Box 5, Folder 2: Julia A. Lapham Correspondence 1900-1905

U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Weather Bureau.

Washington, D. C., April 17, 1900.

Miss Julia A. Lapham,

Oconomowoc, Wis.

Dear Madam: -

In reply to yours of April 13th, I take pleasure in sending, herewith, the short paragraph in regard to your father's scientific work requested by you. I hope that it will answer your purpose.

I have also ordered the 50 maps desired by you to be mailed to your address.

Very respectfully,

Willis [name]

Chief, U.S. Weather Bureau.

U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Weather Bureau.

Washington, D.C.,

Dr. I.A. Lapham. - By his long-continued observations he demonstrated the tides on the Lakes and the progress of storms. By his unselfish labors he secured the legislation that authorized the Weather Bureau. He devoted his life to the furtherance of the best interests of the country in geology, meteorology and other sciences.

Willis L Moore

Chief U.S. Weather Bureau

April 18, 1900

Letters requiring prompt attention should be directed to the Wisconsin Free Library Commission, Madison, Wis.

Hon. J.H. STOUT, Chairman, Menomonie, Wis. Mrs. CHAS S. MORRIS, Berlin, Wis. Pres. CHAS. K. ADAMS, Madison, Wis. Hon. L.D. HARVEY, Madison, Wis. Hon. R.G. THWAITES, Madison, Wis. FRANK A. HUTCHINS, Secretary. MISS L.E. STEARNS, Organizer. CORNELIA MARVIN, Instructor.

[center black and white illustration: Wisconsin Free Library Commission - Madison, Wis. stamp]

-Dictated-

Madison, Wis., April 23, 1900.

Miss Julia A. Lapham,

Oconomowoc, Wis.

Dear Miss Lapham:

I am very much pleased to hear that there is some prospect of getting a library at Delafield, and I take pleasure in sending some literature regarding libraries to Miss Anketell. You will need no assurance that we shall be most happy to aid her in any way that is open to us.

I wish to add my thanks to these of Miss Marvin for your kindness in sending such excellent portraits of Dr. Lapham. They are excellent and it is a pleasure in these days of reproductions to get hold of so good a portrait.

Miss Marvin is out of town, but has asked that I return to you the enclosed letter from Mr. Moore.

The bulletins were sent out to the public libraries last Saturday and the remainder are going out to-day. As you know, they have been in type for some days.

Miss Marvin and I discussed the question of how to make the most effective use of the portraits, and we both arrived at the same conclusion. There are only enough copies to supply the best of the libraries, and we want to save the copies to be sent to people who will appreciate them and use them effectively. We have found that if we advertise that we will send out some pictures free, that some of

the best librarians either do not see the notice, or may feel diffident about sending for the pictures, while some librarians who will use them carelessly send for them immediately. The portraits that you sent us ought to be carefully kept, and I think the best way will be to have them sent only to selected libraries where it is certain that they will be well used. The portraits should not be kept up in a library all the time, but should be preserved to use on special occasions. I think that it would be well to prepare a brief notice that could be suspended from the pictures, or by the side of them, when they are on the bulletins. Can you kindly prepare for us something of about one hundred and fifty words, giving the important facts concerning Dr. Lapham?

Some time ago we received a nice box of reading material from Oconomowoc, but we could find nothing to state where it was from farther than the shipping point. Sometimes people put in cards or notes into the boxes which they send, but these slip into magazines and we may not find them until long afterwards. We thoroughly appreciated the gift and should like to have the donors know of our appreciation.

Yours very truly,

T.A. Hutchins

1459: Pubs.1900. For Mr. Biddall

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Supt of Schools Oconomowoc

Weather Bureau.

Office of Editor of Review. Washington, D.C., May 23, 1900.

Miss Julia A. Lapham,

Oconomowoc, Wis.

Dear Madam:

In response to your response of May 19th, I take pleasure in saying that I have been able to find most of the missing numbers that you enumerated as needed by your high school and they have been forwarded to you by this mail, in order that you may present them to the Principal. It has only been possible to do this through the kindness of many of our voluntary observers, who are now returning to us odd numbers and sets that they do not wish to retain any longer. We are holding these in order to assist in completing the sets of those libraries that wish to complete and bind their Reviews.

It is very desirable that the Reviews should be bound and made accessible to students of meteorology and if you ever hear of any one who has old numbers of the Review, you would do us a favor by suggesting that they deposit them with the Chief of the Weather Bureau.

With the highest regards, I remain,

Very respectfully,

Cleveland Abbe.

Prof. & Editor.