New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-04
MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORY GOSSIP.

PROFESSOR e. S. HOLDEN DISCUSSES SOME
FAMOUS INSTITUTIONS.
In his interesting pamphlet Mountain Observa-
tories In America and Europe" which the Smith
sonian Institution has recently Issued among It's
miscellaneous Collections" Professor Edward s.
Holden gives an account OF the most important es
Establishments for astronomical purposes at any
considerable elevation above sea-leve'. Although
Newton In hi had suggested that the purity OF the
upper air made undertakings Of this kind especially
desirable. and Humboldt nearly century ago had
remarked the steadiness Of stellar images as
seen In the tropics 1t not until 1852 that the
idea was carried into successful execution. In that
year Lase erected a two-foot reflector for tenn
porary use on the rocky emnence in which the
southwestern coast Of Malta eliminates. Professor
Piazzi-Smyths experiments in 1856, with two tele-
scopes at attitudes of $500 and 1902 feet respec-
lively. also extended over only a brief interval OF
time Tacchinis observatory on Mount Aetna al
though not available for more than few months
In each year. the first permanent establish
ment of the sort. 1t was erected In 1881. But In
the previous eight or nine years there had been
many special observations made from great ati-
tudes In this country. Besides, there explora-
lions to determine the value of proposed sites. For
Instance. there talk in 1928 OF erecting the
United States naval observatory glass; which has
an aperture of twenty-six inches somewhere In the
Rocky Mountains. But Professor Holden, after
studying the matter carefully In Colorado re-
ported against the plan. and the latter was then
abandoned. In 1s7i-75 the present site OF the Lick
Observatory was selected. although the structure
was not completed and equipped with its big
thirty-six-inch rcfractor until 1855. Professor
Holden declares that eight years OF experience on
Mount Hamilton have demonstrated the excep..
tiona excellence OF that locality for steadlness OF
atmosphere as well fine weather
Professor Holden discusses at some length the
difficulties of climbing certain famous mountains,
and especially Mont Blanc and also refers to the
reduced worrying caPac c Of man In rareed air
through the scheme for an observatory at the very
summit OF the monarch OF the Alps, but courteousy
Mont Blanc is Is $50 feet high and Pixies Peak has
an altitude OF l3 feet. But the latter can be as
reached the top OF the former only by the laborlous
and dangerous efforts OF ms guides who hauled LED
his age. as from other indrmities Professor Holden
searches Conducted by the great French astronomer
could have been carried on equally well on Pixies
Peak or some other mountain OF the same he'en''
Many OF the Hottest mountain obseryatories OF
Andes dssoO feet above ieveD. have been es-
tabished for meteorological purposes. But Pro-
tions Of Temperature. humidity and wind force on
mountain top do not accurately tepresemt ine
tude over a plain a few miles away. Consequently
the work done by balloons and kites Is more salts
r rasus ON nnn na in the highest
ascent yet made by human being IN a nni,0on;
5000 feet Tor nearly ak mIes) was reached: and
unattended balloons carrying selfrecording instr1;
ments have gone up at least eleven and hall
miles BY carrying along tanks containing nidg, com
oxygen to be e, eres so
Is readily overcome. but one needs TO be pretty
Se %Ssd up n I t. endure sSs
Sy Bcrson's thermometer when he went up him
s moss ;Snssoo sSns " Sa''''"'' '