Page:A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury.pdf/186

172 "He insisted on the importance to the lake region of telegraphic interchange of information as to barometric changes, instancing interesting and striking examples.

"This part of the lecture was full of illustration and value, but our space forbids us to do it justice. He said the lake commerce has reached a figure we should have deemed chimerical a few years since for our ocean commerce.

"He would leave out of the question the value of such intelligence to all other departments save commerce. In four years, ending 1858, $10,000,000 and 866 lives were lost on these lakes.

"Suppose but a quarter of this loss might be due to a lack of meteorological foreknowledge shown to be attainable. The same power exists to provide for the lakes, as for the salt water. Government has held back because the lake region has not come forward to ask it"

The following letter, from Maury to his wife, was written after delivering another lecture at Cleveland on Dec. 1st, 1858:—

. . . . I arrived here yesterday at noon, and seem to have bewitched the people last night, as I did those of Cincinnati the evening before. Nannie's is a charming letter. I am so glad she is coming home on the 15th. I shall be turning my face homeward about that time.

Last Monday there was a change of R. R. time, which had played sad havoc with me. I left Chicago at 8 Sunday for Cincinnati, where I was due at noon Monday. But bridges had been washed away. I did not get to Indianapolis till 1 112 miles from Cincinnati. I was to lecture there at 7.30, and all the trains had gone, so I thought I would see if I couldn't charter an engine and go down on it express. I found the President of the road, told him who I was and what I wanted, and he fitted up an elegant car, sent me down in it alone, and would not let me pay a cent. I arrived at 7,