The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-03


evening this week wiGh the most eminent
81 fhe worlds astroso uaers. Prof simon
ESwccrnh S. 20 tire seteafisfs - Europe
a FAR more interesting Uau TRAN 'fe
president Of ffls uited Stale ~ bfa-
ing sors4gn universities have conferred
honorary degrees EpOu hin. TIRE Ereaf@st
% the wors6's scientific societies have
presented him with goi6 medals for rs
Astronomical work and IS books are
used II the chief unlyereities - f-n&htna
ard Germany. There r. today nor an as
troslornsr living who does not utse "4s
calculations upon NsHcoFnh,s fantea ~
the movements o. the planets and tfl@
MON. and there e NOS S strip that salts
THE seas that y not guided ~ bis meas
u~ernents o. the Solar system.
r Il fnaed alshcGit 10 give Sc common
vro~sa q conception 81 Prof. %ewcofuhs
work Il nl4ghf afnOst - satG mat ne
has weighed the planets. fas beid hi>
stop watch ou tie motions q nc moon
and through his maf hcmaffc4t genius Aaa
given Us 4 SET ~ tustg infamous photo
graphs % the greater heavenly bodies ~
iheg sped oa rheir courses through fh9
regions - space. Thlnk e TIE most az
tle4ff alxe bralc calculation you have ever
attempted imagine Sc 70 BE- 2 thousand
times harder than u S. then take tens
lp8n tens = thousands q such ealeuIa-
t.ens worked over au6 over again until
antsisfte accuracy IS assured and yDu
base Il a1aail payt % the aetuas % the
work - Prof. Newcomb- Think again
Suppose Tgu had 20 travel the Horsd over
fa ges fhe records OF astronomers for
flfldresis ~ vsaFs rack to form arc basis
Tor such calculations. THAT y0u had 70
q srk them sser yourself 50 see Il they
were correct and then to recOmpute and
reea1eulate them according 10 uew SGT
- conditions as 80 Ghe heavenly bodies.
whieh you yourself had discovered. and
yoa have aH0fhsg part Of the labor this
man Aas done.
NaeN - fais work wac performed dur
ire TIE leisure he lad while acting -
computcr and superintendent 81 the Nau-
fieai AlmHaae which for years has
formed fhe chief guice 60 the shipping
~ the world and lE- calculations Tor
wfGch require enormous Labor. Iie j.. in
fetf. fas ficrruics - mathematical as
tfonomt
prof NeweonlA's astronomical sBc-
cesses have also extcndei hsyoud MS
general izat.oas end deductions based up-
eu Vie observation of others. lie has
irat sled from on- end ~ the globe al
mcat 20 the other 20 get the best views ~
;ile stre< Nov be il "a the Saskatche-
wan res.on ~ British America watching
an eclipse 81 the san now YOU find him
~ Gibraltar noting the motions 81 tho
inoea. ami now his telescope Is pointed
toward the skies Of the cape Of Good
Hope.
Prof. Newconib st Home.
Prof NeaeoTnb lives here AZ Washing
tuH ~ a very pretty three-storg red-hrick
house os = strsst. just OFT 81 sixteenth in
what 81 0sse ~ the most fashionable parts
~ the Cit. Re has fine library on The
frst floor. the walls - hls workshop,
from iQot 70 ceiling. being filled with
hooks ID bis collection there are many
rsre mathematical works. Among 9TH
ers. 10 showed mo a Euclid. whicn was
printed feH vcars before America Was
discovered TIE diagrams and initials
are Beautifully MADE and the Ink, not
witAsfanGirg It's tea wears. Is AS black ~
that 80 the newspaper in which this let
ter AZ he printed.
Prof Newcomb does me most OF his
work IN his library he works with mis-
family ahout him and many Of his most
difficult calculations have heen made
white his wife and daughters were chat
ting together n the same room h has.
you know. now retired from his lahors
for tha government hut ar g. he II intel
hcteaIiv as sb.e he has ,vcr been ana
ne 'ells me that tho work he has laid ont
before viii keep him BUSY for ten years -
come Just at present ne is complaining
BIS table, ~ the planets upon which he
h8s been busy for number OF wears.
I found Prof Ncwcumb exceedingly mod
est In fact had IL nor heen for tha assist
anee 7 gnt from his rife and his dsluSn-
tcv. Ars Anita Newcomt,- Niece. VINO
vere present daring cur conversation. I
doubt whether 1c wonio have SAID any
,hra shout himseif or his work AS il
wss ne deprecated Az slluslon % hiul-
seif, vas anxious 90 give others credit and
would net acknowledge that he had done
anything wonderful Hnr thar bis works
had entitled h.m TO the thanks Of the
wortt The Information got came in