CLEVELAND ABBE. xvii 



lished in the Smithsonian Reports, sprung from his extensive reading and 

 desire to communicate to the public whatever he found of value in the course 

 of his reading. . . . When General Hazen was put at the head of the service 

 and a more liberal policy toward civilians, and in the encouragement of scien- 

 tific work, was adopted, he seemed to wish that all the leading meteorologists 

 of the country could have a part in what he considered the great work of 

 the country, and he especially interested himself in endeavoring to give a 

 chance to promising young men of the country to have a part in this work. 

 In pursuance of this idea he secured the appointment of the eminent physi- 

 cist, Professor T. C. Mendenhall, and certain steps were taken toward the 

 organization of an experimental laboratory in atmospherics. The beginning 

 was necessarily a very modest one, although the plan of a great experimental 

 laboratory was one that Professor Abbe cherished for many years and let no 

 opportunity escape of urging it upon federal officials and university faculties. 

 At that date (1885-86) the attitude of departmental officials, not to mention 

 members of Congressional committees, was perhaps lukewarm, if not antago- 

 nistic to what seemed to be investigations in pure science, and it is not 

 surprising that in this unfavorable atmosphere the project of a physical labo- 

 tory flourished only very feebly, and in fact terminated with Professor Men- 

 denhall's election to the presidency of Rose Polytechnic Institute, Terre 

 Haute, Ind. 



" For the good work done by the United States Weather Service, and 

 for the high estimation in which it has been held by Europeans generally, the 

 country is indebted to Professor Abbe more than to any other one man. . . . On 

 all important questions touching the scientific work of the service, his advice 

 has been sought by the chief signal officer; most plans for its improvement 

 and extension have originated with him, and he has done much to stimulate 

 the study of meteorology outside of the service as well as within it. 



" We are informed by Airs. Hazen, widow of the late chief of the Signal 

 Office, that Professor Abbe was always held in high esteem by her husband, 

 ' and relied on not only as a very scientific man but as a loyal friend.' This 

 sentence brings out another salient trait in his character — his loyalty to his 

 chief. Readers of the Monthly will recollect the tribute which he improved 

 the first opportunity after General's Hazen's death to pay to his character 

 and the worth of his work for science ; but they do not know, for that is 

 matter of personal confidence, that he was extremelj"- anxious that General 

 Hazen should receive full credit for all that he did, all that he helped to do, 

 and all that he was in any way the means of having done for science ; and 

 particularly that he should be vindicated from the unfriendly criticisms which 

 the newspapers had cast against him — all of which Professor Abbe believed 

 to be unjust and unfounded." 



General A. W. Greely, chief signal officer in command of the 

 signal corps at the time the civilian duties thereof comprising the 

 Weather Bureau were segregated and transferred to the Depart- 



