New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-09
STUDYING TERRESIRIAL MAGNBTISM
A SPECIAL GOVERNMENT OFFICE CREATED FOR
THE FAMOUS YOUNG sAvANT FRANK
IL RIGELOW.

Washington. Oct s-The appointment OF Professor
Frank H. Rigelow, now assistant In the Nau'lcA
Almanac Office to a newly created proiessorshp III 'ho
Weather Bureau, under Professor Mark W. harrhsVo"'
Is announced Professor Blgelows recent discoveries
regarding the solar corona and terrestrial masne1'"
we're described at length in The Tribune Oh september
T. Most not all, OF the work there described was
nerformed outside of Office hours a personal enter
mise The Investigator will now pursue his WORK
directly under Government auspices. dealing eHciu
svely with terrestrial magnetism and solar phys'oS
especially in their relation to meteor0i0gy ana con
;inulng his researches along lines parallel or cohti
uous TO those lately followed. Professor harrington
has been keenly alert 10 the value OF professor bsc
lows work; and his wisdom In thus attaching 70
his own bprean scientist of such great promise, and
giving such practical encouragement TO this inquiry, IS
only one OF several evidences OF the progressive spirit
that now dominates the meteorological branch OF the
Government service
Professor Bigelow who forty years old last Aug
ust md is graduate Of Harvard College ilsIS), was
for three years thereafter employed as ASSISTANT 10 d.
A. b. Gould in the astronomical observatory at CORDOBA
in the Argentine Republic and In lo1o-'' unoer fro
lessor Newcomb at the Naval Observatory In Wasmng
ton Theological studies occupied him then until $780,
and upon entering The ministry he took an Episcopal
church at Natlck, Mass; but owing to pulmonary
maady, he abandoned parish work, though sun
clergyman In good standing. lie was again in CORDOBA
I'm 1891 IA permanently regainlng his health In tnat
interval and for six years he professor OF mathe-
mates and astronomy in Racine College, Wisconsin.
When that institution became embarrassed financially
I'm 1882 owing TO fire and other trouble he entered
the Nautical Almanac Office in Washington, under his
old chief Professor Newtomb, and has been ulere
since except for few months absence with the
Eclipse expedition to West Africa nee9-'9o). Al
though the weather proved unfavorabie to the nam
object of that enterprise, Professor Bgeow had
equipped his several telescopes at that time with
mechanical device OF his own invention for making
Photographic exposures absolutely simultaneously i'
stead of trusting TO individual effort. To Professor
Bgeow Is also due the invention Of all important pro-
cess of taking star transS by photography, which IS
now coming Into use and is destined to prove OF great
value to astronomers. When he went of TO Africa
he turned the thing over to Father Hager, S. j.. d.
rector Of the Georgetown d. c. Observatory. who has
developed the idea and brought it into practice For
merly observations OF the same star on different
nights. by the eye-and-ear method, chronograph,
when "Ieduced" to the equator, varied In apparent
position rs much as fifteen twenty seconds OF an
arc BY eliminating the personal equation" the new
process allows range Of only three seconds at the
most. Formerly, to get sharp result repeated oo-
servatons necessary and the expene of computa-
ton made II cost hundreds Of dollars to locate single
star on the chart Now the cost is greatly lessened
and besides permanent record is obtained which can
be measured again. II desired, years afterwad. Pho
Biography Is at present being extensively employed 10
secure astronomical data obtainable hitherto espe
ciay In regard to stars OF lesser magnitudeS and IL
ii here that Professor Bgeows invention Tor securing
precision and economy js doing the most good.