New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-26
VENUS DURING TRANSIT.
OBSERVATIONS AT WLADTVOSTOK.

Rear Admired C. II. DAVIS s. NiUy Presi lent Of o. S.
Commission on Transit Of Venus
SIR: i have the honor to present to the
Commission folio wing report the operations OF the
party sent 10 wanvosok. East Siberia TO observe tho
Transit of Venus Dee. g. 1915:
This party consisted OF Mr.. o. b. Wheeler, assistant
astronomer; MI. u. r Clark, chef photographer MT
s. TappaD, fist assistant Photographer; MeSsrs' u.
Jewett Rockwell aul I. NJ. Llcey, second assistant
photographers; Mr. W. r. Gardner, instrument imaker'
and myself az chief OF party. lett Washington July H.
IsT4 and met M,ssrs. Clark, Tippan, Rockwell ana
Lacey IN Chicago July H. We reached San Francisco
July a. and were joined there by Mr.. Wheeler on tue
raj and by Mr.. Gardner on the 2s1 Mr. T0omas halIF
son OF the Naval Observatory and Mr.. Gardner IN
charge OF tho instruments OF all tho northern parties
made the Journey from Washington TO San FRANCISCO on
freight trans We sailed from San Francisco July Is 10
the Pacific Mail steamship Alaska, Capt Van sce' ana
reached Yokohama Aug. 20 AT that port we were trans
feed to the steamship GSn Age capt " s rsScbSS
Nagasski Aug. So At Nagasan We were grstin s 70
iSstruoiions from washington had made all the neces
sary Tor immediately sending the parties
20 their destinations. o. Sept We went on board tas
u. s. stoaner Ksarsarge. Capt d. b. H1rmony u :.
Navy. and the same day left Nagasax LOT ,
baggage and lnstrunents -
Tue counTy around Wladlvostok Is hilly and We
could Rad O0y site sc the time suitable for our OBJ
servatOrv, AID convenient TO our lodgings Tns was on
an elevated ridge uelr the center OF the town put IL was
open to He north and west winds AMI these were 50
violent that naaly chose site ON the point OF land
Though tar site was about mile distant IRON our
lodgings. Here we found excellent ground elevator 70
south an southwest. Tue erection OF our transit pier
was Immediately begun A mole was dug nye feet DC
low the surface ground aud good pier WAS
built OF Chinese tiles an1 lime mortar. wooden euro
was built aIOuul the per- leaving space Of six or eight
inches slde aud tue eartn was packed around
this euro TGc.dust hOnSe was pat up 10y Mr. Meagher,
carpenter OF tie Koarsrye assisted by the carpenters
OF tno ship, aud TAO transit Instrument mounted.
The holes thea dug for The iron nCces the erection
OF the equatorial pier ana house gO at the same
a
ground was found 20 be u very hard clay mixed WIN
Tae locs we're sunk 10 a depth Of between Ave and
Fix feet aud tue bottoms were covered win mixture
OF broken stone AMI water cement. The nOrtd per-
with ugo tbe lower end wds place ~ this oeDehteI
foundation. tile VS. placed Jnd.r tue south pier. y
solid naSCn.wo.A OF siO"e ANA water cement was butt
tO the bisht O Hreo ieet around the bottom OF edca
Vler Tne earth was then filed IN around the south
per- but i0r th3 hOfh pier layer OF sawdust ~ uehes
Ia thiCn pot al tbs top and over TINS Was built
In tue clock and chrOngraph from great
changes oil tcmperature. aud also IRON the wiad
small Ddt sJu; Oi ANA ait tchcd to the Pho
tosrapLie hou, aut Ia IL wtre PLACED the GoGk ana
tho ITlist "A support ana covering were
built fOr The mcasurns-rOi ana board fence
bclOsat per. fho were tIen hraced from the
ground ana JInSod WIN diet 10 the h2ht OF four feet
warm enough 10 work cienicsis and prevent
IIgu., i1ssa1 Stove or Uck furnace, was
buit midway Oo."erI ihls mouse ana Tao eiock house,
and Oute.do cacL of these houses was buit another
house. tHcIss Larger, and the interval tween flied
win slwdL5,. a p4It.ou was OdlC across the cock
rUOH ana tno c ca and ch0nOgrdpn were placed in the
by sailors VINO acted guard ami frem
Tue woh wen forward o"Iy oar o1 Ost Is the onid-
month small nOu'e was gn up near our l9igngs Tor
st g, 40 VIE 1Sc eau4oral hpss The WINDS
at HauyOstoG aIe extremely violent, and the roof
Of tuls hOI.' 90 designed 10 gave wlndSa
strong hUd OIL. FI1ahS posts SGT firmly IN
the ground bored Ia the roof of the hJuse,
strong rOcs passed. rodld the In IN rditrrS aud m1de
10 tuc p,ts. 10 kocp the wiId our Of tue house.
ncurtain maize VI Uid canvas, furnished by Capt
fIarin,HY, and nailed the ROOF aud drawn down
arOupd UOdy UI tDe house. Ia THIS way the roo
secure, ana wIuI an snow were In COCA degree
kept house. Bat at tire same time the house
rcuGeIeJ uoary useless Tor ordinary obs ryalons
w,roIi uaus.r OF having te roof hlo"n OF 4ud
oar equatorial broken. Ahorwdrd regretted NOT nav
tug followed tuc pan proposed ~ Capt Harmony, aud
Nv ir,l 49,, Go1, grdiu, ilIt l,nc, from the
iusiie. anu 5rKH VITA Jrt 90 ht outside and let
tuc pltbn, tcW eoV HDJTo tIe caves OF the
r.ui; uut L hai uco Ia DuitAng tBa.
very I.dca Gislkod uddetGAAiIg alyt hids more il
Niadvostok.
OBSERVATIONS WITH THE TRANSIT INSTRUMENT.
TAe trd IoIt Instrument. S.acE pole, NJ. l,5)S
mounted sept l3 and preliminary rvIions for time
were made order - d2tcGn.uo tho position OF the in
strument and he irJa piers. moridiln mark was
set on bin lIT feet north OF the pier, and this mark
was ult the Latter part OF work to ADJUST the
Esimuth AMI c,limaton errors OF the transit. On
mounting thS lusrHhcI', IL found that the prism
i the Cu1o hd been Hrci slightly oui OF place. 50 tnat
adicst tue cJliOb error II was necessary g. move
the rsti,ule ht,ie 0i the Ceutcr OF heic As
pr.m we fOunI htniy nX ID IN position it WAS not
disfuIucd At Gr>t E4dch troubled with brass
nnEg5 AMI uGt IL ing on thc vines OF In, retcue, so
that tie ias.rGmel was tdAeh apart and cleaned By
Lr GardnHr auj self. ANA l'Ee qIdntiy or brass
CHIPS anu 1inks taken Odt OF d large inequality
of pIvOis soon shown. Inc tue" OF the telescope
taken of, ana level readings ere made at various
attitudes from the z'uth TO ne hOrz north aud
tue correction for ia qd.ly very large, being for
CLAMP west Oz77 The sgu OF tuts correction uUi-
~ o' ono ussyliJn OF tho ln5tru.Eeni, w, tue
telescope pOiuudg hOIZDutaly south, when the above
CORE o. lou nearly Tle bearings or the rivOts
are after the IO advocated for many years BY
Major straHS, 81 Engllnd, which s "a partial return TO
80 Is.sy arr yw
tine lower part away These hearings arc 1915 OF a0
inch eRsth, aud ualcs tue fittings are perfect may
give the Instrument waU0ug motion III altitude Tho
strdDg ieve c0Gd nos BE- used ness the telescope was
turned neui, 90 from TIE z,ll;h and from the
region wGeo VI che tlme stars are found. Tue
suit Of these sgemeut Is q maze tho level cOrrec
lion TO some rxtcut an unkuown qdIutlty. Alter some
filing anu d j lsineut reversing carriage worked
we'll altuo observations were lOst ~ the car
stchlaz IS. IA reVcI~llE "a cOid hlsis 1t was
es4g exercise the reversing apparatus for few
minutes netOIa UegnuiLg OJ5crVIlJLs
Tue arraucuIneut tue beat tub5 convenient
for obscrYlE vi p aa tho lGstrGment steady
position Uu! i1e idt'et part OF NoyoDoeT wheh Sc
we're irosts dstucUed cue per ~ he liee SPIRIT
furnished ins instrument bt the maker, two were
utterly worthless, aud tae thri depi 10 DO uoed
only ~ case 81 necessity bti14e cit Washington an
eXce,len. level vas made for me D. Mr hurdenlann,
Which was a.,d latitude obs rSdtiOIs, aud
iaLeb,ei ~ Pro-" Watson Tor MuriemtnA level which
was used 40 " 5r"iaG 'syJL
These observations VIII be found Time hooks No
and No. 3 Inc break circuit ehrOnoncter, Negus,
seryauODs until NV u, "h-l me Howard clock, GO,
was brC1sn. no as" 1' 0HA s o ~ len Sood ao
change of rae; out afer Nov. a Us performance
very good. 100 Htp;-HlI6uesy csfJIOgraph, No. 8,
performed veil uutl, day or transit, Waen IL took
peiyolso iuru, BIT stid made a l3siU.e record TLc
chrogogr4 h sots containing th' vOrd OF all our o.
sefyaLOns Ur lime viii DO OuH1 accompanying books
Nos. ana 3 1IesJ sheets nave been read Oh, and
have made prciln nary rr1uc Of Tue observations,
the position the stars being tlKen from the list
OF go stlrS pubIsaCd at y rim
SIGNALS BETWEEN AMERICAN PARTIES
Ny orders directed make arrdD senens at Ma
gasah with Prot Dyi i5oa, Ia charge OF the American
party there. for determining by OF tho tele-