The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-06-01
ready for the supreme moment {

totalfty.
Over on a high hill one mile to the
north an observer was stationed to an
nounce the coming shadow from the
southwest. The horizon was clear for
many miles and soon the black wall
OF the on-rushing umbra was seen ap-
preaching with the velocity of a cannon
ball. In a few seconds 1t overwhelm-
ed our station and the total phase was
upon US.
Instantly from all sides of the sun
there flashed beautiful corona of a
wonderful pearly lustre. extending
the shape Of double fan 1t was just
such corona as / had expected.
In the brief space OF eighty three
seconds twenty photographs We're OBJ
tained on the solar axis and four in
the photoheliograph.
II succeeded in getting good crayon
sketch of the corona and prominence,
by. special arrangement with DR..
Aiken, Of Savannah, and Professor
Chappell, of Milledgeville. The shadow
bands were carefully observed and
Dreiken, in his own skillful way, pho
tographed them, but 1t is not yet
known that this was successful. II so.
DR.. Aiken will have the distinguished
honor of being the first to succeed in
this delicate work.
soon the flash of the sun as it re-
appeared announced the end OF totality
and the corona disappeared as sudden
ly as ii came into view. For an hour
or more the moon slowly crawled off
the disc of the sun without special in
cident. Many amateur photographers
took snap shots at the corona and it
is to be hoped with some success. The
whole phenomenon was most beautiful
and most impressive.
Some of the photographs will be de-
veloped here, but most of them will be
taken 10 Washington for more careful
manipulation. The observing party will
leave for Washington in a few days"
AS SEEN AT PINEHURST.
Pinehurst, n. c., May 2S.-The party
at Pinehurst sent out from the naval
observatory at Washington, was un-
der charge of Professor A. n. Skinner,
of that institution.
Seventeen instruments of different
kinds were employed. They were one
flat grating spectroscope, one con-
cave (Which projects spectrum two
feet long) and one objective prism;
seven cameras for photographing the
corona, making images from one-tenth
inch to five inches in diameter; sew
eral polariScopeS and an instrument
for observing the shadow bands.
The instruments were in a roped en-
closure one hundred feet long and
trained on the sun like big guns; be-
hind them the men in shirt sleeves,
like gunners ready for battle. Around
the ropes were many spectators squint-
ing at the sun through smoked glass.
Promptly at 1886 o'clock the first con-
tact occurred at the upper righthand
corner of the sun. No work, however,
was done by the astronomers until to-
tality occurred.
Soon after the first contact, light
H. - Il, I1.r -, 4@I
to form little bright crescentS on the
ground and as the eclipse progressed
they grew longer and narrower. AS
the moon bore down over the sun the
sky assumed an aShen hue and the
landscape a half tone appearance.
When the sun appeared as small ring
a strange, weird light shone on the
landscape The sun seemed no longer
to give out it's heat.
THE bright lines of the spectrum
were beautifully resigtered," said DR..
Ames, of Johns Hopkins university,
who had charge of the spectroscopes,
land we obtained an excellent photo
graph of them. We have also obtained
an excellent photograph Of the corona"
do you think your observations will
throw any light on the nature of the
corona and other matters of uncertain
typ" he was asked.
Yes he said, "but we will not know
until the plates are developed, and pos
sibly months may elapse before we
know certainly"
THE SHODOW BANDS
The shadow bands were a disappoint-
ment. The astronomers were not over
sanguine about the operation of their
instrument since it was known that
unless the waves came at regular in
tervals, the instrument would not re-
cord them. The instrument is not
new contrivance, but an old one, which
it was proposed to use for new pur
pose. Possibly no other observatory
had an arrangement Of this kind and
will be interested to know the result.
The waves came family, Shimmering
like rising heat on summer day and
at irregular intervals. Therefore, the
instrument was not a success. The
man in charge declared that he believ-
ed descriptions heretofore given have
been overdrawn. 1t is evident he was
deceived as to what he expected to see,
and unless some other observer has
found out something the mystery still
remains.
went off splendidly. We had perfect
weather and no mishap to our instru
ments. We think we have obtained
excellent photographs and accomplish
ed much-we will not be able to say
how much until the plates are de-
yelOped.
The party left tonight for Washing
ton.
YALE ASTRONOMERS UNSUC-
CESSFUL.
New Haven, Conn, May 2S.-The ef-
forts of the Yale astronomers to take
scientific observations OF the solar
eclipse proved unsuccessful.
LOCATION OF NEXT BATTLE
London, May 25.-Another advance