The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-06

which are used all through the year by
the surf men. 1t will he necessary to
acquire these and remove them but ii
will not be done for year or SO more,
not until the government is ready to
begin active construction work.
The erection of the fort at Cape
Henry will do much for the develop
ment of the long neglected spot the
first landing place of the Anglo Saxon
settlers who started the jamestown
-+eototty and were the ortEinators Of
this nation. They found the cape such
a dreary place that they left it, and
boarding their three ships proceeded
up the bay into Hampton Roads and
then up the James river To James
town Island. During the three CEN
turtles that have elapsed since then
white men have peopled the entire
country, but Cape Henry remains
much as 1t was. except for the light
Gouse and observatory of the weather
bureau and the caison and few sum
mer homes.
The fort also will boom Virginia
Beach, as it is this place that the
social life of the post Will be centered.
Only few minutes away by trolley
the beach will be the mecca of the
army set when the fort Is garrisoned
and should occupy much the same
+. position that is now Old Point, for, If
! the government builds the large fort
! 1t has in mind it will be impossible to
keep it's men at Fortress Monroe. The
necessity of target practice and drill
/ at the guns will require constant pres
I ence of the garrison, and 1t would be
out of question to be continu usly
4 transferring the men back and forth.
1 And now that the fort is assured,
what shall 1t be named?
The first, and up to this time, only
I name suggested Is that of Matthew
\ Fontaine Maury. the Pathfinder of the
/ seas" 1t is hitting that fort at the
I entrance of Hampton Roads should be
named for this great Virginian, so
long unnoticed by the nation of which
he was a citizen. THE King s cham
Der Of the Sea- is what Maury called
\ Hampton Roads, capable of floating
|, the navies of the world, and the VIZ
/ ginia capes from the gateway TO the
/ state that gave him birth. Besides 1t
+ is fitting that a memorial to Maury
n should he close to the sea, for II was
I his discoveries of its tide and current
and winds that changed the entire
4 science of navigation: opened up new
science, as Humboldt declared.
4 Maury's navigation, published in 1884.
is today the standard book OF the
+ world
\ He founded the weather bureau
\
Z without which the watefborne COM
7 merce or this country would be in sore
/ stress, and in 1856 this great work, the
Physical Geography OF the Sea- was
published. revealing to man thing be-
. fore unthought of in the study OF the
deep.
/ But in spite OF all the honor that
I Maury brought to this country. his
( country has signaliy failed to honor
: him.
< It, was only last week that COM
eresss committee refused TO name a
( lighthouse to be built on small is
land in the Bahamas after him.
This is a wonderful act Of GOV
eminent towards the man who was
SO signaIly honored by kings and
iomperors and the populace of for
eign lands, who was offered home
and the means Of life and study by
Russia, that it might have the advan-
tage OF his wonderful scientific mind.
Only last year the descendants Of
lCon1nodnre Maury presented To the
United States the medal and papers
of the long neglected man The
medal is now in the Smithsonian in
stisute and the documents in the
library Of congress. Among the me-
dais are gold one from the King