Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-08-02
f1ne Business Improvement.
MESSRS. HARBOUR AND HaMu,ToN's NEW EsTAp

LTSHNENT.
Inc announcement was made in Tue STAR
several months since, that Messrs. Barbour and
hamilton had purchased the old grocery stand
for more than a quarter of a century oceunied
py Messfe George and Thomas Parker. on Pa.
avenue between 9th aud 9Th streets for the mr.
pose Oh reconstructing and fitting up for their
growing BUSINESS. Since that time corps of
"ofhHien nave been employed in making the
alterations and additions in accordance with the
plans OF Messrs. Barbour & Hamilton This
WORK embracesthe raising cfthe old structure one
story higher. and erecting a new part on the
rear emo Oh the lot extending the building
through 10 Il street. making one of the largest
and best arranged grocery establishments in the
OHlted states. equal to any in the largest COM
Hefciai cities. as acknowledged by all who have
Visted lt. The inside width is 43 feet by l4s in
iensth. from street to street, with cellar run
hliig pack one half the distance. The front has
not oeen changed in plan further than an
aoaitiohai story, and an appropriate cornice re-
CURED Inc windows are all of French
plate glass. and the deors and sash of the first
story made of the best Mexican mahogany
me private office of the proprietors will be on
the first floor near Pennsylvania avenue entrance.
tne CASHIERS Office next, and communicating
Win IL. The latter is to be octagon in form.
Win WINDOWS On every side, and the receiving
WihooWs on the east and west sides. Flanking
the east side OF this storyis to be the wine room,
WHICH taxes up the width of the side stairway
ihis room communicates with the wine cellar
pV STAIRS Beyond the wine room is q wash
room, water closets. and next is the Cowan ele-
Natof winch runs from the cellar to the foul1h
story. There will be two lines of counters run
mng the entire length of this floor and the
goods VIII be arranged in departments. with a
salesman TO each. who will be relieved from run
nilg 10 the cashiers room by boys with tickets
OF eacl sale. so that the statesmen will not be
aosent from their departments. The counters,
the shelving and the cases will all be of Mexican
{ n
walnut. me rear entrance from street is be-
ing ntted up in Almost convenient manner for the
reception and delivery of heavy packages. the
Sidewalk being laid of asphalt blocks and the
curo lowered down SO that wagons can back UP
TO the store, the floor of which will be on a level
WIN the wagons. The entire floors are laid
OF clear white oak flooring in narrow
STRIPS III inch thick and the floor timbers of the
pest ana strongest lumber. are laid into the
massive bllck walls. with iron column supports
IN the middle The b0Gkkeeper's Office will be
IN the second story front. out of the way of in
corruption. and Mushroom. Closets &C.. i'm the
same ROOM This story will be filled with a
miscellaneous stock OF merchandise. as will also
the third story. On the latter story will be
located the engine for working the elevator and
the coffee mills. pumps. &c. The fourth story
VIII be used for storing and maturing whiskies
where it will be next to the metal roof and in
wood. The cost of this establishment will reach
S55.0 600 and will require at least $3.50. 600 worth
OF stock to fill it. and about this amount of CAPT.
tai will be used to run it, Mr. c. c. Martin is
the contractor and Mr.. J. B. Hammond the
superintendent of the work.. 1t will be ready
Tor occupancy about the LIST September.
Ennis Electric Theory.
THE TAILS OF COMETS AND THE CORONA OF THE
SUN-THE PROFESSOR EXPLAINS FURTHER.
To the Editor Of The Star:
The reporter gave correct account of nv
these Of
on account of Authorization. But two objections
We're made by high authority and will now try
to refute them
l. The constant changes of the corona of the
sun, not only in the most astonishing differences
between all cor0nas ever seen, but even during
the short periods of the same corona Lock at
the drawings given in the 4lst vol. of the Me-
mOirs OF the Royal Astronomical Society. Prof
Plantamour drew very carefully three pictures
OF the eclipse of July Is, 1860. The first and
the third are quite different. while the second
shows the gradual transition from the one to the
other. Mr.. Gilman also gives three drawings of
the total eclipse of December %. 1870. While
they are different as can be from those made BY
Plantamour ten years before yet they show the
same shifting panorama: the first and the third
are very different, and the second exhibits the
manner in which the change went on from the
one to the other. In the report made concern
ing this latter eclipse by the deputaton from our
own government observatory, that Of Captain
larizes with special emphasis the changes which
were in progress during the time of totalitv
we need not look for these changes in the
solar corona during every eclipse the same, as
the changes are not seen at all times i'm our
aurora borealis. They are common but not con-
slant. Our aurora bOrealis and australis are
well-knOwn to be discharges of electricity, and
in the proceedings Of the Academy of Natural
Sciences at Philadelphia, vol for 1878. 1 have
detailed many facts to prove that the solar CO.
roma is of the same nature They are both pre-
cisely like the electrical brushes which we see
flying off from an electrical machine when
operated in the dark. The zodiacal light and the
tails OF comets also have all the same facts and
appearances in common. In all these cases the
electricity is developed by evaporation. An
atmospheric electricity comes from the daily
and hourly evaporation of the saline waters of
the ocean.
In the long history of eclpses none has ever
been SO magnificently reported, either in Europe
or America, as the one in 1878, reported by. our
own Naval Observatory. We have all great rea-
son to be proud of it. Twenty-Five minutes
elapsed between the first observations in Wyo-
ming and the last in Texas. Two changes oc-
cured in this time. At first two long electric
brushes extended out from the sun, in opposite
directions, as far as twelve solar diameters At
last they dwindled down to two or three dame
tiers or less. At first these brushes were pointed
at their ends. Soon and suddenly their ends
became swallow-tailed, and SO remained
T. me second objection related to my expla-
nation of the great comet of 1843 It approached
the sun, passed around it i'm three hours or less,
and again darted away. It's long tail, of about
one hundred millions of miles. was behind it on
its approach, but it flew before on it's departure.
The vast mass of electricity in the corona of the
sun repealed and drove away from it the smaller
electricity of the tail of the comet Electricity
repels ITSELF AS the comets pass around the sun
the tail projects away from the sun all around as
We saw beautifully in Donati. Doubtless the same
was true of the comet of 1843 But no one be-
lieves that the tail, one hundred millions of miles
long, swung around like vast lever. On the
electric theory we can understand the flying off
all around. But the late Prof. Pierce promul-
gated the strange theory, which was repeated
to your reporter, as follows: 1.-THE tail didn't
swing around. The tail that appeared on the
one side was an entirely different tail from that
which appeared on the other. When the comet
passed around, it left its old tail on this side Of
the sun! This is most extraordinary! What.
became of the old tail? The comet must have
had two tails then, an old and new 1t seems
that comet can shed its tail like pigeon. We
know what becomes Of the feathers shed from
the pigeon, but what is the destiny of the old
cast-of tail of comet ? 1t is to be hoped that
your reporter will investigate these old cometic
tails. They are material substances according
to these gentlemen and mist no lvjnrr oroupd