Evening star., 1917-03-11
GNESDR. LAPKAM
FOUNDERS CREDIT
Monograph Claims He lnltiat-
ed United States Wealth
er Service.
MEDAL AWARDED DR.. ABBE

seneca q. Laphan of Statesan, Nau-
kesha county, Wis, has prepared and
sent 10 The Star monograph on "Ihe
origin of the United States Weather
Bureau" which will be of interest TO
,neteoroiogists and other scientists IN
rarested in the weather, in Washington
as well as in other sections of the coun-
Try.
The article takes issue with the state
1neuts which have appeared in The
Star. the Scientific American and other
publications, and also takes issue with
the justice of the language of an award
last year of a medal to the late Prof.
cleveland Able by the National Acad-
eny of Sciences, erediting DR.. Able
with the honor of having established
and organized the weather service of
The United States, now known as the
weather bureau.
This honor. Mr.. Lapham states in his
monograph, belongs to the late DR.. In
crease \. I.aphaul, and he quotes from
many authorities, including personal
correspondence still eXtant between lr-
Able and DIR. Lapham, to support the
claim.
Controversy Over Credit.
The question as 10 whom is due the
most credit for having established the
service out of which grew the weather
bureau is a controversial one. II has,
in fact been stated authoritatively that
while the late John Henry was secre-
tary of the Smithsonian Institution he
inaugurated a system of daily meteoro-
logical observations out OF when grew
the United States weather bureau. MI
i.apham'S monograph contains much
valuable information on the subject,
and is supported by many documents
of historical interest. among them
concise statement found among the pa
pers of the late DR.. Increase A. Lapham,
in which he says that the first lncep-
tion of the final movement to bring the
matter before Congress was when he
asked Mr.. f. D. Holton to introduce
resolution at a meeting of the National
Board of Trade then about to be held in
1uchmond, Va, as he thought that such
bodies should take action in the mat
TER. and that Congress ought to adopt
measures to at least make the expert
Inent. DIR. Lapham drew up a resolu-
tion which Mr.. Holton presented as
written to the board OF trade.
This resolution. with few minor
changes. was reported upon favorably
and adopted by the board ON the
sth of December, 1863. there was pup
list of 1914 lake disasters. causing
damage TO the amount of s4.1oooo0.
Or Lapham Immediately sent
memorial and 8 copy of this list TO
Gen. Paine with the suggestion that
it was the duty of tho government TO
see whether anything could be done
for the future abatement OF sucn
calmities. This memorial and the list
Of disasters were printed as miscel-
1aneous documents No. 10. and were.
doubtless. the chief means of intro
ducing the aNion that followed.
An Early Weather Map.
IN January, 1870. the Burean,
commercial magazine issued in Chi
cago. publihed a map prepared by DR..
1apham showing the course and prog
ress OF storm from the Gulf OF Mex
,co over the western plains and the
lakes and thence to Newfoundland; and
how it might have been known by the
aid of the telegraph long before its
occurrence The circulation of copies
Of the Bureau aided much in securing
the final passage of the measure In
Congress and it was through these
means that the passage of the resolu-
tion authorizing the Secretary or W ar
% provide for taking meteorolos oslcal
observations and for giving notlce on
the northern lakes and on the sea
coast by magnetic telegraph ard ma
Yine signals of the approach and force
Of storms by the American Congress
was secured
For more than twenty years previous
20 the passage of the storm signal bill.
Mr.. I.aphan also states in his mono
graph, DR.. Increase A l.apharn mad oeen
an earnest advocate OF the subject Of
storm warnings. and he prepared, as
early as 1s43. for publication, q list OF
disasters caused by storms.
Mr I.apham records in his article many
other details which led up to the estab-
Iishment of the weather bureau service
He says at the time the National Acad-
emy of Sciences awarded TO the late Prof
Cleveland Able a medal for Eminence
in the Application of Science to tho Pub
lie Welfare in Establishing and Organ
Sing tho Weather Service of the United
states" he protested to the National
Academy against the reason given for
the award of the medal. mot TO the
award ITSELF
Takes Issue With DR.. Able.