The Portland daily press., 1897-05-19
THE YERKES LENSES.
Extraordinary Case to Prevent Injury in
transportation.
(Boston Transcript

Some idea of the care necessary in ship
ping the lenses just made in Alvan
Clark's Cambridge factory for the Chi
cago University Observatory may be
gained from the statement that it is i'm
possible to work on them much in cold
weather because the changes in tempera-
ture are likely to affect the glass Every
unfavorable condition, and every slightest
jar, must be guarded against, for the
glasses are of such immense value to sci
ence, and SO wonderfully delicate in their
construction, that no care for them is
considered as too great. The first step in
shipping them was to take them from the
cases in the basement of the factory in
which they have rested for the five years
work on them, and to make for them two
cases of what is known as "silence
cloth;'' that is to say, thick, heavy
cotton flannel, such as is laid on tables
under the linen cloth to prevent the disa
greeable hard feeling of the table and the
noise that would be made by moving
plates, etc. This cloth was cut to fit the
lenses very accurately, and when it was
put on it was drawn as tightly as was
possible without tearing it, so that the re
should be almost no slipping to it. Out
side OF this there were placed two heavy
cases of thick wrapping paper, two or
three thicknesses being put on and Gem
ented firmly into place, and outside of
this again there was put another layer of
cloth. Two large cases about five feet
each way and foot deep had been pre-
pared for the lenses, and into these they
were put, and firmly packed on every side
with the best obtainable curled hair.
When the covers of these cases had been
screwed down the lenses were as nearly
as possible perfectly protected The curled
hair kept them from receiving any jar;
the outside layer of cloth kept them from
slipping about in the hair, the paper pre-
vented the hair from penetrating the
casing and the inside layer of cloth made
a soft covering in which the precious
glass itself rested. When the lenses had
been placed in the cases they were carried
out of the shop, all the workmen in the
factory being employed on each one, al
though neither was very heavy, and
placed in large spring wagon. They
| were then driven slowly and carefully
| down to where the car was standing on
| the spur track of the Boston & Albany,
| which runs down along the river bank a
| short distance back of Mr.. Clark's fac
| tory.
The car is one of Wagner's build, and
| is of a peculiar construction, which
makes it especially adaptable for the pur-
pose in hand. AT one end of it there is a
| large smoking room, which, after the re-
moval of the table, made Just the place
| for the lenses, while the whole of the rest
| of the car is divided into staterooms.
There are only two or three cars like this
one in existence, and this particular one
was brought from New York especially
| for the shipment of the lenses. A big
case, in which the mountings for the
| lenses had been packed, was first placed
in the middle of the smoking room to act
as base for the lenses themselves, and
was supported by thick layers of carpet
to minimize any jar. The wagon was
then backed up to the end of the car
| and the cases containing the lenses wer9
run in on rollers, SO as to give no chance
for dropping them. Between the case
which had first been put in and the low
er lens case, and between the latter and
the upper lens case, there were placed
thick layers of carpeting and burlap, and
when the last case was in place the whole
was firmly bound with rope, so that no
twitching round a curve could by any
chance cause the cases to slip.
Thus carefully guarded from injury the
precious glass will make the trip to Chi
cago, where, with equal care, it will be
taken from the car to the observatory
There it will be set up, and WILL it is ex :
pected, show things in the celestial world
| that the eye has never previously been
able to perceive This lens is the largest
| in the world at present, and represents
five years of careful work by Alvan Clark
at his Cambridge works. 1t is forty
| inches in diameter, and is valued at
900 Alvan g. Clark, the maker of
| the lens; Carl A. r. Lundin, his fore
man, who has spent several years in pol
ishing the great disk, and another work
man will accompany the valuable cargo.