New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-26

M IT 1amSs's schooner- yacht coronet By Ma.
bel Loomis Todd. Illustrated. Octave. pp. $50
Houghton. Mifiiin co.
There is no mystery which the astronomers
have sought more eagerly 10 solve and from
,he solution Of which they have reasonably ex-
nected 10 gather more abundant results than
the nature and behavior Of the solar corona
This vast delicate envelope Of the sun seen
,nly during the rare and brief intervals Of total
eclipse is the chief subject of scientific in
.terest whenever the interposition Of the moon
x,ves US chance to examine the appendices
n the orb Of day. 1t is now believed that all
o, the fixed stars-probaby about a hundred
million IN number-ar- suns some larger and
some smaller than ours. some less developed and
some older. but all OF them bodies whose COM
posit!on and life history are very much like
those OF the one aoout which the earth makes
a circuit yearly. Hence. il we could but learn
the secrets Of this particular body. which is
much nearer TO US than the stars should
gain a good deal of information in regard to
the remaining millions. More than that. IL is
not improbable that we should also find out
something Of the influences exerted upon our
own planet-its atmosphere. magnetism. weather
and. possibly, the life OF its population. No
wonder then. that the astronomers go to the
ut;ermost parts Of the globe to witness a total
eclipse II the sun. when. by calculations that
afford beautiful exhibition Of the powers Of
the human mind. they ascertain years in ad-
vance rot only the very hour and minute OF
the event. but the precise path on the earth's
surface that the ileeting lunar shadow will pur-
sue
The line along which the eclipse Of August.
1896 was total extended from the coast OF
Norway up across Nova Zenbla, in the Arctic
20
the Pacific One of the many parties OF as
,ronorrers organized to observe 1t was in charge
~ Professor Todd Of Amherst College. and was
stationed al Esashi on the island Of Yezo. about
40 miles north Of Toxic. High hopes were en-
tertainel in regard TO this expedition. not only
hv the members. but by other experts and many
friends Mr.. D. Willis James and his son. Cap
tain Arthur James placed at the disposal OF tie
Amherst party their schooner-y acht Coronet, the
boat which Won a famous victory in race
with the Dau7tless across the Atlantic just De-
fore she came into the possession OF her pres
ent owners The wife CT Professor TODD, VINO
IS he daughter Of the late Elias LOOMS. OF ale
himself noted ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the
expedition and now gives Us pleasant account
OF a remarkable cruise. The voyage TO Japan
and back added fortyhve thousand miles TO the
record Of the Coronet. She was taken around
the Cape by her sailing master but captain
James sailed her from San Francisco. and in a
chapter Of his own he offers some attractive
suggestions relate TO the use OF square sails
IN schooner. Captain James and the astro-
nomical party left the Atlantic seaboard as soon
ne the Coronet arrived az San Francisco Pro-
lessor Todd carrying the more delicate instru-
r,ents. ohronometers lenses and so on Inc
heavier parts Of the apparatus had already been
shipped the yacht.
A few days were spent at the Sandwich ls.-
snds The astronomers and the 'unscientlhc
contingent" visited the volcanoes. noted the
beautiful flowers Of that oceanic paradise, ate
noi-in moderate quantities-and did many otner
things which the issnders do. although MIS-
Todd evidently did not ride horse as,3lnc' as
women in Hawaii are accustomed 70 DO. Inc
oirc,,rstanoes Of the death Of Kate Field which
occurred while the Amherst party was at iiono-
lulu. afford material for a chapter. as DO the
facts cleaned by the doctor of the expedition In
resard 10 the leper colony at Molokai typhoon
was encountered on arrival off the coast OF
japan And when the party went ashore thev
heard ot terrific destructive earthquake ana
tidal wave that had ravaged Japan Just before
they reached Yokohama. The Government OF
The island enpire did much 10 facilitate the work
OF the astronomers. Professor Todd hurrled
rorthward to the station as promptly as Hos'
sible in order to have his apparatus ready pH-
fore the event which he had come to observe
Meantime the unscientifc members u TEE party
spent two or three weeks III sightseeing III the
southern mart Of the archipelago. Mrs Todd
had visited this part OF the world before having
acconpanied her husband on ore Of his eclipse
expeditions 10 Japan. In the Following para
graph she enbodies the one phase Of the life
oil ohc 4
halt-tropical. gently pungent odor. not precisely
that Of flowers or luxuriant vegetation. incense
or moist atmosphere. old embroderes. or the
culture q ages. but perhaps ali OF these TO-
g4ther. and more powerful to awake assoda-
ton than even sight or sound haunts japan
Ike a spiritual aroma. With its first din1,y
suggestive breath the nine years chasm was 50
hrdged that life might almost have gone On
ever since without a break IN this dear. dreamy
Professor Todd's apparatus includes a number
Of novel devices. One Of these was clock FOR
keeping his Instruments continually directed 10
the sun after being set in operation. One leg
of a tripod terminated in a piston or plunger'
that was inserted in tube filed with glycerne
This fluid was allowed 10 escape like the sand
from an hourglass. at just such rate IS 70
How the plunger 10 sink az the desired tate
This device had been repeatedly tested. and
worked Ike charm before the eclipse. But
even more valuable was an electrical machine.
looking Ike an Organette. which actuated the
shutters and leplenished the plates. # a lot II
cameras mounted on the one polar axis" PINS
Get into the revolving barrel Of this apparatus
were so adjusted 70 make an electric con-
tact al the right second Of time, and thus me-
.hanicany insure the exposure OF several nun
dred Photographic plates during the two MN
utes Of totality Twenty distinct instruments
we're operated in this way. automatically MOI
only were the services OF that many men ois-
,aread ,r;,b b,,t tho numerous elements of un-