The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-01
BIGGEST ON EARTH.
A Telescope That AIvan G. Clark
Is Constructing
FOR MOUNT WILSON, CALIFORNIA.
TIE Lens VIII be Forty Inches in Diameter
The Lick Observatory Opinions Of
Professor Holden.

Especial 70 THE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch.I
BosroS, Sept. 29-The Examiner cores
pondent took a trip yesterday over to the
AIYan G. Clark lens making establishment
in Cambridgeport. The correspondent de
sired to learn what preparations are being
made there for grinding the glass for the
largest telescope in the world, to be located
on Mount Wilson, Southern California.
The lens of the Lick telescope, which
Clark also made, Is thirty-six inches, that
for Mount Wilson to be forty inches.
AIR. Clarke said that as yet no contract had
been made with him by the trustees of the
Spence telescope fund, with which the OBJ
servatory is to be built, but expects for
NAL agreement will be entered into soon, as
the glass from which the lens is to made
has been cast in France, and the other disc
has been ordered. The huge glass is on ex-
hibti0n at the Paris exposition, and may
arrive here next month.
MIR. Clark read telegram which he re
reiyed from the trustees lately, which au-
thorized him to pay 10000 francs for the
big glass when received, 5000 francs for
the disc when il arrives. and 10000 francs
more when the work is pronounced salts
factory. The glass was cast by MantOis, a
young Frenchman. These terms We're for
1garded 10 MantOis, but Clark declined to
assume the responsibility for their pay
ment. Mantois replied that he knew Clark
and did not know the trustees, and
would prefer to have Clark's promise
of payment. Clark III answer stated
that the trustees are responsible men and
worth millions, but the question of giving
by CT iG
still pending. The trustees are +. Spence,
j. p. Wdney, H. Sinsabaugh, p. NJ.
Greene, NJ. NJ. Bouvard and r. NJ. Widney.
Mautois will probably not cast the disc
until the other glass is paid for.
'There is no doubt, though said Clark,
about paying for the glass. When l was
in California last winter on this business 1
was sitting in the Palace hotel when a
treat big towering man came up to me and
asked how the telescope was getting along.
Ne had not talked more than a minute
when he told me to call on him whenever
money was needed | told him that the
making of the glass had better be begun.
H asked how much it would cost.
{ said about twenty thousand francs.
He Immediately sat down in the bar room
and wrote note to the trustees guarantee
ing the payment of the entire amount.
That man was Daniel Freeman, of Los
Angeles
AT little private dinner Spence gave
when l visited Mount Wilson, he said he
mad determined TO put up an observatory
no matter how much the cost. Five hun
dred thousand dollars at least will be
needed. Mrs. J. DeBarth Shorb, of Los
Angeles, will also contribute largely. Her
father was The Wilson after whom the
mountain was named, and she is willing to
spend money to have the largest telescope
ever constructed put there She is very
rich. The observatory is to be named after
Spence, who has already given land worth
about one hundred thousand dollars as a.
trust fund."r Mr.. Clark also stated the
surprising fact that Mr.. Widney told him
hc would put up more than that if the OBJ
Servatory were named after him.
My preliminary work on the glass will
be done here, but | think III do most of it
in California. The trustees might have got
$4,000 which Miss Green. of Boston, re
Gently gave to Harvard college for astrO-
Homical work outside of Massachusetts.
She was ready to devote that sum to the
new observatory, but the proper assurances
from the trustees Were lacking. Harvard
has an observatory on Mount Wilson and
may use her money there
The Examiner correspondent further
learned that Mr.. Plum, one of the Lick
trustees, visited Clark few days ago and
told him that the pier of the Lick
telescope was still so shaky that he
cannot take photographs with the big
instrument. The trustees now intend
propping it up with patchwork inside the
iron pier. Clark says he was charged with
letting the public know the defects of the
mounting of the Lick telescope soon after
it was put in place, but that accusation was
false. It had been supposed that these de-
fects were corrected, the contractors of
the pier having been paid. Clark advised
the making of an entirely new pier, which
would perhaps cost $4,000
Tal Oh n iplr
tory. Mr. Clark let out an incident showing
how Prof. Holden, who is a director of it,
is regarded by at least one of the regents
of the state university, with whom his
tenure of office rests.
Clark was seated at lunch one day at the
Palace hotel and Judge Hager was in the
chair next to him. CLARK said Hager
''how is Holden'
He's well, said Clark.
Il mean, how is he as an astroomer"
''Well, he's a good astronomer was
Clarks reply. He stands high among
astronomers
Il see you don't want TO talk about him.
remarked Hage impetuously, but I'll tell
you what l think OF him. ! am not very
well up IN astronomy myself and can't
say whether he is u good astronomer or not,
hut DO know that if he does not make
better showing as director of the observa
tory than he did as president of the uni
versitg, he'll be BANKED failure"
Everybody around the table heard this
speech, " added Clark
To show how frank California people
are in expressing their opinions when
Clark was putting in the lens on Mount
Hamilton during the winter two years ago,
he became very friendly with Captain
F!oyed in charge OF the observatory This
year he proposed Captain Floyd for mem
bership in the American Association for
the Advancement of Science and at late
meeting his name was read. A member got
up and said Captain Floyd was dead, and
as he asserted with great emphasis, he
knew that to be fact, the captain was not
elected
The Cotton Corner COlIapses.
LIVERPOOL, Sept 3O.-The cotton corner