Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1910-08-25

Historic Hill Observatory Near London
Sets Hours and Minutes For All
Ensland-csusht Hsllsy's Comet In
Wonderful Photographs In Recent
Appearances.
When Halley's comet set all Europe
gazing skyward recently no society
beauty was more eagerly courted by
enterprising photographers than was
the comet by the patient astronomers
of Greenwich, whose Photographic tele-
scopes were kept searching the heav-
ems to note the arrival of the periodic
visitor on the sensitive plate OF the
camera. Nor was the vigilance unre-
warded. More than one distinct I'M
preston OF the brilliant object Is now
on view at the Royal observatory,
Greenwich.
This success has revived interest In
this historic institution by the Thames,
but few outside scientific circles know
much OF the history and details of the
almost conventional group of buildings
on
That fair hill where hoary sages boast
To name the stars and count tho heavenly
host
Sets Time For Britain.
Yet probably no hill In the world has
had so strangely varied a history or
played so important part In the af-
fairs OF men. The granite line across
the footpath on Its summit Is the me-
ridian from which the longitude on
every British map and chart Is calcu-
lated. All England sets its time by
the mean solar clock, and In addition
to the daily and nightly observations
or the heavens elaborate records are
kept Of diurnal changes In the temper
ature and humidity, the direction and
force OF the wind. the amount OF sun
shine and rainfall, the earth's mag
netism and host OF meteorological
matters forming science OF daily In
creasing Importance and interest.
There is large galvano magnetic
clock fixed on the outside wall of the
observatory and divided into twenty.
four hours. There are still many who
believe this clock Is kept going by the
sun. They do not know that the fixed
stars are the real timekeepers from
which Britishers check their daily
progress.
The sidereal clock, kept within one
Of the buildings of the observatory. is
corrected by observation of the stars
every clear night. and every morning
before 10 o'clock the mean solar clock
Is checked from 1t. The latter Is
housed below the time ball on the
tower which dominates the hill aud
Is In magnetic connection with the
clock in the boundary wall. which has
furnished the correct time to countless
visitors to the hill since 1t was placed
there In 1852.
Woman Sells the Time.
To this galvano magnetic clock In
the wall comes every Monday wo-
man who makes $500 a year out OF
the queerest occupation In England.
She sells the time to London watch
makers.
Her name Is Miss Bellevile of Maid
enhead. Eighty years ago the then
astronomer royal suggested to her
father that II he took the corrected
time on certified chronometer every
week he could no doubt find numerous
clients. SO he bought famous watch
made for the Duke of Essex, one Of the
sons Of George Ill. and soon worked
up business with It. When he died
his widow sold the time till she reach
ed the age of eighty-oDe. and then she
handed the business over to her
daughter.
When Miss Belleville visits Green
wich at the beginning Of every week
her chronometer is corrected and she
is given an official certificate. From
that her fifty customers correct their