: considered ono orisngianas
most accomplished trade oxporta, Sir
Richard was tho natural choice or ma
government when it waa found do-
slrablo to send to Washington a man
who could hand o skillfully ana tact
fully tho many problems of commorco
nnd shipping which nro arising ju
connection with tho war ana tno at-
tompta of Great Britain and Germany to isolate each othpr. Sir Richard Is
acting in co-operation with Sir Cecil Sprlng-Rlco,. the British ambassador, to
whoso Buggostlona hla appointment la duo,