Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-08-07
# Denver were located bv the Rev Pr

OF Denver, were located by the ReV. Dr.
Swazey and Professor Burnhan,. of
Chicago, the former Of whom might
have been seen, in the convenien
shadow Of the barn with a table
of lagarithms, figuring intently. AT the
same place were professor Ingersoll, of
Columbia college; president Rogers, of
Christian college, Missouri; and profess
sor Turner of Kentucky. Universally
a smile of cheerful CONTEXT illuminated
their faces when the subject of the
weather was preached. Next, half
mile north, was the tent of the Chicago
astronomical society, with Prof. Colbert
presiding. The Princeton college, led
by the distinguished astronomer, Prof.
Young, and assisted by Profs
Bracket and lockwood, of j Prince
ton; Professor Grant, Of Chicago,
and nine young men from the col
lege, was located two miles further
northwest, near Cherry Creek. This
party was by far the best equipped of
any in the vicinity, and has spent nearly
month on the ground in preparation
Their instruments were q large teles-
cope with connected spectroscope, used
by Professor Young, comet seeker;
several good smaller telescopes; =, a
double telescope with prism, used by
Profs lockwood and Grant, four pho
tographic instruments, and a prismatc
spectroscope, besides many smaller in
struments. Mr.. lanyard, secretary
of the Royal Astronomical Socie-
ty, also, made independent OBJ
servations in connection with this
this party at Pixies Peak. Our univer-
sal friend, Old Probabilities, had taken
his station; also Prof. Langley with a
large supply of instruments. The pre-
vaiIing belief was that their station was
poorly selected, on account of danger
from haze and clouds. 1t is now
thought that their view was unobstruct-
ed owing to the wonderful clearness of
the day At Schuyler, Prof: Stone, of
the Cincinnati observatory, selected IN
eligible location. while Mr. Edison, the
great genius of the age, with his
party, located at Ra Wins, Wyoming
Territory Special observations were
also taken by Professor Stockwell,
the well-known mathematician of
Cleveland;H Professor Cove, formerly
of Chicago, now uperintendent Of
schools here; Mr.. Nelson, of the RaitUoy
Review; Professor Snow, of Sacram ento,
and Professor Snow, of Lawrence, Kan.
At 2:19 all, eyes were directed eagerly
to the sun, and, according to prediction,
in few seconds the first contact was
seen to take place Nothing of special
interest was developed until the appear
ance of Venus, and later of Mercury,
which was to-day seen for the first time
| by hundreds of people. AS the tOtality
approached, search was made by par
ties not interested in watching the cor
ona for Encke's comet, which
was calculated to be above the
| horizon. The mountains on the edge.
Of the moon were very plainly visible
about half an hour after the first con-
tact Madame Gretner, spiritualist
went last night to the sun in spirit, to
find the position of Vulcan. So far,
| however, it has not been reported as
seen by the eye of science.
The Vassar college scientists, directed
by Professor Maria Mitchell, OBJ
served from the Sisters Hospital Hill,
| the highest prominence northwest
of the city. This distinguished in
structress was aided by four cory
phees, all alumna Of the college, and
the manner in which three of them
warmed as many excellent glasses,
while fourth took rapid sketches in
oils of the great phenomenon was an
attraction to the gaping, yet respect
| fully distant, multitude of masculines,
almost as absorbing as the eclipse.
Prof. Mitchell herself, as with iron-gray
hri,
med Leghorn, she swept the hea-.
.vens with four-inch telescope, or di--
rected with native majesty and grace
the operations of her assistant nymphs,
was figure, and perfectly command
! ing. No one, on seeing her Iunsparing
exertions, which insured the signal sue
cess of the observations, would have
imagined her physical strength equal
to the mastery lecture delivered by
the lady in the evening before
a theorizing audience, upon the astron-
omer Herschel The party was success
full in fixing the time Of the beginning
and end of the observation, and also
with great nicely, the exact dura-
ton of totality, on which point
the labors of the ~, Chicago obser-
vatory explorers were not SO salts
factory. Three planets discovered their
beauties to the ladies-Mercury, Venus,
| aud Mars-and perfect myriad ofstars..
The great result of this eclipse cannot be
fully known until the professors can
compare notes, but all express .satisfac-
ton. Many very perfect photographs
were taken Of the crescent and corona,
and the spectroscopic observations were
specially successful.
NJ Professor Colbert reports that his OBJ
servations tend to show that the moons
path in the heavens lay a little farther
| to the southwark than indicated by the
! lunar ables, or else that the esti-:
mate of the moons diameter is too.
large. +. ,.oe. ou. aaf Ha..s3a d;..
Perhaps the measures made by Mr..
| yesterday indicated that the corona ex-
tended out on an average about twenty
| ~,