The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-25
The ECLIPSE IN 1RIPOLI
How the Lowell Expedition Oh
served the Phenomenon.
The Automatic System for Making
the PhotGETaphs-Thc Moon Beaten
in u Race From Far Away Georgia
by Mans Swift Messenger, EIcc-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the Corunn.

nearly ideal station for observing an eclipse
could hardly be imagined than the roof
terrace OF the old British Consulate here.
whereon, through the courtesy of Mr..
Jago. the Consul General, Prof. Todd has
set up his instruments, Higher than all
the surrounding houses. it commands a
fine view OF the white city, through whose
courty8rds an occasional palm or bios
scming oleander projects itself above the
masonry; and is overlooked only by the
green-capped, crescent-crowned minarets
OF seven or eight mosques, from which
the cloaked muezzins emerge five times
q day to send out their not unmelodious
calls to prayer Far beyond roofs and
domes, too one secs on three sides the blue
Mediterranean. and on the fourth the
friuging palms OF the desert, and its I'M
dulatiag, mysterious wastes of endless
sand.
Here the royal observatory is estab-
lished, and the Arab dweliers on surround
ing roofs have watched for several weeks
the growth of telescope groves. a digni-
fed curiosity marking their silent atten
ton. Below, in the narrow streets, figures
wrapped in the white barracan pass and
repas5 like ghostly figures CT dream. An
occasional Moslem woman showing only
one bright eye. the Jewish women less
covered but hardly more frequent, brown
Arab boys driving flocks OF goats. over
burdened donksys, stately camels-the
whole Oriental procession in endless in
terest threads the tiny thoroughfares; and
above. the long tubes have pointed sky-
ward, waiting for the important day.
The Natives Interested.
When the apparatus in its many boxes
first arrived. the natives imagined that the
astronomer was bringing huge balloon
to convey him into the interior Of the de-
sert, and many innocent questions as to
his intention gave zest to the early days
of Tripoli life The older men, on being
ted that an eclipse was coming, said they
remembered one years ago, but that was
produced by God. The new kind, made by
a Kaffr. they knew nothing about. At all
events, il was not lawful to draw or depict
it in any way. An eclipse was total here
or near by, according to Oppolzer. on De-
cember 81, 1861. which may be the one re-
possibly the annular eclipse
of June II, 1890.
Just before its plunge off into the desert
to the southeast. and its fight away from
the earth entirely, the long path OF yes
terday's total eclipse covered Tripoli in
brief darkness. From Mexico very early in
the morning to Barbary late in the after
noon. the swiftly flying shadow OF the
moon sped or its way. calling scores of
astronomers into its track. The chances
for clear skies seemed greater here, and
hither came Prof. Todd and later Mr..
Percival Lowell to interrosate the corona.
The automatic system OF eclipse photog-
raphy, first devised by Prof. Todd in Japan
in 1887 carried out by pneumatic tubes IN
West Africa in 1889. and by electricity In
Japan in 1896 he employed again. with
essential modifcatione, using purely
mechanical force in changing the plates.
and turning the controlling barrel by grav
ity. weights starting at the roof and de-
scending to the bottom of the courtyard.
On one great central tube were twelve tele-
scopes. each arranged TO take its own
series OF pictures. The upper one was a
fve-inch Zeiss-Clark leis by Beusch &
Lomb, of Rochester. fitted up as bio
graph camera for taking four photographs
every three seconds.
a five-inch Schroeder lens, with image
amplified in the ordinary way. came next.
for photographing both the inner and outer
corona on the same plate. by series of
rings, successfully removed as
the eclipse progresses-which he also used
in Japan. Following the order Of position
ON the tube. a quadruple camera with
lenses by the Gundlach Optical Company
and C. p. Goerz of Berlin was arranged to
take twelve pictures by each lens; a four
inch metal spectrum succeeded, and two
short focus cameras by Ross of London and
Gllmer of Paris were added, to get records
Of possible intra- Mercurian planets; next
came pinhole photometre for estimating
the total light of the corona; twenty |
Jour inch lens of thirty feet focus, the con-
spicuous feature of the roof observatory, |
was arranged for taking large-scale coro- |
nal pictures, and box of dozen dry |
plates for testing the possibility of X-rays |
i. the corona completed the apparatus car
:Ied by the one large tube.
Half of each of these p'ates had been |
previously exposed by Prof. Stephan, OF |
Marseilles, to the Roentgen rays. while the |
other half was covered with lead, waiting |
for what might develop on eclipse day. |
The whole mounting was kept accurately |
pointed at the sun by the glycerine clock.
which has enabled very perfect following |
Of the heavenly bodies. Like everything
all iron or brass or wood connected with |
he apparatus. were painted white, TO avoid
absorption of heat-and indeed 1t seemed a
spectral array OF telescopes for photo
graphing shadow. A number of small
glasses to be used usually were mounted
~ themselves and three or four fine me-
geological instruments were put in posi-
ion and used on eclipse day by Prof. Agra.
'irector of the local observatory.
expectancy rs the Hour Approached.
as preparations approached a focus, and
he eventful day drew near. the skies be-
anne an all-absorhing subject of study for
he unofficial member Of the Lowell exre-
ition 1t is the dry season in Tripoii. and
torm: would not come. fine weather berg
lways normal at this time; but that Goes
ot mean necessarily an absolutely clord-
ess sky, and there was a bare possibility,
iso, that it might be "gblet' day. wien
he hot wind would blow straight from the
entral deserts, bringing a yellowish haze
f imperceptible sand to thicken the atros-
here dangerously. But Sunday came.
right and warm, with few floating
louds, and Monday morning dawned with
fresh west wind and skies of crystal
lcarness II was scarcely possible to ex-
eriencc any nerve tension on account Of
he weather. and yet the western sky was
ealously watched all day, lest some wan
ering bit of film might dim the perfect
Brightness of 1t. And as the hour drew
carer, the same sense Of expectancy cf
approaching. which has always
eclipses. drew on with the
minutes.
From Mr. Douglass, in far away Georgia,
gratifying cable message was received
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