Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-09-17

aroused by the rareness OF the books
called for, and one day inquired OF
Mr.. Gardner what he was doing with
such works, adding, s. You buy books
that nobody else ever buys or asks
for"
Mr.. Gardner explained the nature
of the work upon which he was en-
gagged, which greatly interested the
dealer, who expressed desire TO see
it when it was done.
When it was finally com pleted he
carried it into the dealer, who advised
him to take it over TO Cambridge aad
show it 10 Prof. Pierce. He took it
over to Cambridge, but, finding the
professor absent, showed 1t to Lieut.
Davis. The latter examined the work
carefully and manifested his surprise
that an uneducated man, as he ex-
pressed it, could have performed such
work, supplementing his remarks
with the declaration that there were
not six men Ia the United States who
could have done it.
This work, with the transit Of Venus
across the suns disc for 1874. and the
lunar eclipses from 1874 to 1900, which
were computed by Mr. Gardner. were
making volume Of $50 quarto pages,
and presented to the bingham public
library. The work was unfortunately
destroyed by the fire which burned the
library some years ago. Mr.. Gardner
was busily engaged upon the transit of
Venus for 1882 when this dire calamity
overlook his work of years. AS the tran
sit of 1874 was still fresh in his mind,
he dropped the work upon which he
was engaged, and commenced afresh
the labor of replacing the lost work, or
that part Of it relating to the transit
of 1874.
This work occupied a year, evenings
being the leisure time which Mr..
Gardner could spend upon it. This
work is now in Mr. Gardeners posses.
sion and contains 413 quarto pages of
fine ruled, SIX lines to the inch. It
gives the time of the beginning and
ending OF the train of the transit in
fifty three places on the earth After
finishing the copy he weat to work
upon the transit of 1882 again. This
he finished and has in his possession.
It contains 253 places on the earth
where the taansit is visible, and gives
the beginning and ending in each
instance.
Among the other more remarkable
works performed by Mr.. Gardner. are
the Opposition of Mars with the Sun
in the Nineteenth Century, which
contains forty pages of neatly written
figures, and the computation from
Newcomb's tables for finding the
''Heliocentrics Co-ordinates of Nep-
tune from Jan. 1, 1883 to Jan. %,
1900" This latter work was COM
menced about a year ago. and will
probably be completed this winter.
Mr.. Gardner has also for his own
qualification worked out various prob
lens, among them the following:
''Sappose a man to commence taking
g. pill on the first dry of January,
and continue to- take doubling the
dose each day until the end of the
year, and the next year decrease the
dose In the same proportion, how
maay pills would he take in the two
years. and what would be the size of q
cubical box that would hold them?"
talns Ill places of figures, the cubic
miles of pills 81 places of figures the
size of the box 80 places OF figures,
and the stock of pills Is 26 places of
figures larger than the sun. All Of
Mr.. Gardeners work. it pust be re-
membered, Was done during the even
ing and such leasure time as he had
found from his daily labor in the box
mill. He is the possessor of seven
volumes Of Prof. M. j. LIE Verrrer's
works, Of Paris, but as they are all in
French, with which language he is
unacquainted, he was obliged to buy
q French dictionary to assist him in
his translation. Mr.. gardner formed
the acquaintance of Prof. S. New
comb, the government astronomer,
at Washington, and that gentleman
received considerable mathematical
work to do. This acquaintance,
which at first was very pleasant and
soon ripened into firm friendship.
Mr.. Gardner has in his library sew
eral valuable works which were pre-
septed to him by the author, Prof.
Newcomb, among them ''tabIes of the
Eclipses from B. c. 700 to A. D. $780,"
vestigation Of the Orbit Uranus"
Investigation of the Orbit of Nep-
tune" Tables of Veaus." He also
possesses a volume of ''The Memoirs
of Nathaniel Bowditch," which was
presented to him by his friend, Mr..
n. [. Bowditch.
Mr.. Gardner has been sealer of
weights and measures for the town
twelve years, and one of the board of
assessors for eight years.