AIDS TO NAVIGATION.

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COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE,

Friday, March 18, 1910. The committee met at 10.15 o'clock a. m., Hon. James R. Mann (chairman) presiding.

STATEMENT OF HON. GEORGE W. FAIRCHILD, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Mr. FAIRCHILD. I desire to present to the committee the matter of the proposed light-house at the mouth of Rondout Creek, in the Hudson River, and I should like to have Captain Van Keuren, who is present with me, make a statement relative to the same. He is thoroughly familiar with the facts and circumstances that seem to make a light-house necessary at that point.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you a bill pending?

Mr. FAIRCHILD. I have a bill, and I think the committee has before it a map showing where the proposed light-house is to be located and also the necessary data. The bill has been submitted to the inspector and been approved.

STATEMENT OF CAPT. W. S. VAN KEUREN.

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed, Captain.

Captain VAN KEUREN. The necessity for this could be more clearly presented, than I can state it, if I could have the blueprint to lay before the committee; that blueprint would show the situation which we have there and would give a correct statement to anybody who is not acquainted with the conditions, and so forth; the conditions can be outlined very easily on that map, so that the importance can be more readily seen in that way than by repeating what the situation is there in a personal statement. A good many years ago they built a light-house at Rondout Creek, which is now maintained by the Government, but which has, because of the change of the channel by the Government, in diking the creek and dredging, become absolutely obsolete. The only light that we have to protect the boatmen going in and out of this creek is a stake light. Now, if I had that map here I could point that out so nicely, and it would be of more proof to you. The CHAIRMAN. You ought to have the map with you, but still we may have it here.

Mr. FAIRCHILD. You will have to proceed without the map. It is my impression that I filed a map with the papers, but it is barely possible that Mr. Calder, a member of this committee, may have it and may