Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-05
AT SISAL STATION
A MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY ES.
TABLIsHED NEAR HONOLULU.
Variations Noted During the Volcanic
Eruptions in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Telegraphy Experiments.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

1 f1ONoboLO. l., Juiic 49, AS0~'
| As q part of large scheme OF interna-
tional scientific investigation the United
| States coast and geodetic survey has es-
| tab,ished magnetic observatory at Sisal
| station. about twenty-five miles from Homo
| lulu. The observatory is simply small
dark room located almost in a desert. so
| as to be free from all outside disturbances.
| and in which some of the most delicate In
| struments ever devised steadily record
every variation of the magnetic needle. All
/ over the world under flags Of all nations,
| similar instruments are making similar
| records The nations are cooperating In
| great effort to discover the causes of the
| variations Of the magnetic needle, ana
| when they have obtained years RECORDS
| all will be turned over to commission TOT
| study.
| Magnetic Observer ]. A. Fleming, who
| established the United States station In
| Sitka, Alaska, chose the site for the Homo
| lulu station and superintendent the erection
| Of the buildings. The site is in the midst
| of a great coral plain, soping toward the
| seashore. Nothing is grown there. Except
| for lantana bushes struggling to break up
| the coral with their hardy roots ana now
| and then an algaroba tree struggling Tor
| life in the same way there is no VeSeta-
| ton. There is no animal life to be seen
| and even birds are scarce. PROBABLY cen
| turtles will elapse before there is much soil
|
| no one ever even passes over the land, Tor
| it leads nowhere. The nearest habitat1on
| is the home of a manager of a sisai plan
| tation Of several thousand acres and the
| next nearest homes are, those OF the great
Eva sugar plantation.
Character Of the Building.
| In this spot a small building was erected.
| containing three solid cement tables
resting on the earth ITSELF for the instru-
| xr,hi oh hn Eon
| steady. The single room in the building
was surrounded by treble walls. There is
| an outer space of six inches OF air and
| then comes ~ feet of packed sawduSt
| The room Is kept In absolute darkness and
| is ventilated by means of caves and air
| drafts that are SO arranged as to prevent
even a gale of wind outside from MAX
| ing the slightest draft within. In this
| room Fleming placed two magnetic needles
| carefully mounted, with apparatus so deli
| cately adjusted that hours of patient work
| were required to set one of them. Then a
| Photographic apparatus with impression
| able paper slowly moved by clockWork
| was placed at the proper angle and Flem-
| ing set the instruments and left them In
| the perfect darkness and silence to keep
| up their unceasing movements, while the
| camera steadily recorded every move. In
! the darkness there is just a tiny ray OF
|. light, cast upon the mirrors which catch
| the movements Of the needles. 1t is so
| small that the inexperienced eye cannot
| detect it at all. But it is sent back to the
| mirror and appears on each days record as
| a thin line. showing a spark of light de-
| Waiting from the straight base line, accord
| ing to the movements Of the needle, trac-
| ing line across the sensitive paper. The
| records for every day in the year are kept
| and forwarded to Washington, after re-
| ports have been calculated from them.
| The only unusual reports yet sent in from
| Hawaii were those of the day on which
| the first great explosion at st. Pierre took
L o1@-,,% etx hot dow
| there a very pronounced magnetic
| storm" The record indicating the strength
| of the magnetic force showed a startling
| decrease during the six hours. Observer
| Fleming could only note the condition.
| There was no theory to account for it, but
| when the news from the West Indies
reached Hawaii he naturally noted the CO.
| incidence in the hours of occurrence of the
| two events. On the days of subsequent ex-
| plosions on st. Martinique and ST Vincent
| the same phenomena, less marked, was OBJ
| served.
| Observer Fleming leaves for Washington
| next month, having been recalled for duty
| there to establish another new station.
| His successor, William Weinrick. jr., is al
| ready at the station, and will take charge
| in few days.
Wireless Telegraphy.
After two years of efforts wireless telsg-
raphy appears to have been established
successfully between the Islands Of Ha-
! wall. II he failure C1 tue Sy stem mere mas
been much commented on in all parts Of
the world as evidence that Marconis sys-
| tenn was not a practical commercial sue
| cess. but the managers of the company
here have made some rece MT tests that were
completely successful, and the system Is
! now in operation.
Difficulties with the experts sent here by
| Marconi. which have resulted in suit
| against the Hawaiian company by Mar
| conf; lack of operators and proper instru-
|
| causes which combined to make the Hawai-
| ian wireless system a failure. For few
| weeks it appeared to work well, then it
| broke down, and the operators were final
| ~ withdrawn from their stations. y lille F.
| J. Cross the manager. experim cnted to
| discover what were the defects in the in
| struments The experts from Marconi had
| gone back to London, leaving behind them
only dispositions in a suit by the Marconi
| company against tie 1nter-Island Tele-
| graph Company of Honolulu. Under these
circumstances Cross set to work to perfect
| instruments for himself, and he has sue
| ceeded beyond what any of his friends an
ticipated. In fact, it is stated by some who
| have looked into the matter that Cross has
| devised a better coherer than the one in
| troduced here by the Marconi experts.
S. S. Dickinson, the cable expert of the
| Mackay Cable Company, who is in Honolu-
| lu selecting site for the cable from San
| Francisco, which is to be laid here by next
] November, accompanied Manager Cross
and a number of Honolulu business men to
| the wireless station near Honolulu last
| Thursday, and all present witnessed some
| very successful tests. Communication over
| the water with the Island of Maui was had
with speed and accuracy, and Dickinson
announced that his company would proba-
bly, not lay any cable between the various
| islands, in view of such a success. If the
wireless system had proved a failure
Mackay would have laid cable from Hon.
olulu to the other islands.
| AS It Is, a number Of the largest shipping
and sugar firms of Honolulu have agreed
| to subsdiZe the telegraph company. in or
der to assist it in financial way and COM
munication has been reopened for public
business with Maui The system will be at
| once extended before to the Island Of
| Hawaii. and no further difficulties are an
| ticipated.
The First News Received.
| The first news which the re-established
| system Of inter-island communication sup
| piled for the public was as to the condition
| of the volcano Kilauea, reports of her &C.
| tivity having been re2a:-ed on Maui. There
| is a steady increase in the columns of
| smoke. with now and then glares Of fire,
! which appears to be rising toward the sur
face and an eruption is generally predict
| ed. Many people have already left Homo
| lulu TO witness the activity of the famous
l ft1n hot 81 1~-s-1