The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-05-08
AN INDIANA SCIENTIST.
The Quaker Shoemaker Who Has Made
Himself an Astronomer.

:
was instrumental in inducing Represents,
tive Charles S. Hubbard, in the Indiana
legislature, to bring forward and carry
through successfully the project of found
ing an asylum for feeble minded children
But spiceland has another distinction,
Il has the beet practical astronomer in In.
daana, In the shape of q shoemaker, who
earns his daily bread (for he is poor by
cobb,lng. l found every circumstance
so interesting connected with this as
tronomer, that am sure the readers of
the Journal will also find an interest in
9 sketch of his pursuit of knowledge
under more difficulties than those of the
Elder Herscbell, or of James Ferguson,
the Scotch astronomer. William Dawson
IS the name Of the Quaker shoemaker
and asssonomer, who made his own tele
scope, constructed his own observatory,
and who for more than twenty years has
furnished the Smithsonian Institute and
the. Meteorological bureau at Washington
with valuable statistics and observations
Last month 1 was invited TO deliver a
course of lectures in Spiceland, aud when
walking with Clarkson Davis, tie prin-
cipsl of the academy. I noticed house
constructed With dome. inquired of
Mr.. Davis if that was an observatory con-
nected with the academy! He replied:
mo, it Is private observatory, built by
very excellent and worthy man, shoe:
maker, William Dawson, who constructed
his own telescope, and is truly prof
clent.iu astronomy"
| asked for an introduction, and in
few moments was talking with quiet,
plain Looking, intelligent man, who was
half-soijng pair of rough cowhide boots,
for rustic customer, who sat by in his
stocking feet I dc not know when l
have more enjoyed an hour than when
listening to this humble, unpretentious
Quaker shoemaker, who most unostenta-
tlously and learnedly discoursed of as
tronomy and meteorology as Upon his
cobbler's form he stitched and ham,
mered,' like Writers cobbler keezeu,
that slough old Teuton" OF the old CO. >
NAL days. ....-.
learned that Dawson was born In
Stark county, Ohio, but was taken by bis
parents when two years old to Cadiz,
Henry county, Indiana. He had only the
advantage of a common school education.
For his reading, the books were few, but
he had access to the New Castle Courier,
and the weekly religious paper of tue So
ciety OF Friends. His thirst for .inowl
edge, was, however, intense, and not one
of the characters which figure in Smiles
'Self-help" ever struggled more brayely
in the acquisition of knowledge. He
began early 10 study the phases Of the
weather, to observe clouds and winds,
and to note the degrees of heat and cold
on common thermometer. His atten-
tion went higher, and sun, moon and
stars in their diurnal and annual revolu-
t:ors intensely interested him. As he
grew older, and by his trade of shoe
maker and cobbler he obtained little
means, re studied optics, and finally
could command small telescope. But
his means were limited. He informed
ne that in the most Flush: times ne
never made more than $500 in year
and that in the last few years, on ac-
count of the heavy importation Of ready
made boots and shoes from the Fest, he
has rarely reached $500 with which to
supply himself and family altogether
four persons.
In 1854 he began to keep regular
record of thermometrical and baromctri-
cal observations. Six wears later the
Smithsonian institute heard of him and
wrote to him, asking him to make and
keep observations for the meteorological
bureau. After the first year the officers of
the bureau found his report so accurate
and reliable that they begged him to
send them copy Of all his operations
since 1854. He received a few instru-
,ho ~
Smithsonian institute, ana this has con-
stitutcd all his compensation for years
and years of nights and days OF regular
observations. Unfortunately. when he
began bis contributions for the institu te
the powers that be at Washington had
cease to grant to their observers certain
instruments necessary for accurate OBJ
servations; among these are the psychom-
eter and some other instruments Since
the bureau of meteorology has Der n trans
ferred to the war department the powers
at Washington are not more liberal, and
am sorry 10 say that VIM. Dawson, who
cannot afford to apy these instruments.
suffers for the wansof them.
/ learned many Interesting facts from
Mr.. DIN regard to the weather in the
last quarter OF a century. In answer to
my question :"What have been the coolest
day in Henry county since 1S54?' he
replied without turning to a record. and
without ceasing hammering his leather.
10Th and 10th Of January, 1856, when at
IA. N. my Fahrenheit thermometer indi-
Gated 25 deg. below zero; and on the Sd
of January, 1879, when at Z A. NJ. my
present accurate thermometer gave 90
4 hnTN sI1 I1,,$ h.
~ would inform thee that the ther-
mometer employed in 1856 was an ordi
nary Fahrenheit. and not the present
more exact instrument which J
possess; ana have found out that there
is tendency in ordinary thermometers to
mark higher degree Of heat and lower
degree of cold than the fine and proved
instruments sent fran Washington"
Henry county, he informed me, is the
highest land in the State of Indiana, the
barOmetrical observations showing that
Knightstown is about 800 teet above the
level OF the sea, while Spiceland is 1.G25
feet above the plane where the Mississip-
pI waters mingle with those of ,be Gulf
Of Mexico. My brother Calvin had in
formed me that Indianapolis is the low
est place in the interior of the State. Mr..
Dawson confirmed this. The lowest
place absolutely IN the State is New EIar-
NOR y, which is only $50 feet above the
gulfot Mexico. Aurora, Dearborn county
IS 500 fee. above the level Of the sea.
- But the most interesting portion of
sny of my interviews with Mr.. D. was
!. that which related to astronomy. Here,
by his own sharp economies, in which
his whole family shared, he managed to
save enough to order Of Avian Clark
S Son (the famous telescope opticians
of Cambridge, Mass. object glasses. eye
glasses and rejecting eye pieces. These
alone cost him between $500 and $500. He
sent to Dublin and Knightstown, Ind.
for zlDc, brass Sc, and with these con
structed the tube of his telescope. L
mounted to his observatory with him.
This observatory he planned SO that it
rests upon the central portion of his
3 s-auso Th.. 6Omo of oo,,eoo ro~,nfx,o,