The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-17
A SUPERB OBSERVATORY.
where the Huge Yerkes Telescope
VIII BE Housed In wisconsin.
From the Boston Herald.


From the Boeton Herald.
II must be admitted that the future home
OF such world-renowned instrument rs
the great Yerkes telescope is deserving of
the finest abode that money can purchase
and architectural skill design. All this
ana more can be justly claimed for the
1efkes Observatory, now IN process of
construction. The structure IL nearing
completion and will soon be
ready for the inspection OF the devotees
OF science. II is a picturesque building
outwardly, and the design is a unique one.
Inc observatory is so formed as to take
me shape OF a Latin cross the extremittes
comprising three towers or domes The
length of the building is 1876 feet and the
main dome, under which the great tele-
scope VIII repose, Is ninety feet in diane
ter.
1t Is In and around this main dome thai
the chief interest centers. The two other
towers Will contain telescopes the one a
l2-inch and the other 16-inch. but these
do not begin to compare In size and inn
portance with the 40-inch monster under
the main dome
One remarkable thing about this main
dome Is that Il revolves on a circular
track, carried by the tower walls. This
was the ingenious way in which the archi-
tect surmounted the difficulty in con
STRUGGLING a dome in which IL was neces-
cary TO give the telescope free play in
sweeping the skies. Like the turret of "A
warship, the dome from whence protrudss
the great Yerkes instrument can be moved
at the Will of an operator, so that the tel
escope shall point In any direction desired.
The device for swinging the dome around
rs very simple and convenient one. The
track is a rail resting on a cast iron Cir
der bolted 10 the masonry. The wheels by
which the dome revolves on the track are
fitted with roller bearings, and are so con-
structed that the wheels adjust them
selves to any chance Inequalities in the
smoothness OF the track.
BY means OF an apparatus located in the
lower part of the building, the dome can
be moved either by hand or power ma
chinery, and an endless cable wound
around the dome and connecting with this
machinery causes the dome to reyolve on
its track BY starting this cable in mo-
ton, the dome can be moved in either di-
rection.
The amount Of work and care involved
in designing and constructing this dome
can scarcely be imagined ID was neces-
sary to exercise the greatest care, lest.
during one of the atmospheric disturb
ances so common to this part Of the coun-
try, a disaster should occur before the diff
ferent parts of the dome were solidiy con-
nected.
Besides the difficulty of constructing this
revolving dome, piece by piece, there was
the delicate work Of erecting the telescope,
and the machinery by which Il is operated.
All this was done slowly and methodicaily,
and without accident of any kind. The
likelihood Of an accident was so great,
however that those in charge of the work
have been i'm a perfect fever of anxiety
since il begun. and only now are they be-
ginning to breathe freely
OF the monster that is housed In the
great dome, Prof George e. Haze. direc-
tor OF the Yerkes observatory says: I'm
addition TO the ordinary appliances for
actuating the quick and slow motions and
clamping the telescope, a complete sys-
TEN Of electric notions clamps and HUI
mination Is provided. Conveniently placed
switches at the eye end and at the equa-
torial head, enable the observer or his as
sistant on the balcony TO start or stop the
slow-motlon motors, and 10 clamp or I'M
clamp in right ascension and declnation,
by simply pressing knobs. The quick mo
ton motors are controlled from the balcony
by switches. and from the eye end by
cords The circles are Illuminated by incan-
descent lamps, connected with switches at
the eye end and on the head. Provision is
also made for electric Illumination of the
micrometer wires The 40-inch objective Of
the Yerkes telescope was made a Cam
bridgeport Mass., from disks furnished by
Mantos, Of Paris. The crown lens is about
two and half inches thick at the center,
and three-fourths-inch at the edge; IL
weighs two hundred pounds. The lenses
are mounted upon aluminium bearings in
cast-iron cell"