The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-24
OF FIcIAL-
THE MAGNETIC CLOCK.
NAIIoaAL OBSERVATORY,
IEdsbit, otob Inn Z

Washington Jan, 81 l649
SIN, have the honor Of making known 10 you
most Important discovery for astronomy which has
been made by Dr.. Locke Of Ohio, and IL asking au-
thority from you avail myaGlt of Tor The use aud
purposes OF this Observatory.
The discovery consists in ll1 invention OF mag
netic clock" by means Q, which, seconds Of time
m5y be divided into hundredhs with ns much aceu-
rary and precision the mschinist with rule and
eompass, can subtlgde m inch olspace.
Nor do its powers end here. They are sGeh that
the astronomer in New orleans, ST. Lons, Boston,
and OF every other place which the magnetic tee-
graph reaches may make his observation, and at the
same moment cause this clock, here in Washington
10 record the instant with wonderful precision
Thus the astronomer In Boston observes be nan
sit OF star as il fits through The field OF his insnh
ment, and crosses The meridian Of thai place In
slead OF lookine al clock before him, aud noune
time in The usual way he touches KEY, and the
clock here subdividea his seconds 10 the miapleRl
fraction and records The time with unerrng aecu.
r1cy.
The astronomer IN Washington wIiis for Ike same
star 10 cross his meridian and as il does III
Locke's magnetic clock Is again touched il divides
the seconds, and records The time for him "ith equal
precison,l
longitude OF Boston from The meridian ot Washing
The astronomers In New Orleans ana ST. Louis
and every other place within the reach Of tho mag
netc wires, may wal, for the SAME star; and as ii
| comes to their meridian, they have but touch o
key and stralghtway the central magnetic clock tells
their iangimdr.,
And thus this problem, which has vsxel as,rono.
and nayigatOrs and pofP!gycd the world RACES
isrcdnced At once, By Amoficnn ingenuity, to niofm
and method the most simple and accurate
While the process is so much simplihrd, The re-
suits are greatly refined In one nigh, The longitude
may now be determined with lar more accuracy by
means Of The magnetic telegraph and clock, than II
eau by years Of observation according Ia any ether
method that has ever been irisd.
II is, therefore, Well entitled To be called lio+
-ntiTt I.tp nj
achievements by which the most beautiful and tnAu-
ring monuments are erected 70 national honor and
greatness. II is Acknowledgement; nnd my feelings
Of professional pride will not ALLOW me 10 pass il ty
without calling your attention 70 the garland That has,
been hing about II BY tho navy,
10 The navy belongs the honor Of having first APP
piled the magnetic telegraph 10 Inc DISCRIMINATION ui
/ lanptude, Five Or six years ago, Capt. Wilkes. OF
The navy, used Il for determining the difference Of
4 longitude between this city and Baltimore. This
was Tic first lime il had been applied 10 such pur-
1 pose and II was a great Improvement upon The
methods which up to That time, had been used for
finding the longitude for il reduced the results down
/. to the accuracy with which the time between The
ticks of the secondhand could he measured IN The
face of the clock by the ear and eye.
| And thus the honor Of being the first TO convert the
magnetic telegraph into nn Astronomical instrument,
and that, TOO, into of great practical value and
Importance, was secured by one Of It's officers The
| American navy. Though the errors of the problem
were greatly reduced by this discovery, they were
however small sources Of error still remaining and
il was left for DR.. Locke, formerly an officer OF the
navy also, to devise means Of eliminating thein 50
completely, that now there Is scarce 'fraee left IN
the results-so free are they from doubt and unceg-
tainty. The probable error Of Longitude determined
with Or. Lockes clock, IL brought within such mar
row limits, that il, while tac asIrononlern ST Louis
or elsewhere were operating with the magnetic
clock here for his Longitude The observer in Wash.
ington We're 10 move from instrument to another
in this building, the uet that he had moved would be
made known al once, and whether he had moved 10
the east or the west would be told by The clock, and
appear in the resulting Longitude
DR.. Locke WINS formerly member Of the medical
corps OF the navy and Ms such spent p0 ton OF his
early manhood and prime years OF his lie at sea.
II is, therefore, not surprising that sailors shonld be
q,tch 10 lay hold Of The problem Of longitude through
any improved means that may be offered for its So
luton Every one can see the importance Of accu-
rate determinations Longitude but sailora both see
and fsetit. a@#.".> s.. .@
In his letter TO me describing his clock, and giving
an account Of its performance, DR.. Locke kindly
oiter5 to put up one at this Observatory.
II would be Of incae,tlable service and advantage
II would increase the accuracy OF results, and great.
iy multiply them In numbers, With this clock one
observer could do more and better work, than two
can now An illustration of The value Of such clock
Jnst now ocedfa. am writing Al night, the skyis
very clear md is the fret fair night for obsava
li15 that we have had this year The wind IS very
high, and The observers have just come in 10 say they
therefore they cannot observe Now II is not neces
sary TO hear or even 10 see the magnetic clock and
had we one, we could work quite as well In windy
as in calm weather.
While, therefore, one Of Dr. Locke's magnetic
clocks would be OF such value TO the Observatory IL
would, without at oil interfering with that value, be
Of incalcu1ble advantage 10 the public generally for
wherever in any part Of the country there s transit
instrument, and line of wires, this clock may be
used by the observer Il; that instrument only for
recording his observations but also for determining
his longitude from the capital Of The counryj and
thus Il would, without cost or trouble, enable the
National Observatory to perform most important
part Of its appropriate duties, and most acceptable
service to the world in perfecting the geography Of
the country and in affo,ding 50 many We-deter-
mined points Of departure for the traveller the sur
yeyor and the navigator.
Respectfully &c,
NJ, +. MAuRY, 1t. T. s. n
Hon Jona Y Mason, Sssfsturgot'Ms Nary