New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-28
GEN. DUFFIELD'S LOGARITHNS.
A USELESS PIECE OF WORK. WHICH HAS
COST THE GOVERNMENT HEAVILY.

| A USELESS PIECE Ot Wofh Nifi|ii i'
COST THE GOVERNMENT HEAVILY.
Washington Dec p (SpecaD.--In the annual re-
port OF the United States Coast and Geodeuc gu,
vev for the wear ending June &c. 1896. just received
Appendix No 10 has the following tue: Los ',
r,tbms: Their Nature. Computation ard Uses win
Iogarithu,,c Tables to Ten Places OF Deciinais'
Part l. BY W. W. Dutilcd. Superintendent
! Part contains only the !ogarithms OF numbers.
but the introduction is written for both Parts ana
n par, II which General Dufield had given or
ders TO have prepared for publication IN the next
annual report was TO contain the logarithnS OF
circular functions but 1t Is safe TO say tat II VIII
never appear The authors Introduction Is most
remarkable piece Of work IT Is IN the sty'e OF
big-headed schcoboy, and plainly shows the unfit
ness of the author TO undertake such WORK In
Section Is the following statement is certainly
amusing: when these computations were begun
! was not aware that Baron George Won vega hao
preceded re IN his thesaurus Losarlthmiorum
CompletUs. But my own results nave Deeh care
fully compared with those of Won Vega, and when
ever any difference detected the computation
was made anew In this way many serious errors
Undoubtedly geographically in Baron Won vega
tables have been discovered and corrected Think
Of IL sensible man in this age having uncertaKen
such q work without having first looked up the
history CT the subject Vegas tables were pub
lished In 1894 and crpes are 10 be found IN all i'm
portant libraries as well az in the possession Of
many Individual computers.
Az this date copies are occasionally found for
sale The history Of the thesaurus CAS- Vegas ia
bles are commonly called has long been known 10
almost every school5oy who has learned anything
OF logarithms though perhaps few have seen
copy. as ;en-fgure logarthms are so seldom used
General DHfield shoald have added 10 his amusing
statement that when appointed superintendent OF
the Survey in 1884 he not aware that the the
saurus had been corrected for all known errors and
reproduced in 1889 In Florence Italy. by phoozinc-
ography, which avoided the Introduction or any
more typographical errors. Copies OF TINS are at
the Coast and Geodetic Survey office, and Duflied
should have stated whether he compared his tables
with this corrected reproduction or with the Orig
mai publication
General Dunield presents his tables as an original
work but the following facts are nov well known
in Washington when The third and what was cX-
pected 20 be the last proc. was received al Inc
once OF tho Survey, few months ago. young
man took II into his head TO make test OF these
tables He selected abou; forty logarthms from
General Dufields tables which differed from the
Vega tables and recomputed then. In ever? case
ne found that DUN Id wrong He TOOK his
work another empoye. who went oyer II ana
made further tests. nndns Duiield wrong In every
case. When this was brough, 10 the notice OF Cen
era Dufiied he wanted 10 have all such cases gone
over but when told that It would cause several
months delay he gave orders TO copy Vega
Where now is General Dufields original Work,
except 4; he in the simple novelty OF having copied
eral Dufields tables seem to have been systematic
and not accidental. indicating something w'ong IN
his method Of computation. II would have been
well had General DuAeld given list OF the
SERIOUS errors" he found in the Vega tables.
TIE author boasts OF the superiority OF tho ar
rangemen; Of his tables Vega. but here, again
he Is greatly cault. In Vega the osarithms are
in groups OF three lines, with the numbers on the
Two opposite pages. but General Dufield has the
ogarithms in groups OF ten lines. with me numbers
on the lefi-hand page only so me eye ia" ~
ana the chances OF The computor taking OUT a
n one are Srocrcd
copy OF these tables few DAYS ago. and thougnt
sks Of sf Of vs es a BIZ! hs nc
laughs at the idea OF uang the Dulleid table, the
report containing these tables have been issued
and five hundred or more copie. OF the tables are
be distributed free by the Government. Had this |
work been offered for sale at so iow Pre- an az -
60 ili have ever been disposed Of. as such tables
seldom used All he expert prooireaens @nd
OF the Survey (men whoin General Durie.d haS
Lost an TO aoG o mf "rg d
Of these tables haye cost the Government oyer owe,
ESQ ,Ss!s Pua hns o2N-S the
ment but ii will be see7 from the facts above |
s'sd de 'e as all possible 5ns @ By
employees Of the suryey &c that the sId
many others concerning these tables become, gen;
orally known; they Will be seer TO pc iraud hna
n o give the work any scientific consideration as
can have 10 special scientific value.
cr Ths.S 'a npon the COAST and .oec sure
the present Administrator as Genera Dgfhed
and his Sa he a wfhe oR friend
ship 6gS pSs'Sn Of TRUST to hs
country p s u sgFfS s that 9 &