Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-17
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1sPATcH.l !

NEW YORK, October 16.-The solar
eclipse expedition, of which Prof. David
P. Todd is in charge, sailed on the sloop
war Pensacola from the navy yard at $50
o'clock this morning. She will go direct
from here to the Cape de Verde Islands,
and there refill her bunkers with coal.
Thence she will 60 to Sierra Leone formore
coal, and then stop at Fernando Po to get
coal enough to carry her to St Paul de
Loanda, her destination. There the astron-
omers will disembark and go to Maxima,
on the Quanza river, with guard of
marines and prepare for the eclipse which
is to take place on December %. Maxima
is about 100 miles inland. 1t is a Portu-
guese trading station. Mrs. Todd has been
helping her husband in his preparations.
She has been working up formulas and ac-
quainting him with many details of geog-
raphy and climatic peculiarities on the
west coast of Africa. She has read every
book concerning that part of Africa that
she could obtain, and has read to him Sc
lected passages every day.
PATH OF THE ECLIPSE.
Prof Todd said to-day: "We have large
equatorial, 20 cameras and other instruments
necessary for astronomical observations.
photographing the phases Of the eclipse and
deep sea discoveries. We, unfortunately,
have not Prof Agassiz with US, but he says
he will try to get away in about three weeks
and meet the ship at Cape Town. after she
has landed the others at st. Paul de Loanda.
The total eclipse will be visible in a path
about 5,00U miles long and 100 miles wide.
The path begins in the Caribbean Sea and
skirts along the northern coast of South
America. 1t then stretches eastward and
southwark to Africa An expedition from
the Lick Observatory, of California, will
view the eclipse at French Guiana, in South
America."
PERSONNEL OF THE EXPLORERS.
Prof Todd gave the following facts about
his companions: Prof. H. F. Bigelow is his
chief assistant. He is professor of mathe-
matics at Racine College. He has devised
several of the instruments that will be used
by the astronomical observers He was as
sistant astronomer at the National Observa-
tory Of the Argentine Republic at Cordoya.
Prof Eben J. Loomis, for 40 years in the
Nautical Almanac Office in Washington, is
Bigelow. In 1879 he discovered the leaf.
like formations of the maidenhair fern,
which was pronounced by Prof. Asa Gray
one of the most wonderful of botanical
phenomena.
J. E. Carbutt is the photographer. He also
is an analytical chemist. His father made
the negatives of the eclipse of 1869 for Prof.
Henry Morton, who, in appreciation of
those services, presented him with the camera
and enlarging lens and the electrical expos
ing apparatus which he had used, and which
will be used again at Maxima. Some of the
dry plates used will be orthochnamatic and
moderately rapid, sensitometer number 16,
and some will be eclipse orthoehramatic,
sensitometer number %. The former will be
used ior taking the partial phases, and the
latter will be used during totality. with the
intention of obtaining more perfect image
of the corona than has ever been obtained.
PROF. BRAsHEAR's MIRROR.
The diameter of the sun on the photo
graphs will be four inches, a greater diane
ter than ever before taken. The great mirror
to be used in connection with the photog-
raphy was made for Prof. Langley, of the
Smithsonian Institute, by Prof j. H. Bra
shear, of Pittsburg, at cost of $40, 900. E.
J. Wright is the assistant photographer.
Prof. L. n. jacob is assistant astronomer
and meteorologist. He will also make
in natural history.
Prof. Cleveland Able, attached to the
army signal bureau, is the meteorologist.
E. B. Preston, of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey, will make magnetic observations
and gather information about gravitation.
W. H. Brown, of the National Museum,
at Washington, is the osteologist and nat
uralist of the expedition. His assistant is
A. H. Brown, his brother.
81. S. Davis, of Princeton, is one of the
assistant astronomers. He will give atten-
ton to the adjustment of the instruments,
at which he is an expert
G. E. Van Guysling will study the winds
and clouds, and on the voyage will send up
a lot of little red balloons
G. A. Orr is the ethnologist and ornitholo-
gist
He'll Chatelaine, master of dozen Ian
guages, including Portuguese, is the inter-
prefer.
George T. Flint is the stenographer and
typewriter.
DR.. Bartlett is the apothecary and profess
sional nurse.
On the coast the party will drink water
that has been boiled and filtered to preserve
them from the deadly African fevers. Never
theless Prof. Todd and ali the rest have
made their wills.