LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES. Under the act of 17 June 1910 the present general organization of the service is as follows: The commissioner of lighthouses and the deputy commissioner pre side over an office in Washington, D. C., which is the executive centre of the service. In this office are an engineering construction division, under the chief constructing engineer; a naval construction division, under the superintendent of naval construction; a hydrographic under an assistant engineer, and the general office force, under the chief clerk. Outside of Washington the service is divided into 19 light house districts, each under the charge of a lighthouse inspector. In each district there is a central office and one or more lighthouse depots. Each district is provided with light house tenders for distributing supplies to the various stations and light vessels for transpor tation of materials for construction or repair and for care of buoys. On Staten Island, New York Harbor, there is also a general lighthouse depot where supplies are purchased in quanti ties, special apparatus is manufactured or re paired and various experimental work is con ducted.
The total number of aids to navigation on 30 June 1915 was 14,544 as compared with 11,713 on 30 June 1910, representing a total net in crease during the five years of 2,831, or 24 per cent, an average of 566 per year. For the pre ceding five years from 30 June 1905 to 30 June 1910 the total increase was 1,793, or an average of 359 per year.
Careful consideration was given, in the in terests of economy and efficiency, to the dis continuance of lights and other aids no longer required by navigation, so that the above figures represent a net increase, after allowing for 2,850 aids to navigation which were discon tinued during the five years.
Careful attention was also given to the im provement of apparatus and equipment, in ac cordance with the best modern practice of coast lighting. Gas buoys, which are more appreci ated by mariners than any other recent addition to coast lighting, were increased from 225 in 1910 to 479 in 1915, a total increase of 254, or 113 per cent.
The use of oil-vapor lamps increases the illuminating power from a given quantity of kerosene oil by about eight times, and these lights have been greatly appreciated, because of their superior brilliancy. The number of oil
vapor installations at light stations were in creased from 80 in 1910 to 286 in 1915, a total increase of 206 stations, or 257 per cent. Most of the primary coast lights are now provided with oil-vapor lamps. On the Atlantic coast, of the 70 primary lights 16 used oil-vapor in 1910 and 64 in 1915; on the Pacific coast 2 used oil vapor in 1910 and 32 out of the 34 primary lights used oil-vapor in 1915.
Many of the older lights were fixed and did not have a characteristic which would distin guish them from other lights. Steady progress was made in changing such lights, where doubt might occur, to flashing or occulting, and 169 lights were so improved in the five-year period mentioned. Especially marked progress in this respect was made on the Pacific coast, where of the primary lights in 1910, 11 were fixed lights, whereas in 1915 only 2 out of 34 are fixed lights; of the total primary lights on the Atlan tic and Pacific coasts in 1910, 65 were flashing or occulting and 37 fixed, and in 1915, 80 were flashing or occulting and 24 fixed.
There was a strong demand for improved lighting of Alaskan waters, and the number of lights on the coast of Alaska were increased from 37 in 1910 to 112 in 1915, an increase of 75, or 203 per cent.
The total number of fog signals, including sounding buoys, increased from 844 in 1910 to 1,044 in 1915, an increase of 200, or 24 per cent. Classified as to types, the increases were: Fog signals on shore, 498 to 527; whistling buoys, 104 to 149; bell buoys, 200 to 318; sub, marine bells, 42 to 50.
Although the number of aids to navigation steadily increased, as shown in the preceding paragraphs, involving an increase in all the operations of the service, it was possible to maintain this increased number of aids with a less number of lighthouse tenders, owing to the simplification of work and concentration of authority under the reorganization. Thus in 1910 there were 51 lighthouse tenders, in 1913 44 tenders and in 1915 47 tenders. With the considerable increase of 24 per cent which was made in the total number of aids to navigation, a gradual increase in tenders became necessary. Both for this reason and because of the neces sity of replacing tenders as they are worn out in service, three tenders were being constructed and estimates accepted for others.