The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-13
The London Conference for Maritime
MeteorOlOgy.

MeteoroIogy.
The announcement of o new Maritime Me-
neurological Conference, proposed for August,
will be greeted with pleasure by the many
classes interested in the improvement of navi-
CATION and the advance of ocean meteoroloSy.
This congress of eminent and practical Swans
will be convened in accordance with decree
of the Vienna Meteorological Congress OF last
year, and will be conducted after the method
of the famous Brussels Conference Of 1853.
The announcement to which we refer comes
from Mr. Robert H. Scott the Director Of the
British Weather Bureau and one of the sub
committee appointed at Vienna to arrange for
the meeting in 1874. The benefits of the
Brussels Conference, inaugurated by Lieuten-
ant Maury, have been realized in their wide
reaching and incalculable utilities wherever
the navigation of the deep seas has extended.
The whole world is familiar with the vast
general advantages resulting from the system
of observations carried forward through the
recommendation of the men who met at
Brussels. Till then the ocean was like
trackless waste, and where occasionally route
was laid down on the charts, as notably in the
Southern Hemisphere, it often took ship
hundreds Of leagues out of her true way.
The work of collection and reduction of
the marine observations proposed at Brussels
has lamentably fallen off since 1861, and,
with the exception Of two or three silent and
ill-rewarded laborers the field of marine geog-
raphy and meteorology has been almost un-
~.oI -
will be International and in a degree
will bear the official imprin,atur of the
governments represented last year in the vi
emma Meteorological Congress. The United
States was among these, and through its dele
gate proposed the system of international OBJ
servations encircling the globe-a system
which was adopted and is now in operation.
The Vienna meeting in endeavoring to deter
mine the best way of introducing maritime
meteorology into the general system, found
the task too comprehensive, and hence this
supplemental meeting proposed to be held in
London in August next
This second meeting will obviously have it
in its power to provide indirectly Tor estab-
fishing worldwide system of steam lanes,
such as we have so long contended for. By
it's more than semi-oficial action it will not
only carry the confidence of the nautical
world but also command governmental lnfu-
ence sufficient to secure an enactment of its
recommendations. Only let it be conducted
on the broad, comprehensive plan of the old
Brussels Conference, and legislation will
hardly be necessary to insure respect for its
decisions.
We do not hesitate, in view Of the vast
issues involved in, and the popular demand
for, steam lanes, to suggest action by the new
conference, fixing such lanes not only between
New York and Liverpool, but on all the great
oceanic thoroughfares in both hemispheres.
The saving of life and property would be in
calculably large from such system, we'll
matured and internationally adopted. 1t is
not premature for our national Congress- now
in session, to take some action favorable to
the London Conference and to give it as
surances that its decisions will, if possible,
be ratified by the United States. Even should
the steam routes decided upon be open to
minor criticism, uniformity would outweigh
almost any objections that could probably be
urged. We would give the highest official
aid and encouragement to these picked and
practical scientists ''path-fnders Of the
sea'-in their benefcent work. Their as
semblinR ct this time furnishes us the best
agency we could have for consummating
wise international system of marine steam
tracks. Let us make the most of the oppor-
tunity.