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Show ' ' Nautical Novelties ' ' Are you informed of the fact that: American Samoa is composed of six islands, Tutuila, Aunu, Ofu, Olosega, Tau and Swain's Island. Is-land. It has an area of 75 square miles and a population of 10,055. The inhabitants of Samoa are the highest type of the Polynesian Race. Pago-Pago, the capital ol the islands, is the most valuable harbor in the South Pacific Ocean. For over 250 years Japan had refused to have any intercourse with foreign countries. However, in 1853 Commodore Matthew C. Perry was sent to Japan with two steam frigates and two sloops cf war to secure trade relations with that country, permission for jU. S. Shops to enter its port in time of storm and humane treatment treat-ment of U. S. seamen wrecked on its coasts. On March 31, 1854 a j satisfactory treaty was obtained. There are six pairs of locks in 'the Panama Canal: three paws at Gatun; 1 pair at Pedro Miguel; and 2 pairs at Miraflores. Each lock is 1000 feet long, 110 feet wide and 70 feet deep. Gatun spillway, where most of the Electric Current for the Isthmus Isth-mus is generated, is made of concrete con-crete with 14 gates and 808 feet across. If all gates were open more water would rush over than goes over the American Falls at Niagara. Gatun Lake was formed by building a dam at Gatun. This dam is mile wide at the base and 100 feet at the top. It is 105 feet above sea level and 2!) feet above surface of the lake. The building of this dam eliminated elimin-ated the necessity of making a channel from Gatun to Pedro Miguel, Mi-guel, a distance of 31 and 3-i miles. Surface of dam is planted with grass and shrubbery and on it is the most expensive golf course" in the world. It has 18 holes and cost over $10,000,000. Your dollar gives the privilege of playing 18 holes on this course. 59,431 ships passed through the Panama Canal up to 30 June, 1930. Reports from the Navy Hydro-graphers Hydro-graphers and civilian scientists aboard the submarine S 48 and the U. S. S. CHEWINK indicate further exploration of the famous "Bartlett Deep" in the West Indian In-dian waters. This Deep is reported report-ed to cover an area about as large as the state of Pennsylvania and a maximum depth of about 4000 fathoms has been found. That the Deep was first discovered dis-covered by Commander Bartlett in 1880 on the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship BLAKE. The boundary of the Deep is roughly from the Bay of Gon-aives Gon-aives off Haiti to the Gulf of Honduras and its general shape would resemble Long Island, New York, were that body of land ten times longer and three times broader. The above "Nautical Novelties" were furnished by the U. S. Navy Recruiting Station, Salt Lake City Utah. |