The Ely miner., 1931-07-10

before it went into something of an
eclipse. During his study of the log
books he had discovered much inter-
esting information about the Gulf
Stream and this suggested a study Of
that current and other currents. The
result was a book ''The Physical
Geography of the Sea-" title suggest
ed by the great German scientist.
Humboldt, who told the American that
it was his observations that founded
this new science.
From his study of the soundings re-
corded in the log books Maury discov-
cred the Atlantic Plateau or "Tele-
graphic Plateau" At this time Cyrus
w. Field was trying to lay the first
Atlantic cable. Field gave him full
credit when he said ''Maury furnished
the brains. England the money, and
! did the work" One other vast prof.
ect which Maury's active brain Wis
ualized long before it came into being
was the Panama canal. Fast as did
the clipper ships speed around Cape
Horn to San Francisco and back again
to New York with their precious car
goes of gold, when every hour and
every minute meant money for thou
sands, Maury saw how much time
could be saved if an isthmian canal
were dug. He secured estimates as
to its cost and he repeatedly urged
the government to link our east AMI
west coasts more closely together with
such a canal. But as in other things.
in this dream of his. he was too many
years ahead of his time.
Maury was fiftyfour years old. at
the height of his fame and the hight
of his powers, when the rumblings OF
Civil war gave notice of the tragedy
which was so soon to follow. Lame
and past the age for active service,
he might well have remained in his OBJ
servatory far from the raging conflict.
making his charts and carrying on his
scientific work. But instead, loyal Vir-
ginian that he was, he chose to cast
his fortunes with his native state AT
three o'clock on April 20, 1861, Lieu
tenant Maury (for despite his world
wide fame he was still only a lieuten-
ant in the United States navy) with
tears in his eyes, turned the records
Of the observatory over to the next in
authority and left the building forever.
He served as a commodore in the
Confederate navy, spending the great
er part of his time in England in an
unsuccessful attempt TO secure recog-
milton of the Confederate states. Be
fore going to England he had been
engaged in a strenuous effort TO gain
support for his plan of having the Con-
federacy af1oat before the NOrth's
growing navy could overwhelm it. But
again the lack Of Imagination of high
er-ups made his efforts useless. He
invented submarine mines which failed
to work against the Federal vessels in
the Chesapeake because the made
Quate fuses would not burn in the
pressure of 20 feet Of water where the
mines were set. So he invented the
first electrical torpedo. Robert Fulton
had had the same idea many years be-
fore and so had CO lionel Colt. But
they never put their plans into oper-
alton. Maury did and his experiments
proved that his woulG work. But again
lack of financial support nullified his
efforts.
When the Civil war ended Maury
found himself an exile in England.
The emperor Maximi.ian invited him
to Mexico and he became imperial
commissioner Of emigration. One Of
his projects was for a colony of yir-
ginians south of the Rio Grande, but
it never materialized. In 1868 the act
of amnesty made it possible for him
to return to the United States. He
had been offered the directorship OF
the Imperial observatory at Paris by
Napoleon III, with a large salary and
every facility for carrying on his re-
searches. But he chose TO return 70
his native, and impoverished. state as
professor of physics at the Virginia
Military institute. There he spent the
last five years of his life still investi-
eating and still writing books on geog-
raphy and astronomy. He died in
1873 and his body was buried tenn
porarily at Lexington. 1t had been his
wish to be buried in Goshen Pass on
the bank of the North Ann river and
almost his last words were Garry nv
body through the Pass when the rho
dodenron Is in bloom" In June OF
that year his body was born through
Goshen Pass, the coffin covered with
rhododenron blossoms and carried on
to Richmond where in Hollywood GEM
etery, he now lies. But Gosher Psa
still remembers him. In IL there
stands simple column OF granite anx
on a bronze tablet az the base cf -
anchor are these words. .Matths4
Fontaine Maury. the Pathsn.;es of tn
Sea-"
20 by Western Newspap-