The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-10
Mabel Loomis Todd Tells What
Was Done in Japan.
EXPENSE WITHOUT RESULTS.
Valuable Instruments Used In the Scientific In
vsstigation = Some Loaned by the Great
Universities-The French Party and Their
ViIlage-Watching the Condition of Weather.
ESASHI, Kitami, Hokkaido,
August 10, 1896.

August 1O, 1896.
The quiet sound of rhythmic surf
from the Sea of Okhotsk, beating upon
the sand and rocks of Kitami coast,
comes this evening through the little
sliding window beside me, where a
semicircle of faces is gathered against
| the dark background of the street. The
faces, always indicative of interest and
curiosity, but unfailing amiable and
friendly, are quite as much a part of
this remote region as the surf itself,
and no more intrusive. Ever since the
arrival of the expedition, the kindly
inhabitants of the town have done
everything in their power to facilitate
the work of setting up instruments and
establishing the station as convenient
Iy as possible The chief officer" i'm
mediately placed the scaool-house-
just vacated for new one-at the dis
posaI of Prof Todd and his assistants;
and one of the lading citizens, who
spends half the year here as his sum-
mer resort from Hakodate, lent large
piece of land adjoining for the tents
and portable house covering the ap-
paratus Other favors from officials of
the region followed rapidly, and when
the less scientific memb bers of the Coro-
net party caught the expedition, after
a curious and interesting journey along
the Yezo coast, it was found to be in
fine condition for the eclipse, and with
a fair prospect for clear skies on the
eventful 9th of August.
From July 10 until August there
had been ten perfectly clear afternoons
and four only partially shaded. The
Hokkaido, in it's northern portions, Of
fers a better chance for clOudless skies
than the main island, but along it's
southern coast fogs prevail almost con-
stantly.
Reference has been made before to
the excellent pamphlet issued by the
Central Meteorological Observatory,
giving the observations at this season
for three years past at all available
eclipse locations From careful sum-
ming up of all results, Esashi, on the
northern coast, showed larger pro-
portion of clear skies than any other,
and accordingly Prof Todd selected it,
as did the French expedition and that
sent out by the Imperial University at
Tokyo, while the Lick Observatory
party, under Prof Schaeberle, and the
English expedition in charge of the as
tronomer royal, Mr.. w. H. NJ. Christie,
with his assistants, Prof. Turner and
Capt Hills, r. E., chose Akkeshi, on
the southeastern coast, as their loca
ton. There were thus five fully equip
ped expeditions in the Hokkaido, all
awaiting the moons shadow to reveal
glories and scientific truths perhaps
hitherto unknown.
Prof Terao, in charge of the Tokyo
mission, established his camp about
half mile south of the little town and
back a short distance from the beach,
where the wreck of a small steamer
lying in the sand gives a picturesque
accept to the scenery. He was well
prepared to accomplish excellent pho
tographic work, among his instruments
being an especially fine Photographic
doublet of eight inches aperature, by
the well known optician, Brashear of
Allegheny. 1t was constructed for this
eclipse and arrived only a few days be-