DENSON REEF-PORT GUBAT.

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mile on the western side and at the head of the bay. The center of the bay is very deep. Anchorage may be found at the head of the bay, about 1 mile from shore, in 12 to 15 fathoms, mud bottom.

Coast. From Sugot Bay to Bingay Point the shore is fringed by a reef extending in some places to a distance of mile.

Bingay Point is the southern entrance point to Albay Gulf. The reef here extends about mile northward, and immediately south of the point the reef extends 1 miles eastward. The reef continues of wide extent southward as far as Barcelona south of Gubat, with breaks in it at several places. Its greatest width is about 5 miles southward of Bingay Point, where it extends over 2 miles. This reef is always well defined by the heavy break on its outer edge. The water is bold close up to the break all around, and it is safe to run mile distant from the break.

Bingay Island is a rock about 15 feet high, lying 3 mile eastward of Bingay Point. From Bingay Island the reef extends 300 yards to the northward.

PORT GUBAT is situated on the southeast coast of Luzon about 10 miles southwestward from Bingay Point. It is formed by an opening in the reef which extends along this coast and out to to 1 mile from the shore. The port is composed of two bays divided by a coral reef extending mile from the west shore. The south bay is the larger, but it is never used as it is open to northeast winds and sea and has poor holding ground. The north bay is smaller and the northern part is shoal and only fit for small craft. This bay is open to the wind but well sheltered from the sea by reefs, and is a good anchorage for moderate-sized vessels. The reefs on either side of the entrance are easily seen and are bare at low water.

The best mark for entering the north harbor is to bring a pyramidal rock on the reef in line with the white gate to the cemetery on a N. 62° W. (N. 63° W. mag.) bearing and steer in on this range. It is reported that this range is hard to pick up on account of the rock being partially washed away and the cemetery gate nearly obscured by trees. In case this range can not be made out a vessel can enter by bringing the large white iron warehouse on the north side of the town to bear N. 68° W. (N. 69° W. mag.) and steering for it. This warehouse is the last building on the north side of the town at present, and is very prominent when seen from the sea. By following the above course a vessel will be brought close to the best anchorage, which is about 400 yards north of Penuntignan Point, the point of the reef extending out from the west hore, and which is exposed at low water, or about 800 yards N. 80° E. (N. 79° E. mag.) of the Tribunal. There is a depth of from 5 to

*C. and G. S. chart: Port Gubat, No. 4258.

6 fathoms here, with muddy bottom. The channel leading into the anchorage past Penuntignan Point is about 300 yards wide. There are no lights or buoys here at present and it would be dangerous to attempt to enter at night. Fresh water, coal, and ship's stores are not obtainable. Some hemp is shipped from Gubat, and steamers occasionally call. Coast. From Malabago Point, the southern entrance to Gubat, the coast trends southerly for 18 miles to Padang Point, the northern entrance to Matnog Bay.

The coast reef extends about mile east of Malabago Point, the southern side of the entrance to Gubat, and gradually narrows in to a mere fringe.

Bulusan town is 10 miles south of Gubat. There are a number of other unimportant towns along this coast, but vessels call only at Gubat and Matnog, to which the other places send their products for shipment.

Bulusan Volcano, distant 5 miles from the coast and nearly west of Bulusan town, is an active volcano, 5,115 feet in elevation. When not obscured by clouds it forms an excellent mark for making this coast, as it is visible at a distance of over 60 miles. Sharp Peak, about 1 mile northeast of Bulusan Volcano, is 3,986 feet in elevation.

Balusingan Bay is formed by the curve in the coast between Pacahan and Padang Points, to the northward of Matnog Bay. There is anchorage in from 10 to 15 fathoms, sand bottom, to mile off shore, protecte! from westerly and southwesterly winds.

MATNOG BAY AND TICLIN STRAIT have already been partially described (Section II, 1903, p. 45). The passage between Ticlin and Juac Islands is obstructed by reefs and is not safe. Tielin Strait, the channel between the coast of Luzon and the Islands fo Calintaan, Juac. and Tielin, is much used by coasting vessels; the currents in Tielin Strait are strong, with eddies about the islands. There are no appreciable currents in Matnog Bay. The white iron roof of the church at Matnog is a prominent object.

SAN BERNARDINO ISLANDS consist of two small islets lying nearly 9 miles east from the church at Bulusan. There are two large rocks about 400 yards east of the larger island. The south island, on which the light is situated, is about 3 mile long north and south and mile wide. It is sparsely wooded and rises in the center to a height of 160 feet. The northern and small islet is about 300 yards long and has two hills 75 and 100 feet high, very rugged, and entirely bare of vegetation. The rock formerly shown on the charts as being approximately 1 mile N. 18° W. (N. 19° W. mag.) of the light was searched for unsuccessfully; tide rips and overfalls were seen in this locality, and passed through, but no depths of less than 103 fathoms were found. San Bernardino Islands are on

PORT GUBAT-NORTH COAST OF SAMAR.

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the southern end of a bank having soundings of from 10 to 20 fathoms and extending about 6 miles northeast, surrounded by much deeper

water.

Light. There is a light, flashing red and white alternately, intervals between flashes, 15 seconds, shown from a round gray stone tower on the summit of the south island. The light is elevated 215 feet above the level of the sea, and should be visible all around the horizon from a distance of 20 miles.

San Bernardino Strait is the passage between Luzon and Samar Islands and is of much importance, as it is used by most of the coasting vessels bound for the east coast of these two islands as well as by some of the vessels crossing the Pacific. The strait is deep and free from dangers except a few near the shores. On either side of San Bernardino Islands the channel is wide and deep; soundings of no bottom at 100 fathoms were obtained to the westward. Heavy seas and dangerous tide rips are reported in the strait during the northeast monsoon, but they were not encountered in the southwest monsoon.

TIDAL CURRENTS IN SAN BERNARDINO STRAIT. The tidal currents in the strait are strong, being reported to be 4 to 8 knots; after passing the strait the currents spread out in either direction and lose their force. On the coast north of the strait the flood current divides somewhere westward of San Bernardino Islands, flowing northward off Gubat and southward into the strait.

Tides. At San Bernardino Islands the tide is semidiurnal; the mean high water interval is 5 hours 56 minutes, and the mean low water interval 12 hours 22 minutes. The mean range of tide during two months observation was 2.8 feet, and the maximum range about 4 feet.

NORTH COAST OF SAMAR. †

From Balicuatro Point, the northwest extremity of Samar Island, the coast trends in an easterly direction for about 45 miles to the eastern entrance to Port Palapag. The coast from Bobon to Port Palapag has not been surveyed, nor have the waters northward of this part of the island been investigated. There are a great many offlying islands and reefs and new dangers are being constantly reported. Strangers should not approach these shores except in daylight, with the sun well up. With the sun less than 25° above the horizon, especially when heading toward it, the reefs may not be seen. The lead is of little use, as coral columns come up to the surface from depths of 10 and 20 fathoms. Reefs generally

*C. and G. S. chart: San Bernardino Strait, No. 4256.

†C. and G. S. charts: San Bernardino Strait, No. 4256, Southeastern part of Luzon and northern part of Masbate and Samar, No. 4715; H. O. chart: Samar and Leyte, No. 2049.

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show a dark red or brown color when there is 2 or 3 fathoms of water above them; when less they may be lighter in color, sometimes a mottled white. Cloud shadows complicate the problem in navigation, as they take all shades from dark red or brown, to white. The safe rule is to distrust all shadows, but careful observation may do much for safe navigation.

BALICUATRO ISLANDS are a group of islands lying north of the northwest part of Samar. Biri Island is the largest and most northern island of the group; it lies about 7 miles northeast of Balicuatro Point, and is 4 miles long northwest and southeast and 2 miles wide. It is generally high (280 feet in the center) and heavily wooded. Biri Head, the northwest point, is a rocky, perpendicular bluff, 200 feet high, clean and steep-to and is a conspicuous object in approaching San Bernardino Strait from northeastward. Much of the shore line is low and covered with mangroves. On the north side are some low hills; two of these about 1 mile eastward of Baliri Head stand well out on the edge of the reef and are distinctive features. On the western side of Biri Island there is a low bluff and gravel beach most of the way. There is a small village on the western side of Biri Island, where most of the inhabitants are located.

Rock. There is a rock about 15 feet above water, surrounded by a small coral reef, lying about 2 mile southward of Biri Head, and mile off shore.

Biri, Talisay, Magesang, Makadlao, Tinau, and a number of small unnamed islands are all on one great coral reef, or at least the reef extends around them all.

Macarite and Cagnipa Islands lie southwest of Biri Island; their interiors are made up of detached, low hills.

Biri Channel. Between the islands already described and those nearer the coast is Biri Channel, generally used by vessels bound for ports on the northern and eastern coasts of Samar. In Biri and the other channels of this vicinity there are strong currents, flowing westward during flood and eastward during ebb tides.

San Juan and Bani Islands. On the south side of Biri Channel is another group of five islands which are so closely joined together by reefs as to appear to be practically one island. They are San Juan, Elonbachid, Nagnasa, Maravilla, and Bani. The first four of these are separated only at high tide. The outside shores are well defined and usually bold, but the interior shores are largely mangrove swamp. The interior of these islands is densely wooded. A narrow coral reef fringes these islands.

Bani Channel is a narrow passage between Bani Island and the coast of Samar, and is sometimes used by small coasting vessels. There are two shoals of 9 and 15 feet mile from the west coast of Bani Island, which

BALICUATRO ISLANDS—BOBON.

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Balicuatro Point, the northwest point of Samar, is clear and steep-to, the reef that fringes it on both sides being narrow. The point rises to a hill 700 feet high about 1 mile from the shore, and is covered with heavy timber.

Cocoanut Island, the first island east of Balicuatro Point, lies near the shore and is low and covered with cocoanut trees. The whole coast west of Cocoanut Island to Balicuatro Point is high and covered with heavy timber, the points are rocky, and in most of the bights there are beaches. Lavezares town is at the head of a bight southward and eastward of Cocoanut Island; this bight is shoal and full of reefs, but there is a narrow boat channel between the reefs to the beach.

Coast. The coast from Cocoanut Island to Baird Point is low and largely mangrove swamp, with the exception of Cave Point, which is about 300 feet high.

Baird Point is situated on the northern part of Gilbert Island, and is clean and steep-to.

Gilbert Island, 3 miles in length, has been considered as part of the mainland of Samar, but recent surveys show it to be an island separated from the mainland by a narrow boat channel.

Cabaun Island, the most eastern of the Balicuatro Islands, lies to the eastward of Gilbert Island, close to the coast of Samar, from which it is separated by a channel having a navigable width of less than mile in places. It is low and wooded and surrounded by a reef. Between Cabaun and Samar are the small islands Ugamut, Green, Foot, and Bat, with some detached reefs between them.

Caranian Channel.-Small coastwise steamers sometimes use the channel south of Cabaun, passing southward of Green and Foot Islands and northward of Bat Island. This channel is deep, having nowhere less than 7 fathoms, but it is contracted by reefs making off from the islands and the main. Caranian town is on the coast of Samar, south of Cabaun Island. A range of hills reaches the coast just east of this town; otherwise the coast of Samar in this vicinity is low.

Bobon town lies 24 miles southeasterly from Cabaun Island. There is a shoal to the westward of Bobon, which may be avoided by hauling a little northward after passing Bat Island and approaching Bobon on a S. 45° E. (S. 46° E. mag.) bearing.

Banks. There are three banks lying in the line N. 65° E. (N. 64° E. mag.) from the center of Biri Island, distant from 4 to 9 miles from the shore of that island. The depths on these banks are 60, 39, and 40 feet, respectively, coral bottom, and the examination made indicates. that these are the least depths. These banks are clearly indicated by their color.