The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-03-07
Total Eclipse lii May.

The nava: observatory hss asked
congress for an appropriation ct So ooo
for the purpose OF studying and obsero
ing the total solar eclipse of May IS
next, pheuomeocn OF special interest to
America, as it is tie Erss Que that will
be visible genere.iy in this country
since 1878. sbe ooly exception being
the eclipse of 1895, visible from the
west coast of California up into Mani
.oba. The eclipse oext sp.ieg is v's:o.a
10 narrow lioe or belt extending from
Norfolk, Va, 10 generally southwest
erly direction through Texas and
Mexico. The duration Of totally at
Norfolk is about mioute and half
and the time diminishes until New
Orleans. where it is only about a
minute and twelve seconds
Preparations for observing this
eclipse we're bsgun three years ago by
the weather bureau. which gathered
extensive data conceralng the cloudi-
ness aud general conditions of the
weather on May 28ia the regions over
which the eclipse will be total Their
results, recently published. show that
the tess positions for observing the
eclipse, where they will be the greatest
probability Of clear weather, are 10
South Carolioa, Northern Georgia sud
Alabama Bcs in order TO secure a
certainty. stations will be occupied all
along tue line Of tosaity.
At the coming eclipse sbe obser7a
tory will utilize instruments of great
value for the study of this peculiar
phenomena First, the observation of
the precise time at which the contacts
Of the mooc take place. 10 order to hx
precisely its position 10 the heavsos
relatively to the SUP, which cao Se
dcne with unusual accuracy only at tie
time Of sclar eclipse The second
purpose will be to study WITH photo
graphic instruments and the spectre.
scope the structure and composition OF
the suu's surroundings This latter
field is the one which possesses such
absorbing popular interest. and the 40
foot Photographic lenses of tue observa
tory will give large photographs, which
will show the finest detail CT the
corona. Smaller instruments, bow
ever, With lenses of the 6oest workman
ship, will be used to photograh the
widest extensions OF the corooa.
Stations will have to be chosen seme
time iu advance o. the eclipse. aud the
telescopes mouoted and adjusted to be
10 readiness for the important moment
The task of mountiog the telescopes
forty feet long so as to point at a
definite region of the sky at the precise
moment Of time, aud that the moment
at which the SUI will be 10 position to
send its rays through the loog canvas
:obe which will cut out the stray light
of the atmosphere, is DO light task, and
vet it has been successfully accomplish
&c ed on several expeditions BY :he eclipse
parties of the Lick observatory. The
observatory has in time past sent on;
eclipse parties to distant parts Of the
world, the last extensive expedition
beiog iu 1883. to the Caroline Islands.
IN the South Pacific. of which the
present astronomical director of the
observatory. Prof S. J. Brown, was
a member. This eclipse. whose dura
tion was unusually long, was visible at
only two email dots of land 10 the
Pacific ocean. the rest of its entire
track passing over the watery waste.
Previous to that 10 1878, several
government parties occupied positions
on the long lire of tosali.y extending
from Iowa to the Pacific coast, especial
" in the high Rocky mountains where
the atmosphere was light aud sraospa-
rent.
Although the proposed appropriation
of SIS, 900 seems ludicrously inadequate
and is much less thar those given 10
former times, the convenience aod
accessibility of the stations aud tire fact
that the observatory already possesses
macy valuable instruments explain
Why sucn a relatively small amount
will be productive OF much good, pro
vlded the expedition is successful
New YORK Tsibuce
president Mckinley says the
Spartanburg Herald, sis experiment
mo with the femner of the American