New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-08-29

We phOf0Qrapl
telescope can. at will. be turned into great
oon,ora and the painful micrometric measures oy
which astronomers register the relative positions
10 ,.ars and nIanets can in many cases be replaced
Inv photographs which give permanent ana auto
matte records Of these POSITIONS
The art of applying photography to astronomy -
nav one II has received the most splendid devci-
onnents from the astronomers of the Paris ooser'a
tory land from others in this country, notapy l'o
DR.. Lewis Rutherford and Dr. Henry Drap"ro Oh Nc"-
York; bnt the opportunities afforded oy inc L'oN
,a,or in ito excentional situation are simply
,,naloss A angle EXPOSURE will give rs q map OF
the sl,y comprising four square degrees Oh pIale
o1x04 inches. A few minutes VIII impression this
rlate permanent record of the position ana
brightness of all the stars visible IN even.the largest
Telescopes A comparison of two such plates taken
~ d,aerent NIGHTS will point ont any changes
which might easily escape the most minute obser-
walton by other methods. The Sans image unmag-
ihed will be six inches in diameter; large sunspot
Gill he the size OF your finger nail. Beautiful
photographs of the planets can be taken so as to
register with perfect the features of their
surfaces. Comets and nebulae can be studied at
leisure as one studies a coppcr-plate engraving from
their automatic registers. he variations OF refrac-
ton from the horizon TO the zenith be made TO
record themselves for measurement. There IS
abso utcy no end to the problems lying close at
hand, and their number and importance Will deyel-
one There Is.no question bnt that the large telc-
scope with its two detectives in its absolutely
perfect te is the most important astronomer
instrument in the world. Mr.. Licks desire has
been fulfilled so far, and more than fulfilled. Int
an instrument is nothing but n splendid monu-
mcnt-to more than one man-withOut intelligent
use. We do not intend to point ut TINS telescope
and say it is the largest in the world, but 1t VIII be
our effort to make it the most useful.
Mr. Licks bequest for tho observatory was
500 600. of which some 100000 will remain
after the observatory is completed. Inc income
nom this sum must support the observatory for
the present Although the whole plan OF the
observatory has been made with direct reference 10
keeping its running expenses low it is clear that
the company of astronomers will have to he kept
slnall-iar too small to utilize the instruments TO
the full II would require stan of NJ least ten as
fr,nomcrs to return tho full results from the beau
utul outht and at present not more than three can
he employed The work of these must be concen-
trae1 on the large equatorial. and even then their
energies will not be sufficient to utilize every
moment We 80 not mean To jealousy guard the
immense scientific opportunity for ourselves, for
California or even fo the United States. Phe real
r,tt of Mr. Lick was to tho world. We mean 70
put the largo telescope at the disposition OF the
world BY inviting its most DISTINGUISHED assono-
ners to VISIT MS. one at time and to give to them
the nsc of the instrument during certain speclhc
hours of the twenty-four. Each day there viii be
certain hour, set apart when the Observatory staff
W n reinqush the Use OF the equatorial to distln-
ouished SPECIALISTS who vii come from the United
states and from Europe to solve or to atticl some
one of the many unsoived problems of astronomy.
In this way We hope to make the gift of Mr. Lick
oae which is truly g fl to science, and not merely
a pift to California ami 10 its University.
Even nm Ter such circumstances. it viii he limos
,ibe TO utilize the instrumental outit 10 the full
n was clearly the duty of the Lick trustees to
make this observatory perfect in every respect. and
70 provide 10 with all the instruments necessary u
"a complete equinment. This they have done ccono
n.ica.ly and wisely. 50 far as can Judge there is
nothing that should be- altered. The instruments
are all necessary and they are all mounted in tie
most perfect manner Thi, /, respectfully true OF
The great equatorial The objective itself - mn
equalled Ii has cost $4,000. The Photographic
laqs will add Si3OJO to this The mounting VII on
% to carry the tube of nearly sixty feet in length
las been studied in every detail W the contractors
N.,sra Warner & Swasey Of Cleveland. believe
tins mounting. which they are to make and deliver
for ~42OuO. will be- at least equal 20 the best Euro
uean nountings II costs SD. BOO less and Is to be
delivered in one-third Of the time. The dome Of
seventy feet interior diameter will be built by the
mon Iron Works of San Francisco aud have no
doubt that it viii be materially bet'er ttan any
now made The computations for the dome were
made Ly Professor Bull Of Madison, j.. and
important additions have been made by the con-
tractors and by Mr. Fraser The chief novelty viii
lie the adoption of Mr.. Grubb's ingenious plan tor
placing tho observer in a proper position with
reference TO his telescope. We have to recol.ect
that the eye-piece of the telescope may be about
live feet from the base OF the dome when the t~le-
scope Is pointed to the zenith or 1t may be thirty
i've feet IN hor zon,al position. The ordinary
observing chair, which is convenient enough when
it Is not more than sixteen feet high. becomes
cumbrous and nconvement affair when it is
tended to thrty-hve feet. Mr.. Grubb proposed to
remedy this BY raising the whole floor of the dome
Ike an elevator 10 the proper he ght The details
Of this proposal were not worked ont by Mr Grubb
but by Mr. Diclie the superintendent Of the Union
Iron Works, and Captain Floyd the president Of the
Lick trustees They have completely solved the
problem. The whole floor viii BIS raisei vertically
distance OF sixteen and one-half feet by four hv-
draul C rams and the ascent is e IN four minutes
with perfectly parallel motion. The water sup
ply for this purpose comes from the watershed Of
the dome itself. This flows into a reservoir on
Huyghens's Peak and IS pumped by wind mill INTO
The reservoir on Copcrncus giving a Lead Of l35
feet This is more than sufficient to tarn tie dome
aud to elevate the floor; and tho water which is
precious in this dry climate, is not wasted but used
over and over. The last difficulty Is new overcome
and 1t IS expected that the steel dome will be
mounted during the present year, ut least IN the
spring Of lss7 The contract price for the dome
delivered and erected is $5G 800.
Signs Of purely astronomical activity are not
wanting. The Lick trustees have engaged Mr.
james +. Keeler, for a long time assistant to Pro-
fessor Langley, as astronomer; and have invited
Professor Comstock, formerly of the Washburn
Observatory and now professor of astronomy
at the Ohio State University, to investigate
the new meridian circle. In few days tie
observatory will begin giving time-signals