Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-11-11
THE sonAR roLrrsr.
How the American Observers OBJ
served and Fared.

muW ABe AtheffC0M VnseTV9AA Ob~
served and Fasea.
Boeton journal.
Prof. W. O. Pickering OF the Institute
of Technology, has returned from
Grenada, in the West Indies, with salts.
factory results of the eclipse expedition
Of which he had charge. It is owing TO
his enterprise and the cooperation of the
faculty Of Harvard Observatory that
America was represented at tho eclipse Of
the sun in Grenada, for, though England
sent out large party, the government
OF this country was appealed to in vain
to aid scientific discovery, and means
were obtained only by private generosity.
The Rumford committee of the Asnefi-
can Academy having furnished the neces-
sary appropriations, the expedition under
Mr. Pickering set sail about the
first of August, arriving ia Grenada
on the 18th. II was hoped thst the
islauds wonld have been reached earlier,
and the time before the eclipse WINS spent
in hurried preparation. The seven Eng
lish parties were distributed in different
parts of the island, and the Americans
chose an easily accessible place, St
George, the fort of which was selected by
the governor as a place of observation
The first week was spent in setting up
the instruments, of which there were a
photoheliograph having 47.foot focus,
two astronomical cameras, phototele-
scope, prismatic camera and pho
tometer The horizontal photoheliograph
was the most novel instrument, and from
its model at the Harvard Observatory is
seen to be u long wooden box painted
white, with camera at one end and lens
on the other. Eighteen assistant v0lun-
teers from the islanders were trained by
three or four drills, and managed every.
thing very satisfactorily.
As the time of the eclipse approached
II was evident that the island ers, espe-
,ially the colored people, were much
excited. Among other superstiti0ns it
WAS thought the island might disappear,
aud one credulous person asked Prof.
Pickering If the observations would pre-.
vent this calamity, and in case of the
islands disappearing which part would 90
first. The eclipse in its t6tslity lasted
3 minutes and As seconds. mud it was
seen all but 40 seconds by Prof. Picker
ing. The partial eclipse lasted several
hours. During the minutes of totality
the apparent darkness was that
| of cloudy moonlight night.
Actually il was much lighter
but the sudden contrast from Sunlight to
shade caused the feeling of more intense
darkness. ALI usual signs of an eclipse
were observed, such as the Growing OF
cocks and the singing of criekets in the
| grass. The terror Of the people seemed
| to communicate itself to animals. and one
nervous dog tried to commit suicide by
| jumping over a parapet so feet high. 4
boy at the fort had fit. and one colored
woman, who had a pail of water on her
head, exclaimed at the instant of totality:
SO, Lor', don't take me with this water
on my head !"
The object of the expedition being
mainly photographic, the exact results
will not be known until the photographs,
now at the New York custom house, will
be developed. Twenty three photographs
were taken. The vindication of MIR,
chickering's theory of photographing the
corona in opposition to the claims put
forward by DIR. higgins of England, il
the most important result of the eclipse
and an honor to American science. II
has been acknowledged by DIR. Higgins
himself and other English astronomer
that the corona of the sun cannot b.
photographed except during an eclipse, 4
position which MIR. Pickering has main
tained in opposition to DIR. HIGGINS fol
several years. Interesting observations
Of the shadow bands across the sun wer,
made. The American astronomers saw
well marked shadow bands, colored pris
matically, and moving with the velocity
Of an express train, independent of tn,
direction and velocity of the wind The
discoveries relating to the spectrum viii
be known upon the development of th,
plates.