Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-10
Project \tu>I:D HERE
EbK N\\i YEARS

Ir"m nj, ,ous OF ,be country
there has come e cal. for au adequate
ul' luuri.l of ~" great scientist. me-
Wo"idl cAprcS,iN, cG nc appr"Ciai on
OF tn" people o. America OF the great
ross OF ,his American pioneer I'm ~
uurScd in Richmond FOR many years.
ana here ii - prohabl" tha, th" first
tcUa ,"w"td it '.HlZatior VIII BE-
taken
Matthew I'outajuc Mauy honor.d
Do, almost every country on .nc clob.
for his scientific achievements VAS Il
1atIv" Nirgiuinu. aud. - 81 officer ara
III" Coufcu.ral. States navy and :,
professor at the NIrS mia Military In
S,ilut". he gay" = treat part OF his
ne" !" III" service ~ Virginia ana the
section with whl,n sue is allied i'.i-
hars hc fact that H." was Il IjI=:niAu
md ardent SoUth.rn.r accounts to,.
hts not having Yet attained a plac.
accorded great Americans in tn" Hall
"i Fame.
Little of Maury's ,hi,py-hye years q
life IS an officer In Tn" United states
navy WAS spent atioat. an accident h;y-
tnr hefaIIcn HIM within three or -four
N'ars after being made q lieutenant.
which incapacitated him for further
actiN. sea service. Thereafter his Nigor
"t M nd. which hN nature was Of strong
scientific bent. Was concentrated upon
the solution OF problems foi the benz
III OF tn" navy primarily hu, ulii-
mately Of world commerce
II was while head Of tho Naval OBJ
S"rvatory. which he developed that
Maury worked "a" effectively for the
future 81 commerce. From - mass OF
Iil-assortcd material. he Vas able with
IA - few years to publish the FIRST OF
his Wind and Current Charts and
sailing Directions" and ais" :" write
his physical Geography 90 the Sea
~, =. No., 81
gam in time Of sailing vessels and tho
reduction OF risk 81 sea was quickly
recognized by commercial nations. aud
he was honored by practically every
power in Europe aud Asia.
That his part in tho promotion of
the pIoj'ct Of tn" undcrSca cable was
rccocnizcd * Indicated in the words
OF cyrus W. Field. who. at the cclc-
braDon in New York IA 1888 of The
transmission Of the FIRST message under
the Atlantic, said: "Maury furnished
the brains. England gave the money.
and did tho work.
lie lived To soc tho cable IN assured
success. but not until sixty years after
his death WAS there the culmination of
another project. tho linking Of tho At
lantic and Pacific Oceans 10y means OF
the Panama Canal. which was per-
Sist"ntly presented by him. The III.
csihnahle benefits OF tho Weather Bu.
reau. another dream 6 his. wcr. MOI
realized until years after his death.
STRONG ADVOCATE or
NAVAL PREPAREDNESS
Here is ono "f Maurys expressions
on naval preparedness:
There is no coloniHcr. ciNilizcr nor
Christie nicer like commerce.
st orrns VIII com" at sea and crises
viii arise on land; bat no mariner a.,
statesman ever escaped the ono %,
avoided the other Ivy failing to pro
pare for them.
should there ever bc. and Doubtless
thcrc Will he. several such highways
across the Isthmus: and should war
ever again occur among tho maritime
nations, it is IN he supposed that tho
beliiecrcnis. he they who thcy may
will look on and sec us quietly en-
toying all the advantages OF these
thoroughfarcs. and becoming thereby a
head and shoulders tailor than all OF
Tho nations OF tho world? No. never
BY the faith Of this great uation We
arc hound to maintain tho neutrality
Of those highways
Here arc tho Eatoways OF tho ocean:
OF that has tho naval supremacy in the
Gulf OF Mexico.
''If tho country wants il. and If great
interests Of state demand IT, shall q
nation like this expose itself to injury
and Insult because IL cannot afford to
supply the necessary means of defense
to any part OF it?"