Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-02
Wilmington. thursday pn 2, 1895.

NANNkA sh7 oputAcpy VI h5Af AumlrAl
:. z. Ffauklin, superintendent Of the
naval observatory ut Washington, We are
In receipt Of his report for the year end.
ing October 3oIh, He states that duril
the year there were but l26 nights clear
enough for observing, and Of these but
Ss are secorded as good, the remaining So
bsiug poor or Indifferent. Observations
OF the asssllitss of Neptune, Uranus,
Saturn aud Mats were continued with
the great rs inch equatorial and, as
this 'slescope has been largely employed
athis special field since It was mounted
In 1878, great msss Of data has been
accumulated. The 8 8 inch equatorial
has been employed principally In observ.
ing comets and the minor planets, and
all Visible aooultations Of stars by the
moon. The report refers also to valuable
work done with the other telescopes al the
observatory. Upon the adoption Of the
STANDARD time" November 18Th, 1883,
the transmitting clock Of the observatory
was set to the 75th meridian time and
time signals have since been daily given
to the telegraph companies. Clocks in
the Capitol, executive mansion and
various department buildings have been
connected with the observatory,
and are corrected daily at noon
BY Al Automatio attachment, actuAted by
the electric current, which makes the
signAl that drops the time balls at the
observatory and on the Western Union
Telegraph CompAny's building In New
York. Ii is Of interest TO note that 18th
meridian time ia minutes, IL 09 SEQ.
onds earlier than the local time at the
observatory. The superintendent, in
recommending an increase In the salaries
Of the assistant astronomers, states that
their average term Of service for the gov
eminent Ia but three years, Sowing
to the fact that more lucrative
positions are offered 70 them"
He pertinently suggests that the govern
ment should make IL worth their while to
remain, 'rAther than permit their
trained services to be lost" The super
intendent also furnishes an estimate Of
1856, 1873 for erecting new observatory
buildings upon the site purchased for
that purpose somt four years ago the
site Of the existing buildings being
''notoriously unhealthy" and the build.
inRs themselves dilApidated ard much in
want OF repair. During the year 1854
persons visited the observatory by day
and l, 344 permits were Issued for night
visitors. Appended is report Of Prof.
Harkness Of the work done under his
supervision for the transit Of Venus
commission. The measurements Of the
satisfactory negatives Of the transit
obtained, l,4s3 in all, were completed in
August, and very considerable progress
has been made in the computations neces-
sary for the reduction OF these measure
ments. With respect to the observations
for time and latitude obtained at the
government stations, those made ct San
Antonio, Cerro ROblero, and Aucklard
are completed and those made at Cedar
Keys and Santa Cruz partly reduced Z;
those made at the remaining stations
have not yet been advanced beyond the
field reductions. Considering that the
transit occurred on December 9th, 1882,
and that Professor Darkness has had the
cooperation Of from two to four assistants
in this work, the great portion Of II yet
remaining to be done indicates the mag
uitude Of the task.