The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-11-16
MEASURING THE EARTH
Is One of the Gigantic Tasks
Science Sets Itself.
EXACT FORM is DESIRED
Besides Other Secrets, of
Motion and the Like.

Washington. D. c.. Nov. 15.-Tne work
OF the In-e-uatsonas Geodetic association
az its Stuttgart conference last monin.
which Is expected 10 bear fruit OF Far
reaching Importance 20 the scientific wo-ij.
Is announced By Mr.. Z. d. Preston. OF the
United States coast and geosietic survey,
who represented this government there.
and who has just returned 70 Washington
Little publicity was given the proceedings
Of the conference. bur an interesting re
port now Is about 20 be made by Mr. Pres
ton. The prime object Of the conference.
which was In session October 3-l2. was
the measurement OF the earth. and action
was taken for the measurement OF an arc
on the equator. This. taken in conJuncS.oH
with the measurement OF an arc near the
pole. now under way by the Swedes and
Russians, will throw new light on the fiat
tening OF hte earth. The comparison OF the
two measures VIII make II possible 70 DE-
termine how much shorter the polar d.
ameter IS than she equator. knowledge Of
which Is important. both In the making OF
maps OF great extent and in the solution
OF many astronomical problems. Ever
since u was discovered. some ten years
ago. that the ATTITUDES Of al PAGES on the
earth are subject To a small periodic
change. uhe scientific world has given more
or less attention 10 the subject.
ON THE 18Th PARALLEL
Now the international association has
determined 20 go 10 the bottom OF the
matter and has planned 20 take up the
work of continuous latitude observations
at six stations encircling the globe near
the thirsy-ninth degree OF north latitude.
This parallel passes little north Of Wash
ington and San Francisco. through Gin
clnnau, and crosses Japan. TNurkestan and
Italy. The three stations in the United
States will be a. Gaithersburg. Md. rkisn.
aCi.. and. OF course. n Cincinnati. the
exact parallel chosen. by a happy cOsnci-
dence. passing through the regular astro-
nomical observatory which has becn es-
tabhshed there for many years The work
will begin IN the summer OF 1899. and Is
now provided for during a period OF FIVE
years. II IL altogether probable. however.
THAI in order to completely determine the
secular motion Of the pole. much more
time viii be required and a continual
ton OF the observations for az least TWEEN
" or thirty years may he counted on The
total annual cost OF the work will be about
sl0000. so that it necessarily arises for pro-
longed investigation. the association viii
have ample outlet for its surplus funds.
BETWEEN LONDON AND PARIS.
Discussing the work OF the conference.
Mr.. Preston said today:
AN important discussion WAS on the
difference OF longitude between Paris and
-.
as a matter Of congratu'ation for America
that the most direct determinations OF the
difference OF time between these two fun
damental points on the earth's surface
Was that made incidentally in 1872 by the
United States coast survey. II was exc
cuted as a check on two determinations
OF our longitude from Paris and Green
wich. respectively. The work has been
repeatedly accomplished in an indirect way
by other European surveys. showing the
Importance OF the problem. Thanks %
the efforts OF the international association.
We may soon hope 10 Sc th- present dis
erepancies disappear
A NON-EXPANsIBLE ALLOY.
An account OF n new alloy 81 nickel ard
steel was laid before the conference. The
international bureau OF weights and mea-
sures. at Paris. has found thar when
bar consists OF % per cent MCKEE and -
per cent steel the expansion from he-st iz
only 30 Of what We should expect from
the individual compone1ts. This discovery
has great importance IN the construction
OF astronomical clocks or. n fzct. q ans
clock. since the ef:ect viii De 20 prac-
tically eliminate the temperature question.
= - -.
" IN Obtaining a uniform rate N time
pieces
THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
Nineteen countries bei0 org % ths a-so-
citation Of which fifteen were represented
AZ the StuttEart meeting. The 1r9cs d.ugs
are published only IN French and German
"a pers. but any report submitted .n the
language % the country from whica q
comes MAJ be printed On that tongue Al
efort was mad recently q introduce Eng
lish as one % the Official means ~ com
municafiou. but owing % the comparative
Is small number o. de.ezates who spoke II.
this vas considered imuractics1le af pres
ent. beside. u Eng ish ia ~ admitted.
there seems - ne 10 good reason for e.
GLIDING Spanish which ST. more widely
spoken than Frenoh OF German and which
- growing n usefu' MSS more rsp.dg than
either.
ORIGIN Or THE SOCIETY,"
Seventy years ago some learned rner
IN Germany formed an assoristion % give
impulse 20 the awakening .nt@rea- iu the
size and shape - TIE earth. Fr1gn fh.s
beginning the s7cie-y has steadily r-oEu
81 impor-ance After having become ns-
t.1nal 81 ire ta-1 - g. sirfh. iu Iszs 2
was merEse Into an 3atsrrstto1ai cyare--
t,on IN wnleh the p-fnc.2si rafionar - -
EIoae were Tepreseu-sd an 1oH stands a.
re wg- d. ss1-hori,y o. ere ways ed
means - feferruinlng the sarfbs nx-l7s
The reNt meeting 49, - n Paris ID J le 90
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