The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-24
NOTCREDITEDAT HARvARD
THEIR CHIEF PERUVIAN oBsERTA-
TORY rs PROBABLY SAFE.
Prof Piekerine Not I.slined - BeIieve the
Report that che station st Aresuip. Has
Bees Looted By the 1usurrecttontsts.

Prof Pickering Not I.sliued - BeIieve the
Report that the ststton st Areauip. HES
Bees Looted By the Izsurrectiorist..
BosToN, Oct. 23.-Prof. Pickering Of the Har-
ward Observatory was asked to-day to give his
opinion on the report that the Harvard astro-
nomical station at Arequipe. in Peru. had been
sacked. lie said that he could not verify any
reports. The authorities in Cambridge seldom
have any teleprsphic communication with the
station, owing 10 the fact that II costs some 50
for each word.
II have hopes, however" he sald. in con-
tinuing, that the report rs published is dis
torted by being handed about from one country
TO another. think that the station that has
been sacked is that on FL Misti, and not that at
Arequipa. My reasons for this are based on n
letter which I received a short time ago from
Prof. bailey, who has charge of the work that
is being done in Peru.
Our main station is not much more than two
miles from Arequipa. We bought some land
there. and erected station, consisting OF several
buildings, including the residence. house for
telescope, and the accommodation for the other
from here all other expeditions are made.
"ln addltio 10 this main station we have had
one near Lima, In the northern part OF PERU
Fortunately we had abandoned that before the
resurrection had made much Roadway. The
place OF our sub-station there is now In the hands
Of the insurrectionlsts. A third station, estab-
lished less than year ago. Is some ten or twelve
miles from the main buildings at Arequipa, on
FL Msti, an extinct Volcano. This station Is ex-
tremely Important, for IL In the highest meteoro-
logical station In the. world, and observations
made from there have already been very
valuable. The loss of what instruments
there are there will not amount to any
thing 30 far as actual money gJes,
for the instruments would only cost n few hun
dred dollars In America. Hut II would, never
struments stolen. because 1t il with the greatest
difficulty that anything can be carried there.
1.-THE atmosphere In 80 rare on the summit
that nobody can pretend to live there So, three
uuipa and takes a record OF all the work that the
automatic instruments have been doing in tho
previous ten days. From these facts you can
readily understand that the sacklng Of that sta
tion would be serious event"
The letter referred TO by Prof Pickering Is
except the big towns. was In the hands of the
worst sort OF nsurrectonists. SO that II was dan
Rerous to travel extensively. The letter said
that some marauders had been found to have
ransacked the station on FL Msti and that they
had carried off some OF the smaller instruments
left traces which. gave Mr.. Waterbury,
who went on the journey when this
was discovered. the idea that there would be
another raid. and he secured help and carried
home most OF the Instruments. The letter fur
ther. said that Arequpa and the immediate
neighborhood were not In much danger.
For these reasons" said Prof. Pickering. II
hope the reports are confused and that the
trouble was all on FL Misti In that event
can feel sure that there was no loss Of life or OF
the most valuable instruments or documents.
While the loss Of anything on FL Misti is seri-
Gus, we should not feel so Indignant as in case OF
an attack on the main station"