The broad ax., 1901-07-20


A machine that win % the worl, ~
thirty expert mathematicians is beipr
constructed BY the government Ia "A
0cientihe instrument shop On Canitol
Hill, Washington. II e 10 BE- an i'm
Vrovpment on an instrument IN uss
n the bureau of the Coast Survey
which has charge Of calculating the
tides. This machine win Be IN a cIass
All by itself IS q mathematician. EnR-
land has one which does q similar class
Of work, but does not carry its ealcula-
lions so far. The British instrument
vas invented BY Lord Kelvin. The
American instrument vas eontFived by
E. Terrell. al employs of the United
States Coast Survey. The American
machine now IN use cost $500. II
gtandr about two feet high and n
eighteen inches across It's half 4
foot Of depth ls q maze Of wheels, pull
ley and levers. Il does wonderful
things. There is q little crank on the
lower left hand side, and at q EimpIS
turn Of that crank the machine win
dive the answer % q problem involving
nInety-one separHts calculations. TIE
problems Il works OGt are the enor-
nOuSly complicated calculations o.
tIdal variations. IN the year lSOS somo
ship will be IN the haFbOr of KaraekI,
India, at the head Of the Arabian ssa.
Suppose the ship arrives e ESQ In the
morning on the lst day Of October.
The captain wiz have q printed table
IN his pilot house, and On that table be
viii read that at that particular
hour Of that particular day Of that
particular year there is seven feet Of
tide 10 the bay. By referring to q
chart showing the depth Of the bay
normally be win know Just how much
water there Is for his vessel.
The calculation By which It Is pos
EIble to predict seven feet Of tide at
that place and time was made by the
Cnited States governments machine
on May IL last IN Washington. The
machine owned by the British gov.
eminent Is the only other one By
which the calculating could have been
done; but on account Of the enormous
volume Of such work % be done the
two governments try 30 divide the ter
Fitory. Foreign governments have frs-
quently applied 70 the United States to
DO some tide forecasting for harboTs
important TO their commerce with the
machine invented BY Mr.. Terrell. which
the new one is expected 70 supsrsede.
They have been quite willing to pay
for such work, but a. q rule the
coast survey has been unable 10 COM
ply with such requests, owing 70 the
pressure Of its own work. DR.. r. A
Harris Of the Coast Survey devised the
plans for the new machine now being
constructed. He has taken gugges-
tons from the two instruments now
in existence and hopes to produce one
which viii combine the good features
Of both. The employment Of meehani-
cal apparatus for doing work usually
performed by the human mind n more
extensively seen In the government
scientific department than IN any other
place In the country. The multiplying
and dividing machine. for example, Il
q great saver Of time and mental labor
not to mention Its absolute accuracy.
The machine declines 20 make mis-
takes, and II the operator tries to make
seven 90 into six. win ring . bell in
protest Practically al the adding In
the governments coast survey work is
done BY machines. Where the column
contains three-Quarters Of q million
figures, as frequently happens In
the computations. the saving in men
tai effort Is very considerable.-NeW
York Sun.