Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17

wv on the total eclipse of the
sun that visited the United
States last April % not yet
completely digested, astronomers, phys
1c1Sts and other scientists are already
preparing to shoot" another total
eclipse on October 81. The coming
eclipse is expected to yield a new har-
otherwise, to be added to the fund al
ready yielded by recent eclipses.
Preparations more elaborate than
usual are being made now for the Oc-
tober event, in part because of its i'm
portance and in part because its path
OF totality lies over the Pacific Ocean,
passing over only two Specks of land,
both OF which are nearly inaccessible
To shoot" this eclipse will require
skill, perseverance and a large measure
of good luck.
Tin Can Island" more properly
known as Niuafou, will be the principal
base OF operation. 1t is a covered
circular ring OF land rising abruptly
out of the ocean. surrounding a large
lake where the water bubbles continu-
ally as If it were boiling. The island is
OF volcanic origin, containing more
than 80 craters, about half of which
have recently been active. Niuafou is
about 300 miles southwest of Tutuila,
Samoa, and is situated exactly on the
international date line. To it's inhab-
itants today is not only today, but
tomorrow also"
Principal Expedition.
Because of its inaccessibility and the
great cost of sending equipment there
to observe the eclipse, the principal ex-
petition will be directed by the United
States Naval Observatory, in co-opera-
ton with private scientists. Comdr.
G. H. j. Keppler of the United States
Navy will be the administrative officer
in charge of the Naval Observatory
expedition. The medical officer will be
Lieut.. H. c. KellerS.
1t will be Comdr. Keppler's second
eclipse expedition. He commanded the
successful expedition to Iloilo, Philip
pine Islands, for the eclipse in May,
1929. Lieut.. Kellers, in addition to his
medical duties, will collect specimens
of fora and fauna and will have charge
of the important meteorological obser-
vations. He has been on TWO previous
scientific expeditions in far corners of
the world and is said to be eXtraor-
dinarily we'll qualified for the difficult
work assigned to him.
Another member of the Naval Observ-
atory expedition will be Bevan P
SharplesS, Junior astronomer of the OBJ
servatory, who will do coronal photog-
raphy with 15-foot camera and small
cameras. Also accompanying the ex-
petition will be scientists from several
American scientific institutions. These
will include Prof r. w. Marriott, as
tronomer of Swarthmore College, who
will carry out coronal photography with
a 63-foot camera and make obServa-
tions to test the Einstein theory, and
DR.. Weld Arnold of the American Geo.
graphical Society, who will assist Prof
Marriott.
Volcanoes to Be Studied.
Others will be Prof S. A. Mitchell
director of the Leander Mccormick OBJ
servatory at the University of Virginia
who will conduct Photographic work
Kempton Adams, assistant to Prof
Mitchell; j. j. johnson of the Califor'
mia Institute of Technology, who will
make photometric observations, and DR.
T. A. Jaggar, jr., of the Volcanic OBJ
servatory at Hawaii, who will study vol
canic and seismographic conditions OF
Niuafou Island.
In addition to this personnel, IL en-
listed Navy men and Marines will &C
company the expedition to assist in con-
Struction and observation. They were
especially selected for their skill anc
general fitness for the work, and were
chosen from the battle fleet. They are
already on their way, having sailed from
the Mare Island Navy Yard aboard the
mine sweeper Tanager on June rs. They
will arrive at Samoa this week.
Part of the expeditions technical staff
also has sailed for the tiny Pacific isle
where a tremendous amount of worh
must be done before the observers are
ready for the moment of the eclipse. The
party left Washington July 19 for Sar
Francisco, and from there departed or
the steamer Sierra July 81. The Sierra
also is scheduled to arrive at Tutuns
this week. In the group sailing on hel
were Comdr. Keppler, Lieut.. Kellers
Prof Marriott and B. P. Sharpless.