Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-07
THAT TRANSIT.
A Special Corps OF Observers Organized
to Watch the Movements OF
Venus Yesterday.
The Bright Little COquet OF the Heavens
Passes Across the Sun With
out Flinching.

OF all the planets that sail the sky like
"gondoIss Ger a silver sea" there is none to
compare with Venus. True 70 her mytho-
! logic instincts, she never neglecis an oppor-
| u ity of flirting with the other members oil
the starry host Sometimes she may be seen
coquetting with serene old Jupiter; again she
! may be observed blinking miscbievousiy at
| red-headed Mars; anon she trips through the
heavenly maze with fset-footed Mercury, or
| trifles with the ringlets OF stolid Saturn;
| Some Time ago she announced that she WOULD
| try her Vaccinations on loftier game, and
| would faunt her charms in the lace OF Sol
himself. Yesterday morning she made good
| her promise. Inasmuch as the other famous
| governments of the world had organized e1-
| petitions to observe the transit OF Venue,
President Hsdden was determined not 10 be
outdons. He yesterday formed corps oil
| observers, consisting Of Pop Cannon, DICK
| Capers, Tom Flansgin, Jimmie Hunter,
| Bell Eiheridge and c. Leslie Pullen, who,
| on account of his aristocratic monogram,
was made astronomer royal.
| About IL o'clock the chief of the govern
4 ment called his clan together and thus he
spake: >. -,
"Yes, sir"
"Have you got The tackometer there,
Jim~
"Yes, your honor"
swell, Dick, you bring the theodolite, and
| will carry the translucent glass through
which we will observe the phenomenon. Ii
anybody thinks this government is going TO
get left on an important event like this, ne ID
fl his pedestal"
docs the transit take place in Arkansas?"
asked Pop Cannon, who was utterly oblivious
of the fact that he was giving his astronomy
| awav.
"No. sir" said Bell E.heridge, who thought
this reflected on the State of Tennessee; sit
takes place on the Tennessee side"
81 brought a compass along" said Tom
Flanagan, who seemed TO nave an idea that
some electrical disturbance was Involved IN
the matter, and was determined that he
should be able 10 find his way home when
the affair was all over.
President Hadden ordered his corps TO
keep quiet and go with him. The psrty re-
paired 10 the Chickssaw bluff with their
wonderful assortment of instruments. Great
confusion, equaling that at. The Tower OF
Babel, arose as 10 the manner OF using the
instrumen Neither the compass, nor the
theodoIite, nor the tackometer seemed TO
subserve any part in the economy OF the OBJ
servation.
"Did anybody bring telescopew asked
the president, sternly.
There was an ominous "No" all around.
swell, if you think you can see anything
through that compass, Mr.. Flanagan" said
the disgusted president, with whitening sar-
casm, you are a little more non compos Tentis
than 1 gave you credit for. Did you bring
your table of Iogarithms, Charlie"
"Yes, sir"
"Well, the performance will now begin"
As the time for the astronomical event
had arrived, the Districts astronomers as
sumed positions in order to observe it favor
ably.
The ensemble was striking in the extreme.
1t was hard to tell whether they looked
more like the fancy shooters OF the Ameri-
can team, or the Pilgrim Fathere, or Ferdi-
nand Dssoto and followers when they first
set eyes upon The mighty Father OF Waters.
An APPEAL reporter called on President
H adden Yesterday afternoon in order to get
the results. That gentleman had just re-
ceived word from Harlow Dow.
How about the transit?" asked The goose
bone reporter of the APPEAL, breathlessly.
"The point is this" said the President,
with the flush of victory mounting his left
cheek. "Harlow Dow is the great observa-
tory man of Memphis; and as Horrigan let
him off the jury the other day Ia order 10
make his observations on Venus, it was ma u
raj that l should take a deep interest in the
matter. / have Just received word that Mr..
Dow's calculations were true TO quarter OF
a second. You see he has been running
around Capricornus, Aldebarsn, and all
those stare, and he figured it out pretty
correct"
allow did Venus pass the ordeal~
"She did not pass the ordeal. 1t wac the
eun. / observed her through translucent
glass. She was a mere speck as she went
through the incsndescent luridity, go to
speak, of the sum-"
"Was there anything remarkable about
the transil?'
Nothing, except that Venus was rot a bit
embarrassed"