New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-07

/
Dr. Henry Draper Professors Holden and Barker were
each gazing through separate telescope. Professor j.
| W. Draper was calling off the minutes OF Washington
time DR. Daniel Draper sitting with pencil in hand
ready TO note any announcement. Mrs. Henry Draper
| was sitting before chrouograph and ebronometer'
and was tapping seconds with hammer on o plate,
| calling every tenth second aloud II phonograph had
been at work taking down the sounds the record would
| have been somewhat as follows:
Professor j. W. Draper Ten O'Clock"
Tap, tap, tap" from Mrs. DrapcI's hammer. nine
sixty" Professor Draper utters the word 90 .,..,
Washington tune So taps 20 on, aid ten seconds are
announced, ana two" I" three" and at last four"
Keep them out~ said DR.. Draper, pointing to the
atuccd door Some visitors were on TIE point o enter
the lip within Professor Iodcns lips were moving az
II In prlyer-he was counting me ScGonas rs tney were
tapped of his eye etfli close 70 the telescope:
Al that moment Professor Hoidcns left hand began to
guide pencil over scrap OF paper be was still peeihg
through the Telescope and writing without iSoKnf AT
that sent electric signal to the chronosIapn. which
that instrument recorded automatically. stiil the ham.
| twenty" etc up 70 sky" was sounded. shortly
after Professor Draper had uttered seven" Professor
Holden swung his head from beneath the telescope ana
.'Thc planet is on the sun"
Instantly the counting stopped, tOr the work OF
| observing the hrst t|O contacts was over
Immediately took Professor Holdeps place Ct
the l2nch refractOr. Yes there was the black speck,
10 biager than pa-head. Just inside tne p ,
telescope But scarcely Tor second was the DaeA spot
stationary il danced II spun around seif like water
beetle it ybrated II Il ultimate atom under
taking 90 fiu space ia AL directions around it,
-" Boils Ike pot contemplii0nsly shd PROFESSOR
facts was Of little yalne. Presently Professor Barker
came ~ from the hiteennch Newtonan reflector when
experience II anything The antics OF Mercury
had made mere whir in crossing the edge ANA neither
external nor internal contact had boon exactly Cd
served.
BETTER FORTUNE AT NOON.
The causc of failure may be briefly stated The morn
ing air had been very COOL the suns rays were very
bot; hence the heat unoquay distributed through
the atmosphere. This Occasi0ned such appearance
when object is viewed the top Of hot stove,
chimney. No word describes this effect better than
"bOing"; the edge OF the sun seemed rising In Jumps
like water IN a state OF ebuon. The apparent move
mcnt OF Mercury in the rejecting telescope was
more Of whir; It reminded Of what
schoo.-boys call "A "messenger," sent up to
a kite, and spinuing unoyeHy while going up the
string. But tins condition OF the atmosphere, DIR.
Draper said, unusual in the morning, and would
probably pass away toward noon or afternoon. lie
busted himself from time to time taking photographs Of
the transit. In this there was much better success
achieved. and tho definition Of the planet the sun,
shown ~ phoiograrhs' gTaGu1iy, lmiroEftid. me
taxing tho whole solar surface Mercury on these Is tho
size oil a pu-head-say ls2 OF an inch.
At noon the transit telescope set TO work, To
record the transit OF the and Of Mercury the
meridian. There are several crOss-Wnes in this insu
mCut and an observation obtained Of either The
planet other limb Of the sum- over every wire
ryrept two or three which were Obscured by clouds
Practically this equivalent 10 eight good OBJ
Of McrCurys transit, instead OF the four
doubtful which at most could be OBJ
tanned when the planet crosses the suns
edges There Is another great advantage. The
observations contacts with the edge can give only
the longitude Of the planet they throw very little Eht
the latitude. The transit observations give atl
udc well ~ longitude ana photographs do the SANE
Fortunately Of The photographs was taken during
the transit observations. and will be SIN farther
cneck upon them. Dr. Draper was nan via Win de-
light at the success Of tho noon transit performance
Pointing 10 the record on the Chronograph be said
YOU were 10 cover that cylinder WIN hundred-d9at
bills. wouldn't take them III place oil that record
But while the photographs grew sharper, the sky he
gan to be frequently clOuded few drops Of ram
cl, and work suspended long enough While the shy
lunch at Dr. Diapers residence. Through riffs IN the
quiIed tenth OF second exposure In all there were
ter DR. Draper said than my which were taken by tue
observers Of the transit OF Venus.
THE INSTRUMENTS.
Four telescopes used and non astronomical read
crs mnst pardon brief statement OF their character
The transit telescope which did the good work at
ia of pinch and 2G-nch focus The equatorial
at which Professor Holden observed the contacts is
l2nch Clark reractor the front surface Of the object
glass was syered dixie mirror, but tbiny),
TO throw of heat and reduce light IL found
necessary 10 bring this down a G-nch aperture,
and TO put red glass also, using a power
OF 90 Instead OF 800, as was intended. Another
Tetracug telescope, men WAS HlsO pre-
pared for use bat the magnityng power found, at
the last moment, high, and there not time to
change IT, The photographs were taken by means Of
Cas-cgIain rejecting telescope, whose mirror (lNer
iassD mas diameter OF 274 inches. Dr. Barker had
the management OF "A NcWtOnian rejecting tclt
scope with lJ-inch mirror also silver kass Both
the rejecting telescopes Eject inches long. All
the telescopes had connecting wires that observers
by touch OF the finger 10 telegraph key
made their record the chrOnOgraph VIII Oh III turn
was kept busy recording ITS revolutions by means
o. "a seconds chTOnuInctrr connected with II by cleo
ricity. Its records Of seconds with jog for every
tenth second would have been continuous; but when
observer at telescope touched telegraph key IL made
break IN record and thus recorded the observation.
There were all varieties time around the observatory
Washington time, sidrreal tme Ncw-lOrk time. Hast
ng6-O. he Hudson tme aud When any body asked what
O'Clock Il the DNariaDle reply was, WBat time do
| you prefer I"
10 late TO give results yet but on the whole, the
Hastings observatory Will be prepared TO give good
O itself one observation on the first contact,
known To made after the actual occurrence, gives
MAY ,, - hours, minutes. 40 seconds Washington
| the times predicted for FIRST aud second con
| facts, a. indeed it should be; but the Obserya-
ton j. of special value, being indefinite. The third
and fourth observed with greater success,
ana the figures will probably serve good purpose The
noon transit observations and the photographs
cellent Neither Dr. Barker, who specially sought for
H. nor any other OF the observers At Hastings, any
rings halo around Mercury. The remark with which
Dr. Barker closed the performance "slck transit gor-
iUus Monday" did IL great injustice. W. Z. ".
POISONED BY MISTAKE.