During the year additional space adjoining the important de at Portsmouth, Va., was purchased in order to permit extension the wharves and buildings, and it is proposed to proceed with t work of construction as soon as the necessary approval of deed, # has been obtained. Provision is also needed for improved depot facilities in ser other districts, particularly at or near Newport, R. I.; Key W Fla.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Goat Island, Calif.; and New Orle La. Other work needed consists of dredging at the entran Woods Hole Depot, Mass., and Tongue Point Depot, Oreg.; reb ing the wharves and storehouses at the Edgemoor Lighthous pot; and completing improvements to wharves and providing ditional storage buildings at the General Depot, Staten Island, V Additional funds are needed for the completion of the impor depots at Charleston, S. C., and Ketchikan, Alaska. There is needed in the future a better located depot in the first distric Portland; and a depot at Rockland, Me. The storehouse at the Edgemoor Lighthouse Depot, Del., stock of supplies, materials and equipment, was destroyed by on April 28, 1925. Measures have been taken for the erectio a temporary storehouse for use until funds for a permanent s house are available. A small depot was established at Coinjock Cut, N. C., to take place of the one at Long Point, which was discontinued on að. of the dismantling of the oil gas plant at that point. VESSELS OF THE LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE REPLACEMENT OF VESSELS Little progress was made during the year in the replaceme old and worn-out vessels, as noted under tenders and lights due to lack of sufficient funds much needed work of replaces and reconditioning of vessels has had to be postponed. From careful estimates and examinations as to the cond and further serviceability of vessels of the Lighthouse Service. found that in addition to those recently completed and rec tioned and the vessels now building, 11 lightships and 4 ter should be replaced or built and 4 other tenders reconditioned the next five years. As it will require from two to three after appropriation is made before vessels are available for funds should be provided now for 4 new lightships, in ad to the provision for vessels made in the act of February 27, 19: Requests have been received for the provision of a relief ship for the Gulf coast, and for the establishment of lightsh St. Johns River, Fla., and Southwest Pass, Mississippi River. LIGHTHOUSE TENDERS The lighthouse tenders during the year have steamed a te 473,759 nautical miles, or an average of approximately 8.7781 for each tender, in the work of maintaining buoys, carryin plies and construction materials to stations, supplying ligh with coal, water, etc., also transporting officers and employees to stations or on inspection duty, as well as duty in cooperating with >ther Government services, and the saving of life and property when occasion required. The total quantity of fuel consumed by enders during the year was 53,503 tons of coal, 31,315 gallons of asoline, 4,625 gallons of kerosene, and 2,307,205 gallons of fuel oil. The total cost of maintenance of tenders during the year amounted o $2,275,061, exclusive of the cost of repairs, which amounted to 324,292. The reconditioning of the tender Woodbine, converting its mahinery from gasoline to steam propulsion, and the reconstruction f the deck house, quarters, etc., has been completed. The construction of a tender for the lower Mississippi River is ell under way. Five tenders were equipped with radiocompasses aring the year, and at the end of the year there were 11 tenders uipped with radiocompasses and 30 tenders equipped with radiolegraph. The boilers of the tender Sequoia have been converted from coal oil burners during the year. This improvement has increased the uising distance of the vessel without refueling, permitted reducon of the personnel, and will, it is expected, result in other econoes of operation. Similar change is planned for the tender Kukui ring the present year, and also for other tenders as soon as funds rmit. LIGHTSHIPS The Lighthouse Service maintains lightships on 46 stations. ring the fiscal year 59 vessels were in commission, of which 12 re relief lightships, and they averaged 262 days on station per sel. The total cost of maintenance of lightships during the year s $1,090,490, exclusive of repairs, which were $120,005. Many of se lightships have passed the age of useful service, and some of m are in such condition as to be not worth the cost of repairs. Of present lightships 42 have self-propelling machinery, and 16 are vided with sail power only. One has no means of propulsion. The completion of new lightship No. 111 has been under way at general depot at Staten Island. Cadio communicating apparatus was maintained on 23 stations 8 relief vessels during the fiscal year. Sixteen lightships are pped with radio fog-signal apparatus. ightship No. 75, on Lake St. Clair, was equipped with an autoic gas-operated fog bell, and placed on station as an unattended tship, without crew, at a material saving, November 22, 1924. s is the first unattended lightship in this service. am Island Reef Lightship was discontinued April 4, 1925, and aced by an automatic gas and bell buoy, effecting a large annual ng. Very truly yours, GEORGE R. PUTNAM, Commissioner of Lighthouses. 66548-25—13 COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY Hon. HERBERT HOOVER, Secretary of Commerce. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, DEAR MR. SECRETARY: In response to your request I furnish th following condensed report upon the work of the bureau during th past year: HYDROGRAPHIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYS Many of the surveys accomplished during the year were request by other Government departments, including detailed surveys of section of the District of Columbia, and surveys in the Hawai and Phillippine Islands and in Alaska. ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS Detailed inshore hydrographic and topographic resurveys made along the Atlantic coast, extending from St. Augustine, F to the Savannah River. These surveys included detailed work the entrance to the numerous bays and sounds along this stretch coast; the results show that marked changes have occurred si the last survey was executed. Offshore hydrographic work, ext ing from the beach to the 100-fathom contour, and a topogra survey of the shore line were carried on in the vicinity of Cape Fr River, N. C., during the summer and fall of 1924. During winter and spring of 1925 similar work was executed along the e of Florida in the vicinity of Ormond. A survey of Lake Okeechobee, Fla., was completed this wiste The triangulation had been established during the previous ye The topography executed in the field consisted only of the de mination of enough points for the necessary control to transfer tail from aerial photographs taken by the Bureau of Aeronaut Navy Department. Resurveys of Baltimore Harbor, Scituate Harbor, Fire Island let, and Beach Haven Inlet were completed during the fiscal A resurvey of Tampa Bay and approaches was in progress du the year. PACIFIC COAST One vessel was continuously employed during the winter m working northward along the southern coast of California survey extended from the beach to the 1,000-fathom contour. Da the summer this vessel executed a similar survey in the vicin ne Blanco, Oreg. In addition, two vessels employed during the summer in Alaska were assigned survey duties during the winter months, one working on the southern coast of California and the other on inshore and offshore hydrography in the vicinity of Monterey Bay. A wire-drag examination was made of the naval anchorage, San Francisco Bay. The southern channel of the entrance to the bay was resurveyed. Detached parties made a resurvey of the bar at the entrance to Villapa Bay and Quillayute River. En route to Alaska one of the survey vessels made an examinaon for a reported rock in the vicinity of Point Wilson, Puget ound. A wire-drag examination of the entrance to Drayton Haror was also made. ALASKA During the summer months, when survey operations can be ecoomically carried on in the Territory, two vessels have been emoyed in southeastern Alaska and two in western Alaska. Anher small vessel was added to the fleet in southeastern Alaska ring the latter part of the fiscal year. The project of surveying the outside coast of Alaska, from the undary line north, has been continued along the coasts of Baranof d Chichagof Islands. The present charts of most of this locality e based upon notes and sketches of early Russian and British plorers. Wire-drag examinations of Kasaan, Thomas, and Gambier Bays, d of Twelve-Mile-Arm were completed. Surveys of Cold, Pavlof, te, and Chignik Bays, and of the approaches to Wide and PorteBays were also completed. A partial survey of Isanotski Straits s made. OUTLYING POSSESSIONS A hydrographic and wire-drag survey of the Virgin Islands was tinued during the entire fiscal year. It became necessary to hdraw the vessel engaged on this work for extensive repairs ing part of the year. During its absence from the field of work survey was carried on by a detached party operating the three ches which are used in connection with the vessel. n the Hawaiian Islands one officer has been employed continuy on special surveys for military purposes. Another officer with all detached party was employed for a period of three months aking detailed surveys of different harbors in the islands. he work of the survey has been carried on in the Philippine nds by three vessels. The expense of this survey is largely borne the insular government. Two of these vessels have been emed in surveys in the Sulu Archipelago. The third vessel was loyed during part of the year in executing surveys along the hern coast of Luzon and in locating the many islands north of on belonging to the United States. When work in this locality prevented by the monsoon, a resurvey of Cebu Harbor and of a bay on the west coast of Negros Island was accomplished. WORK IN PROGRESS AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, at the end of the fiscal year, one vessel was employed in offshore surveys south of Chesapeake Bay and another in similar work south of the Cape Fear River. A launch party was ready to take up inshore surveys along the coas of South Carolina. A vessel was continuing the resurveys of Tamp Bay and approaches. On the Pacific coast one vessel was engaged in offshore hydrogra phy in the vicinity of Cape Blanco, Oreg. İn Alaska the continuation of the offshore surveys in southeaster Alaska was in progress as well as wire-drag operations in Chatha Straits and surveys of Kaigana Straits. The survey of the ins passages east of Ikatan Bay and the eastward extension of t survey of Chignik Bay were in progress. In the Virgin Islands one vessel was engaged in the continuatio of hydrographic and wire-drag work. In the Hawaiian Islands one party was engaged in detailed hydr graphic and topographic work. In the Philippine Islands two vessels continued survey work the Sulu Archipelago. A third continued on surveys north of t Island of Luzon. IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUMENT WORK The bureau maintains a small force for repairing its instrume equipment and devising and constructing new apparatus. This fo is a most important adjunct to the field operations, as it is essent that the necessary equipment be in readiness and in proper work condition before a party takes the field. Any delay is extre expensive after a party is organized and under way. Most of the bureau's highly accurate and special instruments . been designed and built in the Washington office, as no private ganization is fitted to perform this work. Many of these in ments were copied or adopted outright by other governments by private parties. A number of colleges and universities are ing use of Coast Survey model instruments in their courses of struction and are annually sending their undergraduate civile neers to this office to inspect our apparatus and procedure. A rapidly increasing number of municipalities are underta precision surveys. Frequent calls come from these communities advice or for the loan of instrumental equipment. The instrument division is performing a distinct public s in itself, both in research and in the development of precise scr ing equipment. Wherever possible the bureau also cooperates with private cerns in the development of new apparatus suitable to its The bureau is now working with a commercial firm on the of an apparatus for determining ocean depths by the soun method. One such apparatus is now being tested on a surveys During the past year a machine was designed and built b instrument division for engraving sounding depths on t used in the photolithographic process of chart printing. T |