New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-26
4 SEVFyTY-FOO7 THERMOMETER

Winchester letter
With as little sign Of excitement though Il
we're only ten-cent toy. there is being placed in
The ground by Colonel Knight Of Iarestock. Win
chester giant thermometer that is 20 be used
FOR mammoth work. no less an undertaking. in
fact than the measurement OF the earths ,emper-
azure The great thermometer is seventy feet in
length. and thu work OF merely placing II in posi-
ZION has occupied a corps u workmen for long
time.
The scene 81 operations Is visible FOR great dis
lance around. bv reason OF the mass OF soafoldng
necessary 70 enable the work 20 be done with care
the ground and then scaroding erected ar the
great thermometer easy when the time came for
sinking It IN he earh tn scS9dnS was nghf1
the perpendicular by means Of steam cranes and
then dropped gently into the seyenty-foot shatt.
The work has progressed so far without accident.
and Will be accomplished. # is hoped. With no in
Jury 10 the great instrument
When r. IS In place II VIII be the most UNIQUE
thermometer in use anywhere. It's great stem Will
register the temperature OF Mother Earth seventy
feet below the surface. recording exactly all her
moods and giving scientists an opportunity 70 be-
come closer acquainted with the underground mys-
teries OF the globe on which they i've
The giant thermometer ls made in accordance
with the principles that govern the small instru-
dricnlfies on account ~ tie slze had - be over
come. TO construct an ordinary thermometerea
tubo ~ ar equa-sized bore must BE- used. It's bore
is tested by means Of a stream OF mercury run
down tho stem. the length Of IN" mercury being
carefully measured at different parts OF the tube
II there are differences the tube must be rejected
when the tube Is selected the bulb IS blown on
the lower end and after the air has been driven
out by heat the tube Is plunged open end first into
alcohol The bulb then contracts under the cooling
process and littlA Of the alcohol Is forced into
hv Tho nreesure o. tho atmosphere This is sha ken
down into tho bulb and tho bulb held over lamp
until the alcohol iOlls The boiling process drives
out what air has been lef In the tube. and soon
the glass has been allowed 70 cool II Is plunged
into alcohol again until the tube and bulb filed
In order 70 reduce tho quantity OF alcohol 10 that
he thermome,er the bulb Is hcated again. and by
the expansion OF the spirit such a quantity IL
driven out rs will leave the riRht amount in the
tube.
When the correct amount Of alcohol has been coli
lected I'm the tube the thing 70 do Is TO seal
the upper end The bulb is again heated. q o
clear all the air Of tho upper end OF tn. tub.
and that end IS then hermetically closed
The graduation process is the be
through with. and this Is where the nice calcula-
ton comes in With the Thermometer OF the size
OF the belonging 10 Colonel knight. II
not supposed that there will be any comparable
readings necessary with this giant instrument.
Careful observa tions viii be made however and
the result recorded the instrument. so that the
ancn with the scale OF the smaller instruments In
making scales for the latter he bulb IS frozen and
the freezing point recorded the scale II is then
boiled and the boiling point marked the tube.
The remaining points filled in by dividing
The scale into sections. This simple plan was the
basis OF the scale adopted for the foot Their
varia tons when The great instrument is in working
order.
The largest thermometer ever made previous 70 the
one constructed for Colonel knight was that made
feet in length This was considered great accom-
plishment. and the Forbes thermometer became one
structed for Colonel knight. however. is much
bigger that tho Forbes thermometer Is no longer
considered large.
With the new Thermometer the temperature OF
the earth can be taken at twice the depth II has
been possible to take Il heretofore and the records
obtained will prove OF unusual value 10 science