The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-05-31

If any astronomer has solved this
problem, he has not committed him
self.
The United States paval observatory
achieved splendid success at both
GAINESVILLE and Griffin, Ga.
At B%arnesviIIe.
Following is a part of the state
ment given out by Prof. Updegraff,
who directed the work at the govern
ment station at GAINESVILLE:
.sThe weather was favorable and the con-
ditions under which observations We're
made were good. Our programme was
carried out without interruption, without
accident or delay. We secured 20 photo
5raphs on the FIVE cameras mounted on the
polar axis, and four photographs with the
large photographs heliograph. The trans.
parency of the sky was good and the stead
mess Of the air was excellent. We feel, as
tar as we can tell at this time, that the OBJ
servatiors were entirely, successful.
The force of the word "~totality,' as
applied to the temporary extinction
of the suns rays, was fully apprecat-
ed. The eclipse came with startling
precision, and while the period of
totality lasted nature appeared to
stand still in awe if not in fear of the
manifestation.
The shadow Bands.
The first perception of something
beyond the ordinary came to Barnes
Vile and vicinity in the shape of a
gray, pearly light that streamed
down when the suns sphere was half
obscured, diminishing gradually as
the crescent of the visible narrowed.
The shadow bands denoting the com
ing of the total eclipse were clearly
~pereeptible against a white surface in
the enclosing gloom for fully three
minutes before the rays were entirely
obscured. The shadow bands, strange
ly, running from the northwest, We're
watched with peculiar interest and
first were seen a series of small wavy
shadows falling against the white sur
face, quickly growing larger and
more dense..and coming in rapid sue
eession, until, as the moment of to-
tally arrived, a dense of gloom
%enveloping everything in nature shot
by to the southeast.
Birds Cease Their Songs
1t was noted by many that the birds
in the trees, chirping merrily only a
moment before, ceased their singing.
The intense stiffness was broken at
once by a breeze that seemed to spring
up from nowhere, and which none of
the local weather prophets could ex-
| plain. The time of darkness in which
everything was obscured to such a de-
gree hat a man would fail to distin-
guish his friend across the street,
seemed long to the ordinary observer,
but to the, man of science ~unreason-
ably short.
The first notice that the phase of
totally was over, came with a start
ling ray of light that produced a
change as sudden as dia the black
wave sweeping from the southwest at
the moment when the phase began.
From all points in this section comes
the news Of perfect day for the
eclipse, with nothing to obscure the
phenomenon.
At washington, Ga.
Washington, Ga, May 29.-The sue
cess attending the eclipse obserya-
tions here was highly gratifying,
Prof. Alfred r. Burton, in charge OF
| the expedition from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, gave out the
following statement at nine o'clock:
""Fh weather here was perfect. The alti-
tude So degrees 43 mute longitude 5 hours
30 minutes, So 2-10 seconds, G.. L. Hosmer,
observer. The first contact was at hours
. minutes, Is $40 seconds, local mean time
second contact s hours 8 minutes 50 $40 sec
onds. The time of totally was 1 minute
and % $40 seconds, A. G.. Robbins, observ-
er; the magnetometer showed no disturb
ances in magnetic declination. Seven
sketches were made of the corona and six
photographs taken by Harrison w. Smith
The success of the observations here
was wired to London, England, in one
minute. The telegraph company fur
nished a direct wire from this little
town to the cable office in New York
city and the cable flashed the last
word under the sea in one second after
it reached the New York Office.
Prof. w. H. Pickering, at the head
of Yale's expedition, furnished the
following statement:
1.-THE. weather was perfect and the OBJ
~servations were entirely satisfactory. We
| secured SO plates with intra-mercurial ap-
paratus and "a with 10 other cameras, aided
by 10 assistants. The plates will be de-
veloped in Cambridge observatory. Wis
uaIly, with five-inch telescope the corona
resembled that OF the SO eclipse. Two large
| solar protuberances were noted. Our
polar flaments, six inches in diameter,
traced the corona about one degree. THE
shadow of the moon on the sky and shadow
bands were well seen. Venus and Mer-
curry were conspicuous. The inner corona
was visible in the telescope several sec
onds after totality was over. There was
no dark band around the moons limb dur
ing the partial phase, and no detail on
the moop during totality."
Naval observatory Work.
Pinehurst, n. c., May 29.-The OBJ
servations here were a gratifying sue
cess. Prof. A. N. Skinner, in charge
Of the naval observatory party, fur
nished the following statement:
''The sun rose clear and the sky was unob-
scured by clouds. The delicate apparatus
| was in perfect adjustment. The first con-
tact occurred at the predicted time, :36.
| The beginning OF totally was the signal
| for the work Of the morning, which was ac-
| complished IN the short time of 81 seconds.
Five spectrum photographs were obtained
| with the fiat grating and the concave graf
ing by DR.. Ames and his skillful assistants,
Messrs. HUI. Gilbert, Reese. Dr.. Chase
OF Yale. obtained four fine spectrum pho
tographs with the objective prism spectre
scope. Fine photographs Of the outer
corona were obtained with the six cam,
eras on TIE polar axis by Messrs. Gore, BAH
Eicheloerger, King, Caperton n Kent
Good drawings of the corona were made BY
i Profs Wood. Frfsby and YoWell. Prof
Wood and DR.. Dorsey used polariscopes
Mr.. Parsons took some valuable polariscopi,
photographs. Mr.. Cotton took Ave fine pho
tographs with the 40-foot lens. Every