The Washington herald., 1920-10-17
Artists and Ship Men at
Washington Navy Yard
Make Steel Chart Show
ing Worlds Makeup.
By FREDERIC W. GANzERr.

Everyone recalls the huge map OF
the universe conceived by Mark
Twain in. Extracts from Captain
Stormfield's Visit to Heaven" the
map that was as big as Rhode
Island-and how, when the celestial
clerk went to look for the earth ne
'got a balloon and sailed up and
up until he was out of sight, and by
and by he came down and god some
thing to eat, and went up again and
kept on doing this for a day and a
half"
To date that map has no rival for
size, but Uncle Sam, through. Ad-
miral w. S. Benson and the United
States Shipping Board may be per-
suaded to make the modest ad-
mission that the fifteen by forty
two foot steel relief map of the
world, just completed with the aid
of the Navy Department, is some
little map"
Used as Exhibit.
The map will be a feature of the
United States Shipping Board ex-
hibit in Chicago during National
Merchant Marine Week, October IS
to %, and was constructed as part
of the educational campaign being
conducted by the National Marine
League of the United States of
America to acquaint Americans with
the necessity for the upbuilding of
our merchant marine.
In ancient times Appollonius of
Rhodes thought that the Egyptians
OF Colchis had done exceedingly well
to represent land and sea, and roads
and highways on wooden tablets
Coming down the ages we find maps
made of parchment. then of paper,
until today in the twentieth century
we reach the supreme expression of
the age of steel in the latest achieve
ment of the United States Shipping
Board, a map of cast steel construc-
tion.
And this map. like so many other
products OF this day of organized
effort, is propaganda, but of a very
good Sort. 1t is propaganda for a
one hundred per cent, true blue
American merchant marine. 1t Is
intended as an advertisement to the
entire country of what President p.
Fl. w. Ross of the National Marine
League of the United States calls
the biggest constructive job in the
history of the country" the work
which the United States Shipping
Board is doing in Washington for
the advancement of the cause Of
American ships manned by Ameri.
can sailors.
shows shipping Work.
The Chicago Marine Show, to be
held during National Merchant Ma
rine Week, Is expected to bring to
the attention of the American peo-
pie just what service the United
States Shipping Board has rendered
and will continue to give toward
the patriotic work of keeping Old
Glory on the high seas, league or
no league.
The map is remarkable not only
for its size and for the fact that IL
is made of steel, but also because Of
the novel features which make IL
unique in the annals of cartographic
art. Both land and sea are painted
to show the physical and climatic
conditions of the various zones of
the world. From the white wastes
of the Arctic Circle to the shadow
less waters of equatorial seas the
ever changing conditions of the
country are indicated in many hued
pigments.
These features make this map a
veritable geography. for one has
but to glance at given section to
discern at the same time the topo-
graphy. the verdure. the climate and
other features. On the surface of
the water-covered areas are
painted in color the temperature.
velocity and direction of ocean cur
rents. and in addition the course
of trade and merchant marine
routes.
BeEan Last April.
The history of the map begins
with the Marine Show in New York
City last April, in which Admiral
w. s. Benson, always foremost