Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-09-25

lpN Nalleu
tsE, ia Santa Clara county,
seven hundred thousand dol
kgiven 10y Mr.. James Lick in l>Tb tor
e1lupose of establishing au OhSorN atory
in the state III which he acquired his wealth.
The selection OF Mount Hamilton rs the site
OF it, four thousand three hundred feet above
the sea level, was made after studying all tho
conditions atmoSpherical and otherwise, and
freest from disturbing causes. The bequest
ot Mr.. Lick called for an observatory of the
firstclass, aud one that should contain "the
most powerful telescope in the world" Prot.
Holden pays high compliment to Captain
K. :. Floyd, the president OF the board of the
Lick trustees, Tor the able manner in which
he has directed "this immense undertaking
and administered the trust OF the whole
estate ot over three millions ot dollars" So as
TO bring the best results not only to the ob-
| servatory, but to the many other institutions
founded or endowed 10y Mr.. Lick in cali
| iornia 1t Is interesting to bo I've told that the
education Ct Captain Floyd at the naval aGl.
| DENY at Annapolis and his subsequent service
ON the Confederate cruiser Florida "tamil-
| iariyed him with the nautical side of astro.
| nomy,' while the loss of his command at the
| close of our civil war left him "iOrtuuately 81
| situated that he could give his whole time to
| the complicated duties of the Lick trust
| Tho observatory from the beginning has been
| under his direction, most ably assisted 10y
| Mr. Frazer, the superintendent OF COus,rur-
| tlon, both oi them acting under tine constant
| advice OF Professor Newcombe, OF Washing
| ton, Professor Holden and OF other astruuo-
| mers all over the world. The plan for the
| buildings and the selection Ot the chief in
| strumenis to I've bought was agreed upon
| after consultation with Professors Newr0Iuue
| aud Holden and personal inspection of many
| OF the best onserNatorles abroad and every
| Important observatory OF the 'uiipd States
| When the site was selected, santa Clara
- .ss
| road from san jose TO the summit of the
mountain at acost Ct seventy, ight thousand
| dollars, the government OF the United States
gave the trustees reservation OF thirteen
| hundred and fifty acres, to which two nun.
| dred more were added 10y gift and purrhase
| he advantage Of the location according to
| PrOt Holden, is that 'nOt only are three
iouFlh "i tneyeAr uninterruPtedly clear, hat
the steadlness of the vision. the absence OF
| twlnkilug OF stars allows the most delicate
| and most precise observations To be made In
| far greater number than at any other 0t,,er.
NatoTy site IN the United States or in the
| world. Ihe work Of making platform for
| me observatory and constructing bindings
was begun in 1879, and where seven wears
| ago there was only trail over the mountain,
unNlsiteu except 10y hunters, there are now
''strung low buildings ALI around, ull of
| beautiful instruments which rep~eSent the
| very finest and most delicate mechanical con
| ceptions. And all these have been brought
from various parts OF the world, and have
| The clocks from Amsterdam ana London are
side by side with meridian instruments from
| Hamburg and Washington" An interesting
| part OF 'roL Holdeu's account Of the OuSer-
| Nalory - his comparison OF the object glass
ot the latter with the largest in use sew here.
| Tue object glass OF th6 great telescope at
| tnlcagO i given at Is inches, Princeton -;
inches, Washington 26 inches, ~. Petersburg
5Oinches, the Lick observatory 81 inches All
these large object glasses were from the ShOu-
oi the NeSsrs. CLARK, of Camhrid Eep0rt, Mass.
| whose reputation Tor such examples OF me-
chanlcal and artistic skill is second to none
IN the world. The Lick observatory ObIeC.
3 | tive "wlll have an important advantage over
| the Others apart from the two capital advau,
| tage OF lis elevated situation and its superior
! SIZE Like them 1t will have TWO lenses, a
/ | crown and a flint, which will together bring
o | the rays by which We see To a locus so thai
asa seeing telescope it is their superior. Bu,
r twill also have a third (crown) lens which
can be PLACED in front OF (and close against
4 | the other two, so that the three viii uuugtlt
rays by which We photograph 10 singl,
locus. Thus the great telescope can at vii
TOO turned into grea; camera, and the pain
iul micTOmetrlc measures by which astrunO
| mers register the relative positions OF star,
and planets can in many cases be replaced by
photographs which give permanent and auto
| IN attic records OF these positions \ single
Z | exposure Will give a Photographic map O
the sky, comprising four square degrees OF
r | plate 2ix2i inches. The suns image un
: | magnlted Will be six inches in diameter, ant
a large sun spot will be the size Of the hnge
: | nail. The dome Ofthe observatory, seventy
feet in interior diameter, is being made at III,
+ | mon iron works, san Fran, .SCO, the mount
Q | ing which Is to carry the tube OF nearly sixty
feet in length, will be the work OF Messrs
b | Warner and Swasey, OF Cleveland, Ohio
: | while by novel hydraulic application OF th'
| principle of the modern elevator, the entir
e | ilCor OF the dome will be made 70 rise yerti
: caly to the height OF thIrtyiiye feet, ii neCes
sary, to enable the observer TO stand at tn,
T. | eye piece when the tube is pointed to tn,
& | zenith, or in a horizontal position for, a.
Mr.. Holden remarks, "The ordinary ObserY
| ing chair which is convenient enough wheI
/ | 1t il not more than sixteen feet high, becomes
q | a cumbrOus and inConvenient affair when i
~ extended To thirtyhve feet The whOlt
b | cost OF the observatory and its appurten
2 ! ances, within and without, will be halt mil
. | lion OF dollars leaving two hundred Thousand
i | dollars for its present support, a sum far TOT
e ! small. Prof Holden says, to utilize all tb,
: | Instruments (which would require stat
of ten astronomers to return the iul results
| Of the beautiful outfit whereas at present bu
: | three can be employed" Some time in lsSI
Y the observatory will be entirely completed
Q | when the trustees expect TO transfer it to tn,
| University of California, with the reservation
. OF sixteen hundred acres aud the small vii
: | lage which has grown up upon ii since tht
{ | beginning of the undertaking.
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