Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-03
THE SOLAkOMETER,

THE sOLAkOMETER.
A New Nautical Astronomical instrument
That Will Prove Valuable.
1T WILL AID IN PREVENTING WRECKS AND LOSSES
AT Seats Use EXPLAINED BEFORE THE Ma
TIoNAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY BY LIEUT. BEkH-
LER-oTHER INTERESTING PAPERS READ,
Tho eighty-third regular meeting of the Ma
tional Geographic Society was held last even
ing in the assembly room Of the Cosmos Club.
1t was the last meeting Of the season, and
called forth an attendance that comfortably
filled the lecture room and that listened with
interest to the various papers read There
were three of these, the first being by Lieut.
W. H. Beehler, U. s. n, on the subject Of the
solarometer, q new nautical astronomical in
strument for determining the position Of 6
ship at sea.
The solarometer is an instrument which will
accomplish this result by observations Of
heavenly bodies day and night. whenever visi-
BILE in the sky, and without any elaborate cal
culations.
The problems Of nautical astronomy are
solved mechanically, and by comparing the re-
suits OF any observation with corresponding
computed values of declination. latitude. hour
angle and azimuth, In the enlarged book Of
azimuth tables to be published, the observer
has positive proof Of the absolute accuracy Of
his observation.
Clouds will Of course render heavenly bodies
invisible to the solarometer as well as to the
seItsnt but it is rare that even for twenty -four
hours that a star is not visible for q few mo-
ments, and W henever the sun, moon or any
bright star may be visible for even a short time
observations may be made with the solarometer;
whereas with a sextant 1t is necessary to have
the sun visible twice, once for latitude near the
meridian and once or twice for time when east
or west Of observer.
During foggy weather it frequently happens
that the sun is quite plainly visible in the sky
while the horizon is obscured and the sextant
OF no use. Tho solarometer will, however, be
specially valuable in just such emergency, and
in the vicinity Of the coast it will obviaie much
loss Of life and property now wrecked, because
of bad navigation.
ANNUAL LOSSES By WRECKS.
The United States photographic Office re-
Gently published a wreck chart. ON which it is
stated that there is an annual loss Of 2.l72 YES
sells with u 900 lives and a money value Of
s100, 000, 900. From a careful estimate Of the
causes OF this loss ii is safe to ascribe at least
10 per cent to bad navigation, which an instru-
ment like the solarometer IN general use would
have obviated. Ten per cent of the total loss
means as stated to be over 200 vessels, 1000
lives and $40, 000, 900 Of property
The value of the instrument, however. is not
confined to the determination OF a vessels
exnct position and compass error at all hours
OF the day or night, whenever anything oln be
seen in the sky, but this accurate result incl
dentally enables vessels to steer in exact great
circle routes and keep the adopted trans
oceanic routes with the certainty of a railroad
train. Time. coal and money will be saved by
enabling steamers to keep on the most direct
and shortest routes to their ports.
Vessels travelling back and forth over the
same routes Tor long periods will necessarily be
able to ascertain valuable information in regard
to the strength and direction of the ocean cur
rents. Shoals. wrecks and other dangers in
the navigation can be more definitely and accu-
rateiy located, and many dangers. such as der
elicts. DC, can be so accurately located that
there would be no difficulty in finding and Sc
curing them promptly.
The location of dangers, &C.. is at once an
evidence Of the value Of the soarometer for
marine surveying or surveying shore, since
observations can be taken at any time ANYTHING
Is visible in the sky. and since the observer is
positively certain every time he gets obscr-
walton OF the correctness of his results. it is
evident that the solarometer will be,of the great
est value in surveying.
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF TEXAS.
Mr.. Robert I. Hill read a carefully prepared
paper on the geographic features of Texas He
began by speaking OF the immense area Of the
state giving as a specimen statement that the
distance across the state was as great as from
here to Chicago. 1t is at the same time
humid and an arid state, mountainous and
level, forest and PRAIRIE in fact, all kinds Of q
state, but q northern state. Mr.. Hill spoke of
the various sociological conditions existing in
the different parts of the state owing to ITS i'm
mense size and varied nature. All the arious
clArACtpristlce Of the - h..
country are to be noticed as extending into
Texas, but notwithstanding this the state has a
character Of Its own that accounts for its pro-
vinciality. Even if 1t were not for the Indian
territory the washeta mountain range would
effectually separate Texas from Kansas and an
immense arid region divides it from Arizona, SO
that the state Of Texas retains its own per-
sonality. This it is likely to keep when one re-
members that Texan can travel for two DAYS
IN train and still be within the confines of his
own state. As a result OF this he is likely not
to get too neighborly with the citizens Of other
states.
Mr.. Hill went on to tell of the immense
resources OF the state of Texas dependent upon
the varying character Of the soils. cotton, wheat
and grazing lands. He described the chap
paral, the part of the country that is all grown
up with mesquite and every conceivable form
OF thorn-bearing growth. This country he
called the natural home and hiding place of
revolutions, for IT is here that ali the renegades
and outlaws from both sides of the Rio Grande
take refuge, and it Is here that most of the rev.
olutions that seek to overthrow the Mexican
government are fomented. 1t is a wonderfully
good country for raising cattle. however, which,
though poor in flesh and rich in horn. are noted
for their fecundity and rapid growth. These
longhorns are driven north and mixed with
herds of better breed. The ranches that dot
the country are many of them of immense size,
some OF them covering much as nine hundred
square miles. They are iesiously guarded BY
armed men and many of tho ranch houses are
like fortified castles, even going to tho extent
OF being guarded by cannon. though these are
rather rare and are the survival of an older and
ruder day.
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
An interesting paper was presented by Mr..
Henry Gannett and Mr.. Walter Harvey Weed
on the subject OF the Yellowstone National
Park. The paper treated of the park in the
early days before the advent of the railroad
and the personally conducted party and when
settlements were hundred miles apart The
park and all its wonders were missed by the
early settlers. Lewis and Clarke passed to the
north of it and others went all around it, but
not into IL. The reason for this was simple.
The country is high-weeded region with
forbidding climate, for it is always either winter
or late in the fall there.
In the early days when there was little known
of the park there were many romantic yarns
told about it, for the most mart tinoed With IN.