Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-06-26
DAILY EVENING STAR.
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

oA.E OF THE IHERMoNErER.-The Their
mOmeter, Ia our counting room at IL o'clock
to-day, stood at IS degrees above zero.
IHs OssERvAFoRf.-Oneo of the sights of The
Metropolis is the United States Observatory
s.'u1,eu Oh an enlnence about mile west of
the Presidents House, between 23t and 25,h
stEests The idea of founding this institurion
pEooseiy originated on the occasion Of sending
out the United States Exploring Expedition of
1873, Frof. Bond and Lieut. Gilliss being s,o-
pioyed to make series Of astrouomicai ohss-
Fsuons IN connection with the objects of The
sooVe: 4hese they performed at the building
geionSing 70 the Coast Survey on Capitol Hill
es ni ior the building and fitting up
IN 1910, Congress having appropriated S25, 900
leg the purpose. The present structure con-
sists OF central brick building, with wings on
inc east, west, and south sides, the former is
hity feet square, two stories high, with base
rnent, and has on the top revolving dome of
t"shty,thfee feet diameter. 1t was erected
under President Tyler's administration The
most striking instrument is the large eouato.
rial telescope, which is placed on a massiye
pier OF masonry, fifteen feet in diameter ar the
base, taPerInS upwards to the dome. vbere
the teieS cope rests upon it,
In Inc west wing Is the meridian transit in
strument; IN the east wing there are a me.
tnp
south wing are the transit and prime vertical
instruments 10 one room, and in tie other q
refractIon circle. which cost Sc, 900, the obiecs
glass slel cost S3.61e 1t was made nv Nor
zand Mailer, Of Munich in Germany. Dee of
the transit instruments cost 81 $50, the object
glass $40. The mural circle was made bv
sImms, Oh London; il is FIVE feet in diameter.
!: maze OF orass, and was csSt in single
piece 1t Is divided into spaces Of FIVE n,innfaS
eieh, upon band CT gold inlaid on the rime-
price So,SSe The meridian circle was made
oy Estei d Son, of Munich, ii reads IN tentbs
o. second by means Of four microscopes. The
clocks IN the wings have mercural pendulums
and were made by Charles Frodsham. The
Principal CLOCK is the electro magnetic clock.
II'sn'eo oy Prof- Locke, for the invention Of
which ne HsS awarded by Congress $40 non
The merit Of the invention consists chiefv in
the mode by which the pendulum freaks the
gsiYanic circuit OF battery at each vibration.
Dy lnlS means observations made at places re-
mote from each other, can be carried on in ex
ACT unison, intimatiOn being conveyed 10 the
persons at either end, when a record of time
has Just eiapsed by mean. of the usual tele-
graph wires. The transit and prime vertical
instrument is SO well counterpoised. that al.
though 1t weighs upwards of a thousand pounds
2 cnlid could lift 1t from irs bearings. 1t cost
SIi9D. There IRE various other asI ronomicaI
Instruments in this abode of Silence and .
visit Will repay the trouble. A custom pre-
walls OF letting fall a large ball exactly a,
noon' tne meridian being taken in order to
I'VE the precise time, so that any Of our rand
ers who wish to correct their watches and clocks
have only to look out for its falling down al
the above named hour.
lHE PUBLIC UEALTH.-We clip the follow
Ing from the city ordinances relative tn the
REMOVAL III OF nulsances and the health of til
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notice- and see that tho law will be strictly
enforced
LII email be the duty of each and every
person occupying dwelling or other building
Bordering on public or private d wed aIleV
70 nave the dirt and rubbish in the alIey bof.
dsFlng on his, her, or their premises collected |
into PlleS once week, on such DAYS as NAV
De named oy the Commissioner Of the Ward, |
or more frequently, if required by the sail |
Commissioner
That 1t shall be the duty Of each and every
person occupying dwelling house, store. or |
any other kind of building, to have the payed
gutter in front Of hi, her, or their premises
cleaned daily, from the LIST of June to the LIST |
OF october, by collecting tie dirt from such |
gutter into piles, to be removed By the scav-
enger.
That il any person or persons shall cas-,
place, or lay, or cause to be cast. placed or |
iald, any rubbish, oyster shells shayinas or
ehal, or refuse substance of any kind ytiatso- |
ever OF his, her, or their trade occupation- or |
business, or any coal, firewood, ashes, barrels |
h'esneads, or casks of any kind, boxes, foul |
water, dye-water, or offaI from a soap aud |
cendie or other manufactures, filth. table |
manure, or any offensive substance or obstrne. |
non In any street, avenre, open space, public |
reservation, alley or open lot or go 10 at the same
may run into any improved street, avenue. |
PuoIc reservation, alley, open space, or open
lot, or on any pavement, and shall not remove
tne same on the day on which the same shall |
have been go placed as aforesaid &c.
Persons who refuse or neglect to comply with |
The requirements of these laws render them
selves liable TO fines
lac Ward Commissioners and Scayepgers
are also liable to be fined for not performi ng
the duties required of them by said acts Com.
plants OF nuisanceS to be made in writing to |
a member Of the Board of Health or to the |
Commissioner OF the Ward.
FOURTH OF JULY-What are our new city
government doing, or thinking about doing, in |
the way of celebrating the "spproaching an. |
niversary ?" Does Know Nothingism ignore |
the glorious Fourth. or is it, with eharaeteris-
Tic industry, working in secret to bring out
something brilliant and startling to siynalise
Its advent to power in the Metropolis of the
mon IL our tai kee" members of Congress
VIII cohlIiDLLe tlelr unused bundle Of dead.
wood speeches, slowed away in their rooms at
the hotels, there certainly will be no lack Of
materials Hr bOnfres, and we should imagine
that there are explosive materials enough at
the east end of the A~ouuo 10 get up any quan
THY of first rae reports. At all events, what
ever may be the intentions of the authorities,
it cannot be denied that in the late state
of the thermometer. they were quite right to
keep shady. -,
Seriousness apart; however, we trust that
some vigorous Efforts in contemplation to cell
citrate our great national anniversary in be-
coming manner. Certainly, il should not be
in Washington city that the signs of an indif-
ference to this great jubilee should be first
percep.ible. There Is little time to 10 E. and |
Il anything is to be done, the preparations
should be set about directly. We know that
the members Of our City Council and Board ST
have hearts throbbing with patriot
isn,' and let them, therefore, give those that
they represent some substantial evidence of
the fact ..
The WEATHER.-We know not what effect |
the shutting up of the bar-rooms ON Sunday is
calculated 20 have upon the general moral
thermometer bat certain IL is that sweltering
humanity in the capital never looked fresher
OF more wholesome than this mornipg-al-
though the sun is blazing away with forty
furnace power, up AMI down our broad and
shelterIess avenues, which seem 10 have been
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