New-York tribune., 1868-08-24
THE TOTAL ECLIPSE IN 1862
Fditor of rhf rriblne.

70 me Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: l was much interested in reading the
account in THE TRIBUNE Of the 18th Of the total eclipse
Of the occurring in the equatorial regions OF the
Eastern hemisphere and in common with students ana
scholars the world shall look with interest Tor the
report OF the saya1s who took observations on lts m
the scientific world which may have been revealed Dv
the tempOrary observation OF the great central unay
And this{ reminds me OF what / have not yet seen
notced in any Of the papers that the next event OF the
season" tas the auoera of the breakfast table wond
OF total eCpses will be visible unless III
TOO dark throughout the entire central portion OF the
When IN college more than Is years ago. traced with
the utmost interes ho track OF total eclipse OF the sun
securripg on the Tth of August 1852 and from the
putations then made send few notes which Will be Of
Interest TO the general reader, trusting theeby 10 pro
woke from some Of our professors more elaborate
treatise on eepses and history OF remarkable eepses
iOr centuries past and 10 come . -
And / would further premise that am by no means
willing that total eclipse, got mp as II We're iOr
a home exhibition should be outdone by the magnncenee
OF this Oriental affair All the clements OF grahu 0p
Scnraon are as favorable in 1869 now There Is but
little variation from year to year IN the time when the
about the st OF July while the eclipse will occur lO days
earlier August thus finding the sun more han ten dc
0rees nearer its apogee than in the eclipse OF this year
On the other hand owing TO the difference IN he ehgh
OF the sderia and synode months the one DelIg niue
than 23 and the other htte more tha ~ uay
the will be in her pergee the thirteenth tlne ~
about 254 days which is the twelth new moon, ann I'M
August T. 1862 so that on that dats Tue moon VIZ
again be found nearly IN her pergee ana able U niue the
sun over belt 100 miles wide. ,., - -, a
The only point upon which the Orentas can claim al
vantage over US lies in the fact that the track OF te
eclipge the equator NneTe the
greatest rotary motion of the earth exists thus eaong
the to follow along III the shadow as long a.
possible while the track Of the eclipse OF 1902 vi" he at
noon across newly acquired territory OF Alaskd
which the north pole as scarcely 10 seem 10
move all trust however, II Is not An undue assulp
Of national vanity to suggest that this seeming DIS
advantage is than compensated by the superior
qulekness Of observation Of the Yankee over the MOI
gOiaD
But TO the notes Of the eclipse The win rise ecpsed
in the interior Of Siberia the morning Of Aug 1902
whence the shadow viii move in Dortheasteriy dlrte,
ton; then turning eastwardly and sOutheastWardy VIII
pass Behring's Straits and Northern Alaska ABOUT
nOOn local tune Thence, moving across part OF bTllll
North America it will reenter the United states IN oh
tana, between and p m, local time. MOVING tbehce
across Western Nebraska II will pass dagOnay through
Iowa. pas sng Sioux City, DesMOlnes ana keokuk
O'clock. Thence IL Will still 70 the sOutheast
Jacksonville, Ill, acTees Southern INDIANA CehtSi
Kentucky Eastern Tennessee into aud across NOrth Car
ona and will touch the seacOast IN Pamlco sound-ahu
will hnahy the earth not far from che Bermudas
IL Will be visible in all paris OF the United states @d
total over belt about miles wide along the line just
indicated the sun being hid more than four minutes
Nghtened nations whose learned men made the cfct OF
the gbe witness the eehpse In the Eat Lei US make
amede tahng aOst aoeufaee observations during THIS
eclipse Iowa College, at Gnnnel, Illinois college, az
Jacksonville Center College at Danye Kentucky, and
the University of North Carolina at Chapel BILL, are All
nearly IN the central line Of ObscuratOn and the capitals
OF four States the pathway Montana stands
far out 10 the west TO intercept while yet the sun
high in the heavens
III scientific men are stationed along les whole pathway
at intervals OF say 100 miles II VIII be impossible that
eouds should obsruct the observations along the whole
course.
Let this be done and let the United States d. Justice to
the science within her own borders remember
ing that for centuries this country will witness nothing
IKE II again. . v WHITE
Brooklyn Aug. %, 1868