SAT. 7 FEB. 1953 COURSE 288° AT 2:P.M. RUNNING WEST TO THE TEXAS GULF PORT OF BEAUMONT. BLANKET OVERCAST WITH OCCASION- AL MISTY SQUALL CLOSING IN. 20 ODD GULLS FOLLOWING. TOOK M. F. MAURY OUT TO READ - THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA. IT IS FASCINATING TO READ OF THIS WORK THAT WAS ORGANIZED BY MAURY MORE THAN 100 YRS. AGO. AND THIS MORNING CAPT. ERITSON SAYS OFFHANDEDLY THAT "OH, WE KNOW ALL ABOUT OCEAN CURRENTS NOW." HERE IS A MAN WITH NO SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY. MAURY SAYS "I AM WEDDED TO NO THEORIES, I DO NOT ADVOCATE THE DOCTRINES OF ANY PARTICULAR SCHOOL, TRUTH IS MY OBJECT." HIS OPENING SENTENCE "THERE IS A RIVER IN THE OCEAN" - AND THEN FOLLOWS A WONDERFUL CHAP. ON THE GULF STREAM. "THE GULF OF MEXICO IS ITS FOUNTAIN" HOW INTERESTING THAT I FIND THIS BOOK, THAT I AM IN THE G. OF M + THAT THE NEW ISSUE OF "LIFE" CONTAINS THE ARTICLE ON THE SEA. COURSE 6:P.M. 266° PICKED UP PILOTOFF PORT ARTHUR BREAKWATER ABOUT 7:30 P.M. PASSED TOWN OF PT.A. AT 9:30 FRACTIONATING COLUMNS WITH THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS ARE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE LANDSCAPE. OIL FUMES STRONG. A CLEAR RED SUNSET AFTER A BLUE SKY AFTERNOON. ONE FREIGHTER SILHOUETTED AGAINST RED SKY WITH A WISP OF GULLS TRAILING OFF ASTERN. LAUGHING GULLS JOINED SHIP, 1 CASPIAN OR ROYAL TERN PASSED. 60 ODD GULLS AT ONE TIME. LT. 28°55'N; LG. 91°51'W. DIST. 133 MI. ST.T. 8 H 25 M.; Av.Sp. 15.79 KT.; Wd.N.W.2; SEA SLIGHT-N.