Evening star., 1898-07-23
LARGEST OF LENSES
The Big Reflector Built for the
American University.
SlIfY-TW0 INCHES In DIAMETER
All the Grinding Was Done by a
Methodist Minister.
: REAL LABOR OF LOVE
special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

/ IL oD fd, July 1898.
| In the little town of Greenville, Pa, lives
| the man who can now claim the honor of
having made the largest silver-on-glass
| telescope lens in the world. The mans
Fame is Jonn Peate. He is a retired Meth
| odist preacher and this is his first attempt
at telescope building. 1t has been entirely
a labor of love with him, for the great lens
| was built fer the use of the new Methodist
| University in Washington, and is soon to
| be mounted there.
The new telescope is interesting not only
because its lens is the largest in the coun-
| try, but because of the eccentric character
| of its builder and the fact that he de-
| yised most of the machinery for his delicate
| work as he went along. He retired from
| the pulpit several years ago and is now
| seventy-eight years of age. His erect
| stalwart figure and snow-white beard are
familiar all through western Pennsylvania
In spite of nearly four-score years, DR.
| Peate is still as active boy, and he re-
Gently walked tWenty-Seveu miles in sin
gle afternoon without minding il at all In
! the winter he may be seen almost any fine
| day on the Shenango river, swinging along
| on skates with swift muscular stroke that
| Is the envy OF the town boys. He is known
all over this part of the state and his
shrewd, common-sense sayings are quoted
all through the Shenango valley.
John Peate was born in County Cavan,
Ireland, and his conversation is still fla
vored by fine quality of Irish brogue and
marked by Irish wit as keen as when a
lad in his teens he landed in America and
sought employment at the trade of brick
laying.
While a young man he was converted at
Methodist revival. left his trade, took to
preaching and became one of the clergy
men, and later on a presiding elder. in the
Erie conference. About fifteen or twenty
years ago he became interested in the
making of lenses, through DR.. Wythe
feilow-pastor, and since then has devoted
all his spare moments to that work
FROM first to last, excepting such little
Information as he got from DR.. Wythe
and some slight technical instruction from
1ohn A Rrashear, the Pittsburg lens max
er. Dr. Peate has relied upon his own skill
and inventive ability in the performance of
his delicate work.
DIR. Peate's Offer.
Nearly four years ago, at the annual
meeting Of the Erie NJ. E. conference. to
which Rev. Dr. Peate bears a supernup,-
erary relation, Bishop Hurst presented a
plea Tor the support of the American Uni
Tersity, and told in such glowing phrase
ology of the hopes and prospects for the
school that the clergymen were deeply i'm
pressed. AT the conclusion of the bishops
appeal DIR. Peate rose and Quietly offered
to make for the university the largest ra-
hectlhg telescope lens in the world
me olshop and the clergymen present
knew that Dr. Peate had been successful
Hi the making of several small lenses and
other optical glasses but the suddenneqS
anu magnitude of his offer for a moment
embarrassed them all. The offer was So
rulnaTkaoie that 1t took the hearers By
surprise. The bishop looked into the faca
OF the erect and venerable man. He know
ann. In what time will you do it?' he
asked. "'
IN two years" promptly responded Rev.
MS offer was accepted soon afterw7ard
aIiu the conditions fixed by the university
authorities We're that DR.. Peate should 10
me work, the school to bear all exnenses
70 limitations were set to the latter mr.
Ieate lost no time upon his return home
MS Hrst concern, of course, was to get the
sIass IN the rough. That was an enormous
TASK, and the difficulties encountered w.
sunlcient to thoroughly dishearten anv me-
tne sturdiest spirit. He could have ordered
tne glass from the st. Goblin works II,
france, "here Tor centuries almost all large
Telescope lenses have been cast and whose
expert Workmen have been regarded az tba
only men in the world competent to under
tdke any great piece of casting The ex
fsnne ttn,[,, "ouia nave been enormous, and, al
tnough given carte blanche by the uniyer-
slty authorities, DR.. Peate has endeavore1
10 keep down TO minimum the cost of maxi
ing his big lens.
Getting the Big Glass
Ahother consideration entered into his
plans. Since the work was being done for
The American University, it was a matter
or pride that no part of it should be done
outside of this country.
Acting upon this determination. DIR. Peate
made proposals to several of the largest
glass manufacturers in the United States
tnat they undertake the casting of his
Dig glass. Here he met his first rebuff. Not
one or the concerns to whom he offered
,ne rtle eask would undertake i. Their overt
possibly be done, but coyertly thew Iat n
be known through their trade journals
that they regarded the whole undertak kinp
OF the venerable clergyman as the vision
airy scheme of a crank
Or. Peate then turned from the bie con-
Germs to the smaller manufacturers who
nao much to gain If the cast should be
successful, and nothing to lose in case of
Iaiiure. He went to Butler, Pa, sixty
miles from Greenville and got plafe glass
company to agree to make the attempt
foaf Tunes the molten glass was poured
INTO the great mold unsuccessfully, but the
n1th cast was pronounced perfect
How the Workshop Was Built.
In the meantime. DR.. Peate had built, ac-
cording to his specifications, a workshop
for the accommodation of the glass when
it should be transported from Butler The
carpenters who built it were good Method
lists. and would take nothing for their la
by DR.. Peate himself. The only cost the
workshop entailed upon the university was
for the sot and material, and it is worthy
of note that this small, unpretentious
structure was the first building erected by
the institution.
The shop was completed by the time the
glass was successfully cast, and as soon
as the casting was finished it was brought |
up from Butler and placed in the main |
work room on a big revolving table, that |
was turned by a small four-horse power
gas engine which also furnished the power |
to the crane that hoisted and lowered the |
massive metal grinders. These grinders |
were an ingenious invention of the old |
clergyman's fertile brain. Up to the time \
he began the making of telescope lenses |
there had been in use for grinding and |
polishing them what was known as local" /
polishers-that is, small grinding or polish |
ing surfaces manipulated over the face of /
the glass These had many DISADVANTAGES.
among which were the loss of time and the
constant danger of reducing the surface of |
the glass into Irregularities.
Homemade Tools.
Ths grinder DIR. Peate constructed is /
metal disc the size Of the glass to be
ground and in which the conyexity cor
fnversely to the figure desired on
the glass. The surface of this disc is cut /