The Washington times., 1917-03-08
Scientist Has Difficulty Convinc-
inq Committee U. S. Will Get
Moneys Worth.
AMUSING CoLL0oUY ENSUES
Nov That You've Got 1t, What
Are You Gonna Do With It,"
Chairman Asks.


whether the variability of the heat of
the sun is associated with the varia-
bility of the form of its corona? Or,
when the sun is in total eclipse on
June s, 1918, do you care to know
whether the corona is the same as
when the sun was last in total
eclipse?
Having answered these questions
from the scientific or lay point of
view, one may now proceed to a col
loquy between Chairman John j.
Fitzgerald, of the House Committee
on Appropriations, and c. G.. Abbot,
director of the Astrophysical Observa-
tory, Smithsonian Institution. 1t is
one of the most entertaining col
loquies ever printed in the hearings
OF House committees.
Mr.. Fitzgerald, as will be observed,
is a practical man." When Mr..
Abbot appeared before the Appropria-
tions Committee asking an appropria-
tion to take observations of the total
eclipse of the sun more than a year
hence, Mr.. Fitzgerald emulated Rube
L. Goldberg by asking, in substance:
Big Question at Stake.
Now that you've got it, whatcher
gonna do with it,"
Here are extracts fromgthe printed
hearings, now public, showing the
clash between the lay mind of the
committee chairman and the Govern
ment scientist:
The Chairman-What value is there
in observing these eclipses? What
do we get from 1t?
IL
lures here which may interest you
[indicatingl which we made in 1900
at Wadesboro, n. c. You will see
there the very interesting and curl
GUS formation of the solar corona at
that time. Here Is a composite pho
tograph of a number of photographs
taken by the Naval Observatory in
1905, where you see this appendage
of the sun had an altogether different
appearance. This change in the ap-
pearance of the solar corona passes
through a sort of cycle along with the
this phenomena at total solar eclipses,
and ii is very interesting and i'm
portant.
The Chairnan-Of what value is il
practically or scientifically?
Mr.. Abbot-In the first place we
have found that there Is =. variability
of the sun and a variability Of its
heat; that variability is associated
with the variability of the form of its
coran and, therefore, it is very in
teresting to correlate the two to see
how they go along together.
Asks Scientific Value.
The Chairman-But OF what value
is it either scientifically or practical
ly, now that We know there is a
variation in the heat of the sun?
Mr.. Abbot-We may think, but we
may not be sure, that the corona in
1918 will be similar in form with what
it was in 1905. We should like very
much to know positively.
The Chairman-Having found that
out, OF what good is 1t?
Mr.. Abbot-Well, what good is it
when Beethoven writes a sonata? Per
haps somebody who does not under
stand 1t or care for it would not care
whether he wrote one or not.
The Choirman-But that does not
cost the Government anything wheth-
er he writes a dozen sOnatas or not.
But is il OF any value scientifically
or practically?
Mr. Abbot-Yes: it has a scientific
value, but / doubt whether it has
any value whatever in dollars and
cents.
The Chairman-Does it merely
crafty your curiosity?
Mr.. Abbct-Not only my curiosity,
but the curiosity of a great many
other scientific gentlemen who are
as much interested in ii as l am.
Inquiries As To Concrete Result.
Mr.. Sherley-But what l would like
to know and what the chairman
would like to know is whether there
is some concrete result that you get
from these observations and whether
they furnish data that helps in the
solution OF some scientific problem?
Mr.. Abbot-The observation Of a.
total eclipse is the observation OF a
very rare and beautiful phenomenon
which occurs in one locality perhaps
not more than once in a century: in
fact, in London am told that for five
centuries there has not been such a
thing observed as a total eclipse. So
that II is necessary, in order that
the people OF the whole world may
know what this extraordinary and
beautiful phenomenon is, that those
people who are in the neighborhood |
and able to observe any total eclipse |
which comes along shall do so, not
only for their own qualification and |
interest but also for the qualification |
and interest of scientific and inteIli- |
gent people all over the world.
Mr.. Sherley-We are willing to con- |
cede that, and your first statement |
conveyed II. What we are after now |
and II seems to me il is possible of /
an answer yes or nO--is whether |
there IL any data which II IS expected |
or hoped will be obtained that will be |
OF value in your solution OF any actual |
problems?
Mr.. Abbot--Yes. sir.
Mr.. Shsrlsy-As a result of the OBJ
serVation OF this eclipse; and II so,
what that data may be?
Form of Solar AppendaEe In Doubt.
Mr.. Abbot-We wish particularly to
md the form which this remarkable
solar appendage. called the corona, ex-
hibits at this time: we also wish to
nnd the exact instant at which total
ity occurs, in order that this informa-
ton may aid in future publications of
the Nautical Almanac. Those are two
OF the principal things. Then there
are many other very interesting scien-
tihc problems which can only be at
tackled at the time Of a total eclipse.
. - -ae I