The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-08

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omy there in 1929. Born at ST. Louis,
Mo-, November s. 1916, of a Massa-
chusetts family, he had been sent east
for his youthful education; but, hav-
ing returned to st. Louis, had been
graduated from the Scientific school
OF Washington university in 1866.
He counts himself fortunate in his
teachers. At Washington university
almost all his work was done under
the eye of Professor William Chauye-
net whose practical Astronomy is
one OF the few text books of which the
nutrltive powers last from generation
to generation, while at West Point he
experienced the stimulus of personal
contact with another great mathe-
matIcal teacher, Professor Bartlett.
professor Mahan, Of West Point, and
PROFESSOR Henry, of the Smithsonian
institution, were also among his most
influential teachers. Such men, while
a delight to strong minds, are
like spirited horse to a poor
rider when confronted with pu-
pills Of mediocre talents; but Holden
stood the test and came refresh
ed and strengthened from their pres
ence
Notwithstanding the powerful math-
ematical bias of his education up to
his twenty-fourth year, young Holden
early exhibited literary talents, and
his graduating thesis in 1866 was on
The Scientific Use Of the Imagfna-
ton" a subject suggested to him by
Professor Chauvenet some years be-
fore the publication of Tyndalrs fam
Gus essay During his army service
ne wrote several notable papers on
fertilization.
The observatory $1,000 Feet Above
Sea Level.
But his real life-work began at the
time previously mentioned when he
was selected to organize and direct
the Lick observatory. If the teles-
cope superior to and more powerful
than any telescope yet made" which
James Lich's trust provided for, had
been set up at San Francisco, or.
sacramento, or some other place near
Sea-level il is more than probable that
its failure would have discouraged fu-
ture efforts to construct giant teles-
copes. The peak of Mount Hamilton
is almost as essential a part of the
worlds greatest observatory as is the
huge glass itself. 1t rises about 1920
feet from sea-level, an. elevation suf-
hclent, to carry it above the denser
and more. impure air of the valleys
and the seashore; but its elevation
alone is not what gives it distinction.
The great telescope might have been
perched equally high, or higher, and
yet have proved a. failure. 1t was only
after careful examination and a series
OF, elaborate experiments, that Mount
Hamilton was selected, and the.
choice was made because that peak
possesses an exceptional situation. All
summer, and indeed from April to Oc-
tober, every afternoon fogs roll in from
the Pacific, and, from an elevation of
1900 or 1000 feet, cover the Santa
Clara Valley at the western foot of
Mount: Hamilton, thus screening the
mountain from the radiation of the
heated valley. The consequence is
that during six or seven months of the
year the air enveloping the peak at
night is wonderfully clear and
steady, and the most delicate
astronomical observations can be
carried on hour after hour with
out interruption. But in the day
time, when there are no fogs over the
land, and when the valley is sending its
warm air currents high above the
mountain, the seeing" as the astrono-
mers term it, is no better on Mount
Hamilton than elsewhere; perhaps
sometimes it is worse. Then, too, in
the winter months the air is not par
ticularly steady there, so that the Lick
observatory accOmplishes it's best work
in the summer, and is not specially
we'll suited to day time observations at
any season. But during more than
half the nights of the year the sum
nit of Mount Hamilton is a favored
spot of the earth, seen from which the
heavens appear indeed an exquisite
vision.
DR.. HoIden's associates,
The Lick observatory was completed
in the summer of 1888, less than two
years after the death of its founder.
and DR.. Holden then set on foot the
work of actual observation which has
since made the name of the institution
famous in every civilized land No one
supposes, of course, that the director
of great observatory, himself per-
forms all the labor. He has associates
and assistants working in accordance
with the general plan of the organiza-
tlon. Mount Hamilton already counts
several brilliant names in the list of
It's working astronomers, such as S. w.
Durham, the greatest observer and
d1scoverer of double stars that the
world has ever known; E. E. Barnard.
Inc dlScoVerer Of the Fifth Satellite ar
Jupiter, one of many comets. and
whose planetary observa tions and pho-
AoPAo VI lieDulde ana stars, taken
all in all, are of unrivalled excellence
and Importance; J. e. Keller. who
stands at the forefront in astronomi-
cal spectroscophy; W. w. Campbell
another authority in the same branch
of science, and J. NJ. SschaeberIe
whose work in mathematical and nl1v,
steal astronomy ranks high. Two of
these, Mr.. Burnham and Mr.. Keller
nave not for several years past been
connected with the Lick observatory,
and MIR. Barnard is also about to trans.
Ter his work elsewhere.
The ObservatOry's Superior Eguip-
ment.
OF course, all of the observers can
not employ the great telescope at the |
same time, and so it became necessary |
at the beginning to apportion its use |
among them according to the nature |
and the pressure of the particular |
work which each had in hand. From, |
the start the Lick observatory had a |
Pinch refracting telescope, in addition |
to the great 36-inch instrument. whicb |
is dts chief glory, and other smaller