The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-20
returned to central Office from the

observing stations
By means of the electric telegraph
the meteorologist may become well
nigh omnipreseut. 1t may tell OF ihe
barometeric changes at distant points
and foreiell the coming storm. Then
the Associated Press may become an
other agent. II can take up and bear
the news 10 the bulletin boards IN DIS
tant cities, which will diffuse the m
telligence to all quarters with speed
that .'Roderic Dhu ana Malise' never
dreamed of. and thus all will know OF
the coming storm while yet THOUSANDS
of miles away
BY these lectures Maury proc uced
such an impression in the NoItnwes'
that eight of the lake cities. buiiaio
among them, memorIalized Congress
in the same year ITO establish general
system of daily telegralhic reports OF
the wind and weather for discussion at
n central Office Tue law thus prayed
for was not passed by Congress at that
time. but it has been since. and under
it's fostering care has grown into the
vast Weather Bureau of the present
day. 1t will scarcely be believed that
in the history Of that grand work tho
name Of its Illustrious founder Is not
mentioned. and although to-day almost
every one in the civilized world Listens
to the thunder no one remembers
where to look for the lightning.
From this time until the war-and
after-he did not cease, by lectures be-
fore the agricultural societies all over
the country, to urge the farmers ~c''
to memorabilia Congress for approprla-
tons. Instruments, stations ana q
weather bureau. have storm signals and
telegraph the approach Of storms. Sc
we're changes of weather. &c. land later
onl. to establish crop and weather re-
ports daily. lSee letters on all these
subjects on file at the Naval Observe
tory. from 1917 to 1861 In 1915 ~
Naury prOpnesleu .Lo s--;-.~-a@o "f a
plateau under the Atlantic, and sug-
gested that a submarine Geographic ca
bic uniting the two continents might be
laid there. He urged the Secretary OF
the Navy to have sOundings made there
under his direction 20 ascertain the
truth of his theory. This was done.
In 1912 three small vessels were
placed a. his disposal. and Lieut.. Der
ryman 5 soundlngs fully demonstrated
the existence of the 'telegrapnlc
plateau Maury's suggestion If a
"fascicle of copper wires within a coat
ing OF gutta percha. the whole TO be 10
larger than a ladies' fiuger. was
adopted. He also invented machli c
for coillng and laying the cable. and IA
fine. as Cyrus w. Field said at public
4 70 A
the arrival of the first message, "Maury
furnished the brains, England gave the
money and | did the work. The cable
company. lin gratitude, gave "Maury
priority of use of cable when finished.
See many letters on file at the observ-
atory. also full account of the whole
in Naury's Sailing Directions.
Besides all these schemes for national
advancement Marry papers on Naval
Reform. - under the caption Of SCRAPS
from the Lucky Bag" and over the
signature of Harry Bluff led to the
building of the Naval School at An
napolis and the adoption of "MaurY 5
Navigation" az a text book. Big
Guns and Little Ships. ''The EstaD-
lishmeut of Forts and Lighthouses at
Pensacola and Key West, ~ The Mem.
phis Navy-Yard," and The Illinois
Ship Canal and Ports on the Great
Lakes followed TOR which last a vote
of thanks was offered by the Illinois Leg
islature). These papers were received
and acted on with so much enthusiasm
that he was placed at the head OF
the Depot Of Charts and instruments
at Washington. which office h. soon "a.
tended in the course of five years 10 10
the worlG-ren0wned National Obserya-
tory and photographic Department
(which since his death has been divided
up into three separate oificesl. While
in charge of those he published for sew
eral years his Astronomical Observa-
tions Cataloguing the Stars, and his
Physical Geography of the Sea. - By
which. as Baron HUMBOLDT SAID. be
founded a new sciene. He also estab-
lished water works and river guages
for the Mississippi river and its tr,buta-
ries.n and directed Lieutenant Mann
TO make series Of daily Ob
servations for 36j consecutive days
on the temperature. velocity. eyapOra-
ton and precipitation and amount
Of salt contained in its waters, which
observations, reported TO and digested
by Maury. contribute The main data OF
the knowledge we now possess OF the
habit of this. our greatest river. Maury
was the originator of the plan TO re
deem the drowned lands on the Mis-
sissippi river OF the "warehOusing
system. OF the great circle routes
between American and European OF
Asiatic ports. The steam lanes
which are still used by all steamers
crossing the ocean. were laid of by
Maury. and the merchants ard under
writer's Of New York were so pleased
with their success that they present.
him with service Of plate and 5000
Maury planned the two Arctic exDe-
ditions Of DR. Kane and De Haven, ard
both those officers received their IN
structions from him. The same was the
case with Captain Lynch exploration
of the Dead Sea- and Herndon 5 *
ploration of the Amazon and It's tribu
taries las resultant of which Maury
hoped TO see established intimate COM
mefcial relations with Brazil and the
South Amesican republic)-see Maury S
Inca Papers, &c. Aud just as the war
came on he was organizing an expedi-
ton to the South Pole. He made many
efforts to arrest the war by appeals to
the Governors of the border States. by
peace commissions, &C., and he died
while filling the post OF professor of
physics at the Virginia Military lnsti-
tute in 1873. His last work was Pre-
liminary Report on the Physical Survey
OF Virginia lsetting forth in an attrac-
tive manner her great resources of the
field. forest. and mine, to induce immi-
grants to come and settle up her waste
places.
''ln grateful recognition of the past
services conferred by Maury upon
and SCIENCE" gold med.
ais were struck in his honor by
Prussia. Austria, Holland, Sweden. and
Norway, Spain. France. Sardnis. the
Republic of Bremen. and Pope Plus TX.
presented him with set OF all the
medals struck during the pontifcate.
England and Belgium also offered med
ais. Denmark, Portugal, Russia.
France, Belgium, and Mexico pre-
sented decorations and orders OF knight