Evening star., 1932-08-31
CLOUDS SHROUD PEAKS.
New Hampshire Town Presents Gala
Sight as Thousands Pour in,

CONWAY, N. H. August 81 CP)-All
through the night the main roads lead
ing to this little town, high in the
White Mountains, and to other towns
fortunate enough to be in the belt of
totality made by the speeding shadow
of the moon, were lighted by beams of
automobiles speeding from less favored
parts of the East. Other thousands
were expected by special train.
For the past week slow, drifting
clouds have broken against the high
peaks of Presidential Range, which
hover over locations picked by many
scientific parties. Yesterday the sky
was so obscured by cloud masses that
scientists agreed were the same condi-
tions to prevail today the elaborate
preparations Of weeks would go for
naught.
Conway, ordinarily a town Of less
than 1000 inhabitants. had become
overnight city of sizeable proportions.
Accommodations were hardly to be
had at any price and the principal
hotel, the Presidential Inn, turned
away every one who had not made
reservations weeks in advance"
Town Dresses Up.
Stands in gay bunting sprang up on
all sides as villagers took advantage
of the influx to make amends for a
quiet Summer season. The wares Of
fered for sale ranged all the way from
the hot dog to reclining chairs in
which to view the eclipse at ease.
A battalion of New Hampshire Ma
tional Guard which has been here
since the first of the week, was de-
ployed in small units to various scien-
tific camps and to country roads on
75-mile front.
Gov John G. Winant, guest of honor
at a banquet rendered the visiting
scientists and others last night, was
on hand to see that facilities OF the
Guard was placed at the publics dis
posal to fullest extent.
There will be only one rule strictly
enforced and that will be at the re-
quest of scientists themselves. All motor
traffic except for emergency purposes
will be suspended Is minutes before and
after totality in order shat headlights
will not interfere with the costly eX-
periments that various scientific parties
are undertaking in connection with the
solar corona.
Hospital Is Set Up.
An emergency hospital. which the
Guard set up to care for civilians in
need of first aid, had its first patients
late Yesterday afternoon, when two AVA
tors were treated for minor injuries
after a crash at an improyised airport.
The men were news photographers from
Barre, VT. 7r
A substantial portion Of those here
were newspaper men and news photog-
raphers. Several of the latter plan to
take to the air for pictures Of the
corona and the f1eeting shadow OF the
moon and there was a distant posi-
y.;l ,trxrf Nhf o.
pictures of phenomenon II clouds OBJ
cured the view of instruments below.
Several scientific parties also had
planes aloft. These included the Ma
tional Geographic Society. which spon-
sored a projected fight over Fryeburg.
Me, by Capt. A. w. Stevens, noted
Army aviator, who hoped to attain
ceiling of $4,000 feet, and the Dear
born Observatory of Northwestern Uni
versity where three naval planes were
to help Prof. o. j. Lee, director, in an
important experiment designed to check
Einsteinian theory of the curvature OF
space.
Many Cameras Set Up.
No fewer than is cameras, ranging
from giant 85-foot Photographic in
strument. equipped with the latest word
in coelostat control, down to small
1iiONl1lS PASbhAC oPRoA nISo oAS OAA AOSo-
ton.
Among the more important things
which Dr. James Stokley, astronomical
director of the institute, hoped to test
was the amount of solar and coronal
radiation of light and energy.
Another important project Is the
photogra ply of the corona in NATURAL
colors by several processes. one of them
described by institute officials as new
end at present secret method.
Allied with this endeavor was the
project of Charles Bittinger, Washing
ton, D. c. and Duxbury, Mass, painter,
to paint the eclipse during the So sec
onds of totality.
The giant 85-foot camera and a 40
footer were erected en- the field under
the personal supervision of Charles E.
Bonine of Philadelphia. chief of the
institutes engineering department.
The larger camera, believed to be the
biggest instrument in use in any of the
expeditions assembled hereabouts, has
a specially constructed coelostat which
will literally make the sun stand still"
during the eclipse so that its 8l2-inch
image will be always centered on the
photograph plates.
Among the outside scientists who are
assisting the Philadelphia group is Prof.
Curvin H. Gingrich, astronomical lee
turer at Carlton College, Northfield,
Mimi, and editor Of Popular Astronomy.
Officers of the National Guard, on
learning Chief Justice Charles Evans
Hughes was in the vicinity of Mount
Washington today to see the eclipse,
dispatched a captain to act as a per-
sonal escort. 1t was reported Justice
Hughes planned to ascend Mount Wash
ington by means of the cog railway.
WORKS WEEKS FOR SECONDS.