The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-07-08
THE LICK OBSERVATORY.
LARGEST RETRACTING TELE-
SCOPE, EXCEPT ONE.
Has Been the Parent and Exem-
plar of a Large Number of
Such Establishments.

from the pen of DR., Edward S. Holden,
in charge of the Lick Observatory:
James Lick, who gave to the world the
LICK Observatory, was born in Fred
ricksburg, Pennsylvania, Oh August %,
1856, and died in San Francisco on Oc-
tober !, 1876. By a deed of trust. made
in 1879. he devoted his whole fortune
taggregating $4,000 600 to public uses.
His trustees We're directed to expend,
Tor a monument to Francis Scott Key,
he author of THE Star Spangled Ban
ner," the sum of $50, 900 (this statue is
in Golden Gate Park; for statuary en-
blematic of the history of California,
100000 (the group is in front of the
San Francisco City HalD: for Home
for Old Ladies in San Francisco, Sl00.-
600; for free baths in the same city,
S150, 900; for a manual training school
for the boys and girls of San Francisco
$540, 600; beside important gifts to the
California Academy of Sciences, to the
Society of California Pioneers, etc.
The gift by which he will be best re-
membered, and in a high sense his most
useful endowment. is that of the Lick
Observatory on Mount Hamilton. To
this he gave the sum of 100000, and he
prescribed three conditions: First, that
the new observatory should contain the
most powerful telescope of the world;
second, that the endowment fund should
be made useful in promoting science
g. e., that the observatory should be
enc of research and discovery, and last
ly, that it should be the Lick Astronom-
ioal Department of the University of
California (the State University.
hi crit mo- 10
largest refracting telescope in the world
was the twenty-siX-inch equatorial or
the National Observatory at Washing
ton. 1t was matter of doubt whether
this could be greatly surpassed, owing to
to the difficulty of procuring discs of
glass of great size The Lick telescope,
mounted in 1887, has a clear aperture of
thirty-six inches. From 1887 to 1897 it
was by far the most powerful telescope
in the world. It's successful construc-
tiCn solved a number of problems, and
many other large equatorials have been
made and mounted of late years (Chl-
cago. Vienna. st. Petersburg, Paris,
Greenwich. Nice, etc). The Chicago tel
escope, mounted in May, 1891, is con-
structed on practically Identical plans,
bv the same makers, and it has clear
opening of forty inches, four inches
larger than the Lick telescope.
Great instruments of this class require
a serene and quiet air in order that they
rnay do their best work. In this re-
spect the Lick telescope is unriValed. 1t
stands on the very summit of Mount
Hamilton (4209 feet in hight in the
Mount DiabIo Range, twenty-six miles
by road (easO from San Jose. From May
till November the days and nights are
clear, and during the whole summer the
air is quiet; the stars do not twinkle;
the highest magnifying powers can be
EMPLOYED No one of the obserVator1eS
east of the Sierra Nevada has such adj
vantages: and all large telescopes there
situated are more or less handicapped IN
this regard. The Lick Observatory was
one of the very first mountain OBJ
servatories to be constructed, and here,
again. it has been the parent and ex-
emplar of a large number Of such estao-
lishments founded in late years All
the problems presented by such a stu
alton have been successfully solved
here. and life is as thoroughly organized
at Mount Hamilton as in city. IL
should be remembered that the little
community at the summit has every
want that the largest city can feel 1t
must have good roads, light, power,
heat. food water shelter, workshops, IL,
braries. beside its special apparatus ana
appliances. 1t is. in short, little as
Economical city, placed on the summit OF
a mountain. and devoted to one special
air1-the increase of our knowledge of
the stars.
The Lick Observatory has assumed
another function of Importance in ad-
dition, namely, the diffusion of such
knowledge in the community. On every
Saturday night, from o'clock, its doors
are thrown open to the public, and all
are encouraged to come and see for
themselves, through the telescopes the
planets and stars of which they may
have read. On every week day, also,
the stages bring visitors who remain for
an hour or more. who are shown through
the buildings. and to whom the work
;nes of the apparatus are explained.
More than 10000 persons have visited
Mount Hamilton since it was opened for
work. and everyone of them has gone
a1av with a clearer idea of the objects
and methods of modern science.
The regulations established by the
Regents of the University for visitors
are as follows:
Visitors will be received at the Lick
Observatory during office hours, when
ever any of the astronomers are pres
ent.
Regular nights in each month, not
exceeding one per week, shall be set
apart for the reception of visitors ex-
cent during Indictment weather, and Wis
tlnnS Tllp re
between certain hours, and at no other
times.
The observatory buildings will be
open to visitors during office hours
every day in the year. Upon their ar
rival visitors viii please go at once
to the visitors room and register their
names.
An hour or so can be profitably oc-
cupied in viewing the different instru-
ments, and the rest of the stay can be
we'll spent in walks to the various res
efvoirs, from which magnificent views
of the surrounding country can be had,
At least an hour and a half of daylight
should be allowed for the drive from
the Summit to Smith Greek. There are
no hotel accommodations at the sum-
nit.
For the present visitors will be re-
ceived at the observatory to look
through the great telescope, every Sat
urday night, between the hours of
and 10, and at these times only.
Whenever the work of the observa-
tory will allow. other telescopes will
also be put at the disposition of visi-
tors .on Saturdays, between the same
hours (only).
At 10 p. m. the observatory will be
closed to visitors, who should provide