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a ( SUA KES d What's Doing and Who's Doing It il “<8 Ne oasts, Gl SSS ISS HE commanding officer of the United States coast and geodetic survey wire drag party, searching for obstructions, reports finding a submerged rock with 23 feet of water over it at mean low tide in the entrance of Shakan bay, Sumner strait, Alaska, on the following bearings: Shakan bay light (station L. Lt.), 148 deg. .(S. S. E. 7/8 E. Mag.); Spanish island light, 234 deg. (S.. W. 3/4 W. Mag.); Beaucaire island light, 305 deg. (N. W. 7/8 Mag.). Geographical position, 56 degy 10 min, 25 sec. N. latitude, 133 deg. 38 min. 10 sec. W. longitude, This obstruction is on the northerly side of the fairway and is about %4-mile south, true, from the 3-fathom spot, and about the same dis- tance west, true from the rocky patch shown on charts Nos. 8, 176 and 8,200. Vessels of large draft at low and minus tides, are ad- vised to give the rocky patch a berth of about three-fourths of.a mile. * * * The United States submarine tender Busu- NELL, under construction at the Seattle Con- struction & Dry Dock Co.’s plant since June 30, 1913, was recently ‘subjected ‘to her builders’ ‘tests, with satisfactory results. In the matter of speed BusHNELL more than measured up to the government’s contract re- quirements, during four trips over the mile course off Vashon island. BuSHNELL was built at a contract price of $937,000. She is the largest. government contract ever filled at a Puget sound ship building plant, with the exception of the United States battleship Nesraska, which was built at the same place, then owned by the Moran company. * * * Harbor improvements at Anchorage, the new terminus in Alaska, include the dredging of a basin at the mouth of Ship creek 100 feet wide at the bottom and 300 feet wide at the top, which will run from a point oppo- site the’ present administration building to deep water in the channel of Knik arm, a _ distance of about 3,500 feet. i: * * * R. M. Semmes, one of the organizers of the newly-formed Independent Steamship Co., which will operate between Seattle, south- western and southeastern Alaska, has begun his duties as its general manager. He is an old-time Alaskan and was formerly general freight and passenger agent of the Pacific Alaskan Navigation Co. .The new company -will place the freight and passenger carrier ALLIANCE on the northern route as its first vessel. A larger vessel will later be added to the service. * * * Damage sustained by vessels in the Oregon district during the year ending June 30, 1915, was more than $700,000. Only two of the damaged vessels, representing a loss of about $75,000, belonged in the district. The prin- cipal loss sustained for the year included the sinking of the steamer Francis H,, Leccerr, Sept. 18, 1914, off the Oregon coast, resulting to grow at a ‘tremendous rate. By F. K. Haskell in the loss of 65 persons, and of $187,000 in the vessel and cargo. A fire aboard the Grace liner Santa Catarina, in the Columbia river, Oct. 18, 1914, did $350,000 damage. The steamer RocHELLE, owned and _ inspected in Oregon, piled up on Clatsop spit, Oct. 21, 1914, when entering the Columbia river, and caught fire, being destroyed. Her estimated value was $64,000. The gasoline’ schooner RanpotpH was. lost April 24, 1915, on the coast. She was valued at $8,200. The steamer CrLaREMONT, bound from San Fran- cisco, struck and became a total loss at the entrance of Coos bay, May 20. The value of this vessel was placed at $75,000. The mis- hap to Nortwern Paciric, June 15, when rudder trouble developed at Flavel, Ore., added $10,000 additional to moneys expended during the year in repairs. The Oregon dis- trict has maintained a record since it was established, of a decidedly small loss of life and property. ¥ & *, The hoisting apparatus for the new Yaquina bay coast guard powerboat, stationed at Newport, Ore, has attracted some unfavorable comment. The boat weighs about ten tons and is worth $8,000. It is kept in a substantial boat house on Yaquina bay, and is launched by block and tackle. This form of lowering requires nine minutes, sufficient time, it is said, for the destruc- tion of any ship drifting toward a breaking bar, whereas a marine railway would take about two seconds. Government regulations, however, call for a block and tackle hoist and a crib of certain dimensions on which the boat must repose while suspended in the air. The crib at the Yaquina bay station broke. last year, smashing the boat’s propeller and causing other damage, making the craft useless for several weeks, as well as en- dangering the lives of the surfmen, who must board the powerboat before it is lowered. ae * * ‘C. H. Williamson, of Wilcox, Peck & Hughes, marine insurance adjusters of San Francisco, will ‘make his headquarters in Seattle for some time to come, in connection with the adjustment of damage claims on the cargo and hull of the steamer Minnesota, which went ashore in the Orient during her last voyage. 3 : * * * Rates on bar iron, plates and other un- fabricated structural iron materials from New — York to Seattle via the Panama canal, have been reduced by the American Hawaiian line from 45 cents to 40 cents a hundred pounds, or $1 a ton, according to a recent an- nouncement by C. K. Magill, the line’s Puget sound agent. Records of the .company show that the canal cargo movement’ between Seattle and New York, both. ways, continues Between June 3 and June 28, seven American-Hawaiian liners arrived in Seattle from the Atlantic 352 metropolis. ‘The regular schedule called for but five. * * * Officials of the Great Northern Steamship. Co. announce the appointment of C. W. Wiley as marine superintendent of the’ company, succeeding C. C. Lacey, resigned. This’ fol- lows Mr. Wiley’s recent appointment as. marine superintendent of the Great’ Northern Pacific Steamship Co., to succeed Mr. Lacey. His present jurisdiction includes the opera- tion of the big liner Minnesota and _ the new steamers Great NorTHERN and NoRTHERN Paciric, plying between San Francisco and Flavel, at the mouth of the Columbia river. Until early this year, Mr. Wiley was man- ager of the Pacific Alaska Navigation Co., operating the Admiral lines of steamers in the California and Alaska trade. He will main- tain offices both in ‘Seattle and Portland. * * * Laden with European and Oriental goods. for discharge in Seattle, 14 British and Japan- ese steamers are on, their way to the north Pacific. Leading the fleet is the Japanese steamer Hupson Maru. ‘This vessel is under charter to Frank Waterhouse & Co., Seattle, and will load for Vladivostok, Siberia. She is bringing a cargo of hemp taken on at Manila and gunnies loaded at Hong Kong. The next vessel to arrive will be KacasHIMa. Maru, and shortly after will follow SAIKAI Marv. The Blue Funnel line has three steamers on the way to Seattle, two in the Panama canal service and one in the trans- atlantic service. The MHlarrison Direct line- has three vessels on the’ way to Puget Sound, the British steamers CROWN OF SEVILLE, Crown oF Gaticra, and Discoverer. Two: British freighters, PRoMETHEUS: and AMazon, are heading for Puget Sound ports to load full cargoes of supplies, it is said, for the British admiralty. * * * Recently announced plans of H. S. Wil- liams & Co., Portland, Ore., for a west coast. and a Panama canal line caused much com- ment. With the Crossett-Western Lumber Co. it has chartered the steamers Eureka and Tampico and will start its Panama canal ser- vice. with these two- vessels. East bound lum- ber and general west boutid freight are the staples of the line. : * * * The West Coast Navigation Co. has char- tered a steamer for the beginning of its lumber service to the Atlantic coast. Cargoes for the return voyage will be made up of coal’ and bulky stuff from the Atlantic seaboard. Two Scandinavian lines, the Olson and Johnson lines of steamers and motor ships, have an- nounced their intention of coming to Port- land. European ports open to navigation will be touched by both lines. * * * ' The Anderson’ Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, has launched the steamer Barnpripce, which will be. operated by the Eagle Harbor Transporta-