Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-09-04
By John GooIrIck. Jr.


or all the famous men who went
from old Fredericksburg to tax.
large parts in the radlly moving his
tory OF America. OF In the iinportan:
work Of the world. Commodore Marry
added most To the store of knowlci.:"
and the progress OF science. Not
only did he create knowledge but n.
created wealth by the immense saw
Ing he Effected TO shipping through
rharting shorter ocean routes -.
is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in
Richmond under "a simple shaft which
bears the name. Matthew Fontainc
Maury." Th, great "pathhnd-r Of
tho seas" was born i'm Spo,sylvania
county. January. 1906. and died n,
Lexington I'm 1873.
Like they OF spoon River Anthol-
ory. in every old cemetery sleep
men and women whose lives w,,.
strange patterns Or romance aud sor-
row. tragedy and sacrifice. adventure
ana huiE. Buried With zach is
greater book than was ever written
but say" FOR one now and then who
mad" his name" they lie dream.
icSsly there. unknown 10 later goncr-
ations
Decorated by European MnnnrrhS.
Their" is nothing 10 show AZ Maury's
gray" in Hollywood that he wore the
mnst-prizcd decorations tho mon
archs "f Europe coGld Civ. him. tina,
he founded tho most valuable natural
science known. and that he was REQ k
oned a iransc"ndrut genius uf him.
Mcllin Chamberlain. Librarian Of
Congress. said with calm considcra-
ton: ~ do mt suppose ,h"r. Is IN"
least doubt that Maury was the
greatest man America ever produced
Alexander Humboldt said that
Maury created new science.
He plunged into the unknown: he
chartcd the seas and mapped unseen
currents ana winds. lie was the frst
I" coll IN" world that winds and cur
rents were not OF chance. bu, Of Nxcd
and immutabl" laws. and tina, even
cyclones were well governed. SO that
in the Northern Hemisphere these
Wild winds always rcvolvcd with
Tho hands OF III" clock while In tho
southern ii"risphcr" they rcynlvod
against tho hands ~ the clock" II"
knew why certain coast was dr..
and another rainy. and he could. on
being Informed ~ III" lati,ud" and
l"nritud" ~ place. tell what wa-
tho prevailing weather and winds
Maury won't To sea as "a in.dShip-
man IN IN: American navy In 1925.
and IN 1891. at - years OF age, he
became master OF III" sloop Falmouth
with orders 10 20 to Pacific waters but
though he sought diligently. hc found
n" chart OF a track for his vessel.
II" record OF curynts or winds. To
guide him. The was a tracklcss
wilderness of water. and the winds
W"r" things OF varrant caprice. And
he began then 10 grapplc with those
problems which were TO ilnmortallzc
him.
Married an Old Sweetheart.
He cam" back from ocean wander
La.
old sweetheart. Miss Ann Herndon.
~ Fr"dcricksburE and In that town
h" liv"d for time ashore. on Char
lotto street. between Princess Anne
hrd Prince Edward and wrote his
FIRST book. ~ Treatise on Navira-
ton" From his pen came a series
OF newspaper and magazine articles
that startled the world OF scientific
thought For the man had discovered
new and unsupported natura! laws,
Misfortune" vastly helped him
came in 1892. when his leg was
injured through the ovcrturnlng OF
stag" coach. but the government
put MIN in charge O. a new "Bur.au
u Charts and Instruments" At Wash
ineton. and out of his work here
grew the Naval observatory, the Sig
nal Service and the first Weather Blu
rclu ever established on earth, Every
other science was old. IL undcvcioped
His science was utterly new. field
untouched.
But he found. in n rubbish room.
mass OF log books Of American war
ships. and over these he pondcrcd
nieGing out corrohorativc facts. He
sent hundreds az bottles and buoys
10 hc dropped INTO the seven seas by
lighting craft and merchantmen
These were picked up now and
again and came back 10 him. and from
the Information sent to him with
them. and soundincs in thousands OF
places. added 10 what he had CLEANED
in earlier years. he prepared his
greatest work. II took ultimate
form in series OF six charts" and
eight large volume OF sailing dircc-
tons and these comprchcndcd all
the waters and winds. in all chimes.
and on every sea where white sails
bend and steamer smoke drifts.
Paths Marked out on Ocean.
The charts exhibit. with wonderful
accuracy. the winds and currents.
their force and direction at different
seasons. the calm belts. the trade
winds. the rains and storms The
gulf stream the Japan currcnt-ail
the great ocean movements And
the sailing directions, treasure chests
for s"amcn, effected a revolution in
navigation. Paths we're marked ont
on the ocean. and practical result
was that one of the most difficult
sea voyagcs-from New York to San
francisco, around the Hornc-was
shortened by forty days, for sailing
ships and for steamships is made
safer and easier and il has been cs-
umatcd that by shortening the time
of many sea voyages. Commander
Maury has effected saving to the
worlds commerce Of not less than
forty million dollars each year
OF his own work, Maury wrote:
so TO shape the course on voyages
al sea as to make the most of winds
and currents. is the perfection of the
navigator's art. How the winds blow
or the currents flow along this route
or that is no longer matter of spec
ulaton of opinion. The wind and
weather, daily encountered by hun
drcds who sailed before him, have
been tabulatcd for the mariner: nay.
the path has been blazcd for him on
the sea: mile posts have been set
upon the waves and time tables fur
nishcd for the tracklesS waste"