The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-05-20

the rate of three minutes of - dcgrte for more
than one hundred years, prior to the annuar
eclipse Of the sun of 10th June 1906 did,
within one week from that date. rcccdc from
the north towards the west forty-f five minutes
of a degree which is equal to the whole dis.
lance it had advanced from the west towards
the north in the fifteen years preceding that
eclipse. That for at least six or eight years
after that eclipse the needle remained station
AIRY, and tlat between the years 1871 and
1928, it rcccdcl still further from the north
towards the west, at the rate of two minutes
of dc gree per annlnn: with the reasonable
expectation that persons who can command
the use Of good surveyors compass will be
pleased to follow the suggestions contained in
these remarks, as to the establishing of true
meridian and taking Tie course thereof; or
that they will at least take the course between
some two fixed points daily, for at least one
week before and one week after the cclips of
Goth May, instant; being careful to place the
compass where it will not be affected hy local
a traction, so as to ascertain whether any
change, and if any, the amount and the di
rcction Of the change which may then take
pace in the magnetic needle.
Very respectfully JOHN R-ANDEL, Jr.
Mr. lofk, May 10Th, 1854.
To THE AMERICAN Association FOR THE AnvlycE-
MEAT OF SrlENcE:--
Remarks the nnnuar .lipsp fthc SIN nf IG.l,
of I'M n an Ma, ri,tt ,tt
needle observed ut Alb my. in the State oi New
York By joins RiNpEL. .Jr.. oithc city of New
York, civil engineer and member of the Amelic IN
Association for the advancement Of Science -
was present at the Smi;ilsoui N Institution on
Suturl y. 20;h April. when Prof. Alexander. of
rincct' H. made "SurScs ions relative to the obsrr-
Walton f he annular eclipse OF the sun Of NJ V ~.
lS1l, and n no suggestion WIS then made $50 FIR
rs ci rrcpiIccil. ~ to tbc eNpc iicucy Of noticing
whether not the magnetic nee He wou in any
WY bee if"c.ci thereby HIn induced to submit for
ihc consider 'tion "f nc Assa'ir ior the following
Statement of rlcE. in relation IL the ii .ti"H " the
needle. Viii ii took place at the city Of Nlh ny,
within two weeks. viz: one week prior and SuhSr-
Iucnt to The nnnul II eclipse of the san. stli june.
iS1! and subsequent thereto.
Willie a stn lent Of engineering in the Office of he
Late Simeon Dc Witt. Of Alhny. surveyor Ec!cril
of the Stlte of New York, was employed hy Chan
,cil"r Lansing Of that city, to survey and lay out
INTO streets and city lots piece osground of about
forty acres in the lower part ofthat city. which at
that time. Vas more than fourth of mile from
any building or other local attraction.
About one week before III aunul,r eclipse of The
sun. 10Th of June, lSGd | surveyed that piece of
ground. king the courses and length of lines along
its outer bounds with great ere, and III tie map
of HE same. with the plan for streets and lots To he
subsequently lnl out on the ground. As al this
lime was requested by General De Witt t" aid IN
making preparations for observing this eclipse and
after lis "cr"rcncr to make duplicate ,iru,inns of
the results derived thcrclruni. | did no, resume Ily
survey until about one week If er the eclipse. when
| was surprised 10 find hu the course Of every one
OF these lines taken by only two weeks previous
thereto. differed IT, minutes of degree that is the
magnetic needle had rccc,lcd frnin the north towards
the west that distance; whereas its previous annual
VARIATION from the earliest settlement of our coun-
try. had been taken ut only three minutes Of de-
gree, ana thHt, too in II contrary direction, viz 4
from the west towards the north.
Upon the discovery Of this strange occurrence; Il
stopped my work and returned to the surveyor
General, To whom | comnrnc tied this fIct. Wei
Immediately examined the compass used by me inl
this survey ut was one of David RittcuhouSeS hest
make and h I'll been used by General he Witt in thcI
revolution. whilst gcosri phcr under Gen Washing
toni and we found the nonius or WERNER screwed
firmly to its proper place. the centre pin was WE'LL
pointed the cap Of the nee lie was clean. and thci
needle rvcrsed freely rs usual. and settled TO Si
state of rest by vibrations of regularly decreasing
distances and all its parts were in perfect working
order and repair.
While we were wondering what conli have caused.
the needle thus to have rcccdci this great 'istancc
f ON The north towards the west in 81 short time
and contrary to its former direction, Gen. DE Witt,
vcnturcd ii suggestion, that perhaps il had bccnI
c,u&cd by the cciIrsc--the suns rays passing oycrI
the moon. and carrying some of its pNr.icIcs to curl
n mos ihclc.
| have not now any distinct recollection of either
Gen. Dc W I or myself having any special obScrva-
tioEs to va f. this vIr alton of the needle unil thc
We 1907 But in September Of that year OK
amincl the course of several lines of streets in hc
city Of Albany rs well as the magnetic course of the
true merrill IN, which General Dc Wit had survey
ell and established in the year 1856. We also cX-
anined the course of the Great Western Turnpike
Rond-running from Albany to Cherry Valley and
Coopersown-as well as the Albany and Science
tady Turnpike Road, both of which had been sur
vcvcd by myself in 1905. and found in every in
stance that by making the usual allowance Of three
minutes Of II degree for the annHal variation of the
needle, from the west towards the north, from the
date of such surveys up to the time Of this eclipse Of
1906, would give us the same result. or within
very small fraction thereof; viz leaving 10 minutes
of degree for the rcccding of the needle from the
north towards tho west, which to my mind verified
the variation noticed by me in the survey of Chan
ccllor i.ansing's Albany property.
In the autumn of each year. for period of some
six eight years after this eclipse Of 1906 Joint
~ examined the variation Of the needle and it APP
pcared to US to remain about stationary-that is, to
remain ut about the same distance west of north
that ii was in 1907 and after the eclipse of 1906
In October, 1917 ] assisted General De Witt in
establishing merid IN line across the public square
in the city of Albany, Uhc particulars of which are
contained IN the second part OF the 4th volume of
the Transactions of the SOCIETY for the Promotion
of the Useful Ars,) the needle was then found to
point ) deg. Al min
to the west of north An observation
made the lst Of August, 1918, showed
ii t. be ) - As -
and on the oath April 1925, between
and 10 clock A. NJ. il was exactly /" 90 =
all of which showed that there had been. from 1917
to 1879 retrogradc motion Of the needle OF about
two minutes year.
About the winter of 1907 General De Witt COM
muncatcd to the Legislature of the STATE of n York;
the fact that sudd IN change had taken place inI
the direction Of the magnetic needle; and that, nj
large portion of the lands belonging to the Stae ns
well as others. had been laid out by the compass.
and that incalculable mischief might cnsuc if the;
annual amount of such variation could not he cor
rcc,ly asccrtancd. he recommended that the ncccs-
siry steps should be taken in the different countics
to establish true mcridians, and to observe and re-
cord annually the course thereof, &c.
The Legislature authorized the Surveyor General
to have this done; but making appropriation tos
meet the expenses thereof he could only issue cir
culars to his deputies and to some other surveyors
in different parts of the State, insrucng them as to
the best mode of establishing a meridian line, ant
requesting them to examine and take the of it
and of other wellestablishcd lines, previously sur
veycd by themselves and by Others in whom they