The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-08-22
A Robber who Must have Known
Something.

For some days past there has been
considerable excitement in certain Cir
cles over q robbery which, in its pecu-
liarity, has had no precedent in this
country. The scene of the affair was
the Allegheny Observatory, with which
all our readers are acquainted, and the
circumstances, so far as they are known,
are as follows: Professor Langley had
been absent on professional business for
several days and returned OH the 7th
about ten o'clock. He repaired imme-
diately to the observatory OH the hill
above Allegheny, and found everything
in perfect order, an assistant having
been in charge during his absence.
After the inspection of the premises, he
and the assistant closed the place Sc
curely and left for their lodgings. The
next morning upon returning to the
building they were astonished to find
that it had been broken into, and a val
liable part of the property carried off.
The burglar or burglars were acquaint-
ed with the building, and it would seem
were of scientific turn of mind. En-
trance had been effected by prying open
the window in the west wing. The
burglar having once gained admittance
directed attention to the large equato-
rial telescope. This had been left the
evening previous pointing skyward, and
in the morning was found reversed, and
the large object-glass gone. The glass
was held in its place by bolts, and to q
person acquainted with the machinery
its removal would be but the work of a
few minutes.
This, evidently was the object of the
burglary, as nothing else in the place
was disturbed. Indeed, great care
seemed to have been exercised that
nothing else should be taken. A few
tools which had been on the window
sill were found in their places i'll the
morning, and the window was carefully
closed, so that casual observer would
not have known that the place had been
entered. The great object-glass, which
was the prize carried off, was made by
the late Henry PITT, of New York, and
was one of the largest in the country
thirteen inches in diameter-being sur
passed only by those in the Cambridge
and Chicago observatories. The direct
loss to the observatory management will
be heavy, as the glass could not be re-
placed for less than $4,000.
But there is in addition the "conse-
quential damages" which in this case
must be allowed. Professor Langley
was engaged in making some important
observations, and for this purpose the
telescope was in daily use; but his in
vestigations, by this unfortunate loss,
have been interrupted, and cannot be re-
sumed until the glass is replaced; the
telescope without it is valueless. The
making of such glass is difficult and
tedious matter, and new one, laying
aside the pecuniary feature, could not
be procured perhaps for months.
The motive which tempted a burglary
of this kind was not one of ordinary Gu
pidity, as the glass is useless, unless in
the telescope, and as a piece of merchan-
disc would be difficult to dispose of. We
are inclined to believe that there are nc
enemies to this noble institution in oul
community, and hence this spoliation
seems inexplicable. The other ma
chinery is not disturbed. The instru-
ments for the regulation of time to city
clocks and railroad chronometers are in.
dependent of the great telescope, and
the usefulness of the observatory in thi;
respect will not be interfered with. Sc
soon as the robbery became known
special detectives were employed, anG
every effort made to ferret out the per.
petrators or perpetrator, but thus fal
these efforts have been of no avail
Pittsburgh Gazette.