Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-09-17
zz $z755z a aB szsa1 rs; G@2c2ssm

correspond Thus the local time of 10 degrees west
of Greenwich is hour slow of Greenwich time
and so on, an hour for each fifteen degrees of
longitude. Thus to find the longitude of any given
place 1t is only necessary to find out how much its
time is fast or slow of Greenwich time On ship
board the navigator uses a chronometer, the error
OF which In Greenwich mean time and its daily
rate of gain loss are ascertained in port
navigator therefore finds his local time by observ-
ing the sun through a sextant. The difference in
time multiplied by Is gives the longitude in de-
grees. Of course the length in miles Of a degree
of longitude varies at various latitudes. On the
equator 20 degrees 1t is 60 1914 At 40 degrees it Is
1882. At the poles 600 degrees) it is OoO0.
To go back: In 1875 a French nobleman, LIE Sieur
de Sainte Pierre, startled the sea-going world by
announcing that he could determine longitude by
observing the position of the moon among the
stars This announcement especially inter-
estng to the English, who even then had an idea
that the tight little isle" was Mistress of the
Seas"
Sainte Pierre appears to have been the Einstein
Of his day, inasmuch there/waS apparently but
one man in all England who was competent to
pass his theory. This man was John Flam-
Steed, born astronomer He was then twenty
nine years Of age. Up to fourteen he went to the
public school at Derby. Then he devoted him
self to astronomy, unassisted and without in
struction. At twenty-three he attracted the at
tention of the Royal Society of London for the
Improvement Of Natural knowledge, which had
been organized in 1860 Sir Jonas Moore sur
veyor general of ordnance invited him to live
In his house In London tower and there he de-
voted himself to observations of the stars
So when Charles II heard of the boast of
Sainte Pierre he said. "Then let John FIamsteed
dc it, too" But John Flamsteed said it couldn't
be done. He said accurate information as to the
positions of the stars was not available hence an
accurate calculation Of the moons place was not
possible.
81 Az sCAF
is the case let John Flamsteed figure it out in
his own way. I'll found royal observatory and
make him astronomer royal" And Charles did
just that, directing Flamsteed ito rectify the
tables Of the motions of the heavens and the
places of the fixed stars so as to find out the
so much desired longitude at sea for perfecting
the art of navigation"
After long controversy over the selection of
the site for the observatory Greenwich hill was
finally chosen and Sir Christopher Wren was
requested to submit a plan. Charles was usually
hardup and was then presumably "little short"
Anyway, he allowed but 500 pounds for the build
ing Of the observatory. The builders had to get
material where they could. Bricks were taken
from the ruins of Tilbury fort. A gatehouse in
the tower was demolished for other material
The cornerstone was laid August 10, 1875, and
the roof on by Christmas.
So John F1amsteed found himself astronomer
royal in the Royal observatory at an annual sal
airy of 100 pounds year. Forthwith he applied
to the government officials for equipment with
which to carry out the kings commands Nothing
doing Never In all the years of his service
nearly half century-did he get instrument
of any kind from king or government.
So Flamsteed went to work with his
instruments. And he made others. After thirteen
years of slow progress he inherited a small for
tune. He thereupon began the construction of
large new mural circle. This instrument is "a
graduated circle in the plane of the meridian,