The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-14
MEASURING THE EARTH
The Work Now Going On Ne simple Job
Great ImprOVsmsntIn Scientific Apps

The Work Now Going On We simple JOB
Great Improvement In SGIShIihe APPa.
rnIus.
william E. Curtis In Chicago Re-
cord: The longest distance ever encom-
passed by the human vision. 50 far as
the records go, IS one hundred and
eighty-three miles. between the UDeom-
paghra peak. in Colorado, and Mount
Ellen. in Utah. The feat was accom-.
plIshed bV the surveyors OF the United
States coast and goedetic survey, VINO
are now engaged, In conjunction with
representatives OF other nations, IN
making a new measurement OF the
earth. The observers on the PACING
coast have been able 20 signal from
Mount Shasta to Mount Helena. a DIS
lance Of one hundred and ninety miles
but have never been able TO get re-
Spouse
Between the other two peaks conmu-
DIcation has been continuous for an
hour or more on several occasions Inc
Uncompaghra IS 1890 feet In heisht'
while Mount Ellen Is l3.t0O feet. Inc
longest distance that the human eye
ever reached until this record was mao
was between Algiers and SPAIN one
The measuring Of the earth, which Is
now going on, is no simple Job. The
width OF Che ocean can only be nscer-
tanned by astronomical observations.
The observers at Greenwich and at
Washington note each night the exact
moment OF the rising OF certain stars
and then, By mathematical CALCULATION
turn the difference IN time into ats
tnnce. This Is corrected and corrobora-
ted by other observations upon other
stars, and by u series Of experiments
which furnish an average that Is Sp-
proXlnately accurate. The difference IS
seldom more than small fraction o. =
secoud. and IL attributed to atmospher
&c phenomena. The Pacific coast Is
measured IN similar manner by JOINT
c.hservatJons by the lack telescope in
California and that OF the Imperial UNI
versIty OF Japan at Tokyo.
The distance across the United StateH
IS found to b.. 1883 geographical Tnils3
from the light house, six miles north OF
Cane May, New Jersey. TO the light mouse
six miles south OF Punta Arenas. follow
ing me s9;h parallel OF latitude az closely
"a possible. This Is conceded 10 be ABOUT
the mean width Of the country. glance
at the map Will show that the United
States Is much wider toward the north
and much narrower toward the gulf
coast. but the 18th parallel Is about as
fair an average as can be drawn. The
measurements were made by trianSuia-
tion-thRt is. by taking observations
frum h1ed landmarks and verifying
them by astronomical tests. The dis
lance across the continent thus obtained
is liO feet longer than that reported by
BeSsels IN 1856. and ninety-eight feet
longer than that reported by Prof Clark
in 1895. It has also been discovered that
the radius Of the equator IL tweuty-sIH
and one-half miles greater than when the
earth was hast measured. This Is attr1o-
uted to errors in former calculations ana
defective Instruments. rather than 70 any
material change IN the globe.
There has been very great Improve
ment in scientific apparatus during the
last few years. both as 20 accuracy and
convenience. The Instruments now used
are so much superior IN every respect to
those employed thirty years ago that
more confidence may be placed In the re-
suits OF tho recent surveys. The officers
Of the coast survey are making some In
teresting discoveries IN resuryeyinG the
coast OF the United States. They hnd.
for example. that C0ney Island is mile
and a half TO the westward Of where L
was twenty-five years ago.