The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-25

which has u deep and solid foundation
of it's own, Independent of the building
in which it stands This is to secure
absolute freedom from disturbance by
any movement in the building or by the
Earring of passing vehicles.
Recorded With Pencil of Light.
The galvanometer and it's tiny magnet
is the instrument through which news is
being obtained OF the present disturb
ances on the sun. The pencil of light
used to record the balometer observations
is now taking as telegraphers would say,
message direct from the sun and writ
ing it in characters that scientists may
some day be able to read plainly. The
disturbance first manifested itself three
days ago, so affecting the magnet that
the bolometer work had to be stopped.
Since then the bolometer having been
disconnected the galvanoneter has been
employed in observing and recording the
progress of the magnetic storm. Lit was
so engaged when a Star reporter was IN
troduced into the observatory. Inc OBJ
scrvatory would hardly be recommended
as q pleasant resort on a warm summer
day. In order to prevent moisture from
affecting the prisms Of salt, the tempera-
ture is Kept up to drying kiln heat.
In the Dark Room.
The Star reporter very gladly followed
the example set him, and Invested him
self of his coat as he entered the main
apartment, which is darkened by curtains
and screens. Here Mr.. Langley explained
briefly the uses of the apparatus. He
had an image of the sun thrown upon
screen SO his visitor could get glimpse
of the spots There was group on one
side of five very distinct spots, and an
other smaller, group on the other SIDE.
Then in the adjoining room the reporter,
with the assistant watched in the dark
the weird spot of light that moved from
side to side, sometimes halting, some
times increasing in speed, as it registered
the intensity of the storm that is sweep
ing over the face of the sum- Its move
ments were irregular as to the distance
travelled. Sometimes it would move a
few inches only, and again from end to
end of its journey would be foot or
more
The star reporter was getting informa-
I'll on as to what was just then happening
on the sun, for some one remarked, 1T
took only ten minutes for the message to
come
He aid that ordinarily the spot of light
electric disturbance going on the sun was
so great, lie thought, as possibly to pro-
duce noticeable effect on magnets ana
wires of telegraph companies.
The solar electrical storms have been
noticed as occurring at times when the
sun spots are observed in greatest num-
bers. What their connection is with the
sun spots or with the auroral dislays and
other electric phenomena which seem
likely to occur about the same time on
earth no one has ventured to say; that
is, no scientist careful about announcing
theories 1t is known that the sun spots
and the electric disturbances occur in
periods of about eleven years. 1t has
been asserted that the sun spots and the
price of cereals seemed to bear relation,
and it was shown by statistics that crops
were better in the years when the spots
did not appear or appeared IN small num-
beers. 1t was argued from this that the
spots, or whatever caused the spots, had
some effect on the seasons.
Predicting the Seasons.
When the Smithsonian Institution gets
along further the world may know more
about it, and as this new science adj
vances with such labors elsewhere it is
possible that we may be able to predict
what kind of season is coming, as we
can now predict what kind of weather
we are likely to have in the next week
-foreknowledge that would be of i'm
mense national Importance, since in some
vet unascertained way the success OF our
crops is connected more or less with
these sun spots, and for ascertaining this
and for like practical ends this novel OBJ
servatory is Instituted. 1t is wholly I'M
like ordinary ones, being, as we have
said, substantially dark chamber, kept
at trying temperature, filled with wires
and into which only one or two persons
can enter Drawings are made on large
scale of these sunspots, showing their
enormous magnitude, such drawing in
the observatory showing one laid down
to scale, beside the continents of North
and South America, which it exceeds in
size more than fifty times, while, as we
were told, during the brief time of sketch
ing it, masses of the spot larger than
the United States broke up and entirely
disappeared Such enormous commissions
we can have no clear idea of. All that
is certain is that their effects reach
across space to the earth and indirectly,
but powerfully, affect human interests
in ways that the Smithsonian Institute
is just now trying to find out Wash
ington Star