The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-27
SCIENCE ON A MAN.oF-wAR.
Ters Having Their Fun Witt tn
Learned Professors.

7
Learned Professors.
The old frigate Pensacola dropped anchor
off Staten Island Friday morning, says the
New York Sun, after an absence from
American waters of more than eight
months She brought home the news of
some OF the strangest experiences that ever
fell TO the lot of modern man-of-war's men,
The famous old ship sailed away last Octc-
Der. having on board so-called Govern
ment scientific expedition which
was delegated to 60 to the
coast of Africa and make observa-
tions of the total eclipse of tire sun, which
was visible on that coast Dec. %. Congress
appropriated IS, 500 for the expenses of ten
scientific men who should compose the
marty, and directed the Secretary of the
NAVY to assign a man-of-war to transport
the expedition. Prof. David P. Todd of
Amherst College was appointed director of
the expedition. On Oct. 10 the loading of
the great frigate with all manner of
strange baggage was completed and
Prof Todd, with a retinue of six
teen associates, instead of nine, the legal
number. went on board. They were well
coined By Capt. Yates and the 400 officers
and men attached to the ship, and they set
sail. The cruise was expected to last three,
or possibly four months, and a pleasant
trip, on the whole, was anticipated by
everybody. Favored by delightful weather,
the ship touched first at Horta for coal, and
there was issued the first official bulletin,
the forerunner of a numerous and interest
ing family. Having proceeded next to
Palo Grande, another coal pile they there
learned that an English commander had
died of African fever, after few days ILL
ness, near the scene of the proposed obs err
vations The news made such visible I'M
preston upon the scientific men that they
at once abandoned their, carefully made
plans to establish their observ alton station
at Musima, on the Coanza river, and 1t was
decided that the exhibition must use the
ship as base.
The Pensacola sailed and steamed slowly
along from the coal pile at Pala Grande TO
the more expensive one at Freetown, thence
to the still higher-priced one at Elmina,
and finally worked her way to the famous
old city of Loando in equatorial Africa.
There they found that the Portuguese gov
ernor, in anticipation of the arrival of the
expedition, had made extensive prepara-
tions for the transportation Of the party.
and their establishment at Musima. 1t
was true that a washout a few hundred
feet wide temporarily blocked the
railroad, but ample gangs of car
riers had been engaged to bridge
the gap. But it was admitted it was no
particularly healthy then, and the director
his care before he declined the invitation
and made ready to go to Cape Lido, a per-
fectly open roadstead, some seventy miles
down the coast A small English gunboat
with one astronomer had preceded the PEN
sacola there, not wishing TO have both OBJ
servation stations too near together; but
no such fears agitated Prof Todd. He quite
paralyzed the acting United States consul
at Loando by asking TO be supplied with
forty tons of ice, when there never had
been forty pounds in the city.
the Pensacola arrived at her destination,
Maserle bav, Cape Lido, perfectly uniu-
habited stretch of country, Sunday morn
ing, Dec. g. A site for the observation camp
was at once selected, and Monday a very
large working party was busily engaged in
landing the heavy impedimenta erecting
the portable houses aud establishing their
camp. The landing was on an unprotected
sand beach, with heavy sea running at
the most quiet times, and it taxed the skill
of both officers and men to the utmost
to get the articles on shore without
loss Though every day boats were cap
sized, or filled with water, everything was
safely landed, and an equally large party
was bnsily engaged in putting instruments
in position and getting ready for the event
full day. 1t was seen then that all the plans
were purely experimental, and the con-
structive skill of the officers and men was
taxed to the utmost to overcome the dill
crlties. That they did so must be consid-
cred due to their efforts alone
At last the day came and found the in
struments fairly ready. But. alas! as the
moment of eclipse approached SO did the
usual thick bank of clouds, for during the
three weeks of preparation there was but
one clear afternoon. Though during
the progress of the eclipse
vague glimpses of the contact could be
seen, at the priced moment Of totality
everything was blank, and the long and
expensive trip went for nothing. On re
turning to Loando it was learned that the
sky had been perfectly clear during the
eclipse at the inland station of Musina,
where it had heen originally planned to
make the observation. Then, instead of
making its way back to the United States,
the expedition headed for Cape Town,
where it arrived Jan. II. Then
troubles which had for some
time been brewing among the
members of the scientific party
grew serious and finally eliminated in
open revolt. The director was accused in
council among themselves of various IN
pleasant things, and he finally yielded to the
demands of the other professors, three of
whom left the expedition, while the ship,
after a three weeks stay, sailed for st.
Helena. Again three weeks time was spent
in pendulum observations. Thence the ship
went to Ascension, where the same thing
was repeated; thence to Barbados, where
the stay was cut down to ten days. Ber-
muda was next touched, hut as la grippe
prevailed on board no one was allowed to
land, aud the ship sailed for home. The
makeup of this astronomical expedition
was at least peculiar. 1t comprised one
director and three assistant astronomers,
one meteorologist, two natural history ex-
perts, two photographers, one linguist, one
botanist, one athropologist, one apothecary,
one stenographer, one machinist and one
general assistant The members of the
party were: David P. Todd, director; Prof.
Cleveland Able, meteorologist; Prof.
Frank H. Bigelow, astronomer; W. II.
Brown, natural history; j. E. Carbutt,
chemist and photographer; Eli Chatelaine,
Anguist, disappeared at Loando; H. j.
Davis, freshman class. Princeton college;
Il. L. Jacob, astronomer; E. j. Loomis,
ornithologist; C. A. Orr. anthropologist;
z. d. Preston. coast survey; E. j. Wright,
Photographer; D. Fl. Bartlett, G. F. Flint.
M. j. O'Connor and E. G. Vanguysen.
The expedition cost the government more
than 100000 and the results of the expedi-
ton are practically nil. A fine collection
of photOpraphs was obtained. but this, 1t is