Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-16
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Of astronomy. personally superintendent the
erection of the observatory building an ls4t.
At that time there were very few obscrvatories
in this country. ard those we're mostly of rn-
dimen ary character. The observatory OF
Williams college. began in 1886, WAS the fret
established in the United States. That erected
by Prof. Elias LOOMS. OF the Western Reserve
college. OF Huc'on. Ohio. soon followed.
These. with the sin"ll tower observatory OF tho
Philadelphia high school, seem 20 have been
all that preceded the great national observatory.
Father Curley had drawn his plans in ignor-
ance of the fact that a government observatory
was contemplated Calling upon his friend.
Capt. Gilliss. he showed him the drawings. and
was surprised when the latter drew from his
drawer more elaborate designs 90 be presented
70 Congress during the following winter. De-
lay occurred in the sale Of property which was
to furnish funds for building the college OBJ
sorvRiory. and as Congress was prompt IN APP
proprlating $4,000. the sum needed for the
naval observatory. this wns enabled 20 precede
the college building by about year. The
great observatory of Harvard was not estAb-
lished for some years later.
THE EXPENSE OF THE GEORGETOWN BUILDING
WAS betrayed by a legacy received by the Rev.
Thomas Meredith jenkins, professor Of litera-
ture. This eminent man. TO a most gentle aud
lovable character. added an intense zeal for
learning and the sciences. He afterwards laid
down his life in Rio de Janeiro. while attend
ing upon and instructing an American boy and
girl stricken with the yellow fever. The build
ing thus erected is GO feet long and 80 wide and
is divided from east 20 west into three rooms
The middle part of the observatory Is
three stories high and has a rotary dome.
The dome-room contains a well-mounted equa-
torial telescope. made by Troughton A Simms.
This instrument has a 4 s-IO-inch Object-glass
giving powers from IS 10 400. IL would have
been one-third larger had il been made in
Paris. as originally intended. but the maker
who had undertaken the contract diving. il Was
| transferred to London. and during the delay
| thus caused Congress passed a tariff bill impos-
| ing duty OF 80 per cent ad Valorem ON all in
| struments imported from abroad even for col
| leges. For this reason the diameter OF the lens
| was reduced by one-third 10 make the available
funds cover the expense. No sooner the
| instrument finished and imported than Con-
| gress, petitioned by all the colleges of the
country. removed the duty. This instrument,
though of no great diameter as telescopes 20
nowadays.
| l. REMARKABLY CLEAR AND PERFECT
/ in definition. The eastern room contains a
frst-class meridian circle, by Troughton a
Simms. of London. The divided arc of the
circle has diameter of 40 inches, reading by
microscopes to fractions OF a second Of an arc
The telescope is a 4-inch glass. In the western
room is mounted fine transit instrument by
A-A'ea s'ehs VI ~ n lFNA AotiIs
has A. inch object-glass Formerly. when
the eye and ear method of recording the time
of observations was depended upon. each Of
these instruments accompanied by line
| sidcreal clock, by Molly neauN. of London. But
| at present the clocks. one arranged for mean
time. and the other for sidereal. stand beside
| the chronograph on the pier of the central
| room. There are, moreover. five portable
| astronomical instruments. and library of 500
works ON astronomy. mathematics and the
physical sciences. Many of these are rare aud
| curious books.
The total cost of the building and instruments
was about $4,000. very considerable sum to
be spent in those days in the interest of pure
science. In those early times these instruments
/ constituted a very ample and even splendid
equipment. fully equal TO those of the univer-
| sity observatories Of the times.
THE PROFESSORS OF ASTRONOMY
Father Curley was the first to make use OF
| the building and instruments. and took great
satisfaction in knowing that he could furnish
| TO the students interested in astronomy facil-
ties so much greater for the prosecution of in
| vestigation in this science than had been posi-
BILE before. few years after the establish
ment of the observatory. however, several dis
| tinguished Italian Jesuits came TO Georgetown
7 college. having been forced TO fee their native
country by the revolution of ls47 and 1913.
| Among them were Fathers de Nico. Secchi, and
| Sestini. The first Of these, Father dc Nico. had
been the director Of the observatory OF the
Roman college. Here. besides his more syste-
matte astronomical work. he had discovered no
| less than six comets. FOR which he had been the
recipient of gold medal from the king OF
Denmark. This medal is still preserved in the
museum of Georgetown college. Father de
Nico remained at Georgetown only a short
| time. having been called back to London to
transact some important business. where Inc
died few weeks later. Father Secchi taught
physics for one year, and then returned 90