The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-02-11


From BERTHE county, North Carolina to Washington the
of the storm due NORTH and the three
four hours From Washington to New York it about
fourteen hours the march, with furious gale right
its teeth thence Boston 1t sw at railway speed making
the distance in ak hours and thence it arrived Port
land Maine at ii of the 18th thur making its
march in the winds eye" from North Carolina to Maine
in about twenty-six hours
The cold the wind, and the fall of snow all of which
marked by violence appear each have had its own
rate Of march
How far this nay have been felt out at sea ia not
yet known for there has bean receive reports
from the vessels that cooperating with us in these in
vesigatons- It is known however that the storm er
tended IS far as Nova Scotia
The fury of this has been uDequaIled for many
years Never since the establishment of railroads has
there been such interruption of travel hinderance to
the mails 1t illustrates in very striking manner the ne
cessity-f wish thoroughly TO investigate the laws
which govern the movement the great aerial ocean on
which veof extending meteorological researches
from the the land What though this storm NAV
have had It's origin the land il caused many and dread
full shipwrecks along the shore and disasters sea-
The appliances which, in the progress Of the age have
been placed within the reach OF Of wsud had
the power of using them been possessed by these men
have enabled them TO give timely warning Of the approach
of this storm to many whose lives such warning would
have saved.
the system Of daily weather reports through the tele-
graph which you hare recommended for the Observatory
had been established, New York and shipping ports
might have had from eighteen twentyour hours warn
ing in advance Of this stern the Industrial pursuits of the
country and the convenience of the public well the
shipping interests might all have had the benefit of such
orknowledge for the telegraph the press and the mails
oustrp the wind and spread the Of its coming
faster than il
You thst this season of the year the aver
age number Of shpwrecs is about one American vessel
for every eight hours and that the value of the Losses
1t sea for the month of January set down something
like four millions Of dollars?
How many Of these losses would have been spared the
country could few houn warning have been given Of
tins storm alone, to say nothing of others2
The government has vssy sought mtgste the disas
of shipweck and money has been humauey appropr
ated for the purpose but notwithstanding these efforts
great suffering has bern encountered in the case Of the
ship New York December after the crew and pamen
gers had been rescued from the wreck.
But the Long Island and Jersey shores eurtaned for
many miles by slip of land, separated from the
main By souad strip Of from several miles
breadth There very few houses this strip Of land
and it sometimes happens that ships driven ashore
in the Of the New York. and that the people the
main over the sound by Of the ice and
cold the Of disaster II has been suggested by
Mr. W. Brown, in the New Jersey legislature
from Ocean comfy, that few hours warning of these
storms could be given BY telegraph force in advance OF
every might be collected this strip OF land
ready 70 afford and vessel should
find herself ashore.
propose with your leave when all the the
AL for the statistics of this shall have teen received
90 into regular discussion Of it and illustrate its
march and progress BY plans and drawings
Respectfully, kc- VI. MAURY
Lieutenant U. s. Navy.
Hon. J. c. DosaiS,
Secretary Of the Navy, Washington