New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-16
they feared tho captain. The examination viii be
continued tomorrow.
OBITUARY.
PROFESSOR ELIAS LOOMS.


New-Haven, Aug. 10 (specisD.-Elias LOOMS.
L. D., Munson professor OF natural philosophy and
astronomy in Yale University. died al the hospital
in this city to-day The immediate OF death
was Brehts disease, although for several years he
has been suffering from the diseases and bodily Ills
peculiar TO old For years past Professor Looms's
life had been one Of seclusion. When not engaged
IN his studies his duties the university, he shut
himself up and sought the society OF no man. His
wife died many years ago, and soon after his sons
departed, the for tie Occldent and tho other
for the Orient; and since then tho eminent astronomer
looked seldom, II indeed ever, upon the face OF
relative For the past twenty-five years no lived In
a suite OF rooms in the boarding house.
Professor LOOMS was born in Wellington, Conn,
on August :, 1911. His father fitted him for col
lore, and he graduated at Yale In 1880. From
1893 TO 1886 ho employed there as a tutor. His
mathematical studies led him into independent in.
,eslgations, ard IN November, 1884, no spent two
weeks with Alexander c. Twining. Of West Point, In
making observations for de ermning the altitude Of
shooting stars. These Observations were made each
morning from 4 to o'clock and said to be the
first OF tho kind made In the United States.
For fourteen months, In 1884 and 1853, he madc
hourly observations from a. m. 10 10 p. m. Of the
declinaton of the magnetic needle and was the first
IN this country to discover fIallcys comet on its
return to perheon in 1882 computing its orbit from
his own data. The year following he spent In Paris,
attending the lectures of Blot Arago, Dulons, Poisson
and other scientists. aud on his return no accepted
tho chair of mathematics and natural philosophy I'm
the Western Reserve College, az Hudson, ONO, where
he continued his labors until 1914. Professor LOOMS
observed during these years 2GO moon EXAMINATIONS
FOR longitude, sXtynine examinations OF PoiariS for
latitude. sixteen EXAMINATIONS OF stars, and made
series OF observations upon five comets, sufficiently
extended to determine their orbits. He also OBJ
ecrvcd the din of the magnetic needle at more than
seventy stations spread thirteen States extending
from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River.
In rsl4 Professor LOOMS acceped tho chair Of
natural philosophy in the University OF NcW-lorA'
which he filed until 1850. During this PERIOD or
years he prepared series OF mathematical text books
which attained circulation Of over 5Ooooo copies
HI; treatise on astronomy has been adopted in Eng
land that on ANALYTICAL geometry and calculus mas
been translated into Chinese, and his meeoroOgy mas
found its way into Arabic. In 1850 he was caiied
~ the char of natural philosophy and astronomy at
Yale During his career at Yalc he deVot'u largo
mart Of his time to original researches llo ".0S'
fmpurtant results being series OF articles p'O''' "
. The American Journal of Science uhdcr ''0 O''
- " Contributions to Mcteorology.' The latter years
- IT. life were passcd in the revision and rcarrango
mont Of these papers and each has been seuJeclrt
10 a careful comparison with the IeslnS VI i.r;i,u
observaions made abroad. These revised cOlIIou
lions present very full and complete oEcuSsioH VI
tie principles Of dynamic meie0r1ioN' It'd. ,,or..
Tic titles OF Prof ssor Loomlss sclelI.nr i' Iii
exceed 100 in number. and they have appea'el poC
In his country and abroad I'm Journals ana puplsN"
transactions OF societies Of which ~ was c tbc
University OF the City Of NewYork. Professor looms
was member Of scientific societies n DG cG E ~ Po
%ational Academy Of Science. Among ne worh,
which have made his name famous arc Fa0f ana
tlnrnn.ys G55O and 1850. Analytical Geometry and
Calculus. and Eemcns Of sc6 orors '99 !51 and and
I53I CRADLES Of Logarithm." G755l, Natural
Philosophy us53 PraGca 4tG G e ai2 a on
Vetcoroorvs ns6S) ard d" Elements Of Astronomy
G5G0j lie also published work on The Descend
ants Of Joseph Loomis.'