Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
SOLAR E C L I P S E , M A Y 6, 1883. INTRODUCTION, BY Pnor C A YOLNG The unusual duration of the total eclipse of May, 1883, early attracted the attention of astron- ,jOmer8; but an examiuation of its track showed that it would not be visible at any well-known or easily accessible stations, and no preparations were therefore made to secure observations. I n May, 1882, Mr. C H A E L E S H . E O C K W E L L , of Tarrytown, N. Y . , whde in the Sandwich Islands for the purpose of observing the transit of Mercury, learned that there are two small islands lying almost exactly on the central line of the eclipse, and he determined to endeavor to have an eclipse expe- dition organized from the United States. He presented the matter before the Montreal meeting of the A . A . A . S. m August, but various circumstances pievented any de&nite action of that body. In November, 1882, the writer, at Mr. R O C K W E L L ' S suggestion, brought the subject before the National Academy of Sciences at their New York meeting, and a committee was appointed, con- sisting of Messrs. C O F F I N , H . D R A P E U , A . H A L L , H I L G A E D , N E W O O S I B , and H . A . N E W T O N , witli the writer as chairman, to commend the project of an eclipse expedition to some suitably situated island in the Pacific, " to persons interested in the advancement of science, and to the Navy De- partment of the United States for such aid and facilities as can be best aflforded." Subsequently, on the death of Dr. D R A P E R , Professor L A N G L E Y was appointed in his place, and Mr. C . S. P E I R C E was added to the committee. Mr. R O C K W E L L also, though not a member of the Academy, was invited to join the committee, as having been the real originator of the project. Mr. C O F F I N was chosen secretary, and to his energy and wise and skillful management our success in organizing and sending out the expedition is due I t was at first proposed to raise the necessary funds for the expt^ditiou by private subscription, and Mr. R O C K W E L L was put lu charge of the matter. His own illness, the lamented death of D i . D R A P E R , and, other untoward circumstances combined, however, to prevent his success, and on January 2 4 he reported that this plan must be abandoned. I t ^^ as at once decided to apply to the Government. E a i l y in February the committee presented the matter to the honorable Secretary of ^- the Navy, representing that the Department could greatly aid the undertaking by detailing a ship of the Pacific squadron for the transportation of the party, and by giving the use of certain astro- nomical instruments under its control. The application met with a prompt and favorable response. A meeting of the committee was held in Washington on February 15, at which plans for the expedition were discussed and settled, and the chairman and secietary were directed to address further communications to the Secretary of the Navy to arrange plans of operation to secure the services of suitable observers, to prepare necessary instructions, and, in short, to do whatever was 11
12 MEMOIES OF T H E NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. ueedfal and m their power to secure the object desired. Prof. E . S. H O L D E N , director of the Washbnrn Observatory, Madison, Wisconsin, was selected as chief of the party and its scientific director, and Mr. E O C K W E L L as the disbursing and business agent. A lueinorial was presented to Congress asking for an appropriation of $5,000 to defray the neces- sary expenses of the party This application was heartily indorsed and supported by *he honorable Secretary of the Navy and by all the members of Congress who are interestedm scientific matters; and the grant was obtained without any serious opposition. This appropriation, however, though practically secured, was not available in season for the departure of the expedition, and, to meet the difiBculty, the trustees of the B A C H E fund of the National Academy advanced $3,500, to be re» paid from the Congressional appropriation. Subsequently the Academy itself, on the recommendation of the trustees, authorized an appro- priation of $500 from the income of the W A T S O N fund for observations of this eclipse. The party left New York on March 2, in the Pacific Mail steamer bound for Callao via Panama. At Callao they found the U . S. S. Sartford in readiness, and sailed at once for Caroline Island, arriving there on April 21. A t Panama, m accordance with certain arrangements which had been made by cable between the Solar Physics Committee of the British Eoyal Society and our own committee, they were joined by Messrs. L A W E A N C E and W O O D S , who were especially^ charged by the British committee with photographic observations. A French expedition, under Mr. J A N S S E N , also came to Caroline Island a few days after the arrival of our own party. The history of the expedition and an account of the work accomplished are fully given m the following reports of Professor H O L D E N and his associates. We are under great obligations to all these gentlemen. Professor H O L D E N , Professor H A S T I N G S , of Baltimore, Mr. E O C K W E L L (who, in addition to scientific work, had charge of the disbursements and business matters of the expedition). Ensign (now Professor) S. J . B R O W N , U . S . N . , Mr. E . D . P R E S T O N , of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Mr. W . U P T O N , of the Signal Serv ice, United States Army, for the zeal and intelligence with which each accomplished the work assigned him ; also to the institutions with which they were severally connected for granting to these observers prolonged leave of absence, and, except in the case of Mr. U P T O N , continuing their salaries without diminution. Our acknowledgments are specially due to Hon. W . E . C H A N D L E R , Secretary of the Navy, for continual interest and effective aid, without which we should have been unable to accomplish any- thing ; also to the Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory for the loan of instru- ments ; to the Superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and to Commodore J . G . W A L K E R , Chief of the Bureau of Navigation. Applications to the Secretaries of State and of the Treasury for certain assistance from their Departments were cordially and promptly granted, and we take the opportunity to express our thanks. The tribute paid by Professor H O L D E N , m his report, to Captain C. C. C A R P E N T E R , command- ing the Hartfordj and to his officers and crew, is cordially indorsed, as well as his appreciation of the services of those officers who took part in the observations of the eclipse. The committee held a final meeting in Washington on October 23. The reports of Professor H O L D E N and his associates (excepting Professor H A S T I N G S ) were presented, discussed, and put in proper form for presentation to the Academy at its November meetmg'in New Haven. The chairman was lequested to prepare an introduction to the reports, and it is in obedience to this request that the preceding pages have been prepared. I t would "be improper to fail to state that the writer is indebted to the secretary, Mr. C O F F I N , for nearly all the substance and much of the form of what he has written.
INTEODUCTION. 13 The reports of Professor H O L D E N and bis associates speak for themselves, and will certainly be found valuable and interesting. The question of an mtra-Mercurial planet would appear to be definitely settled in the negative by Professor H O L D E N ' S work. Professor H A S T I N G S ' S observa- tions, and his discussion of them, unquestionably open (if they do not also close) an important and interesting inquiry as to the correctness of certain generally received views as to the nature of the corona. The observations of Mr. U P T O N are extremely valuable, and the same is true of nearly all the others, throwing new light, as they do, not only upon the strictly astronomical problems of the eclipse, but upon the meteorology and natural history of a comparatively unknown region. P B I N C E T O N , December, 1883, ,, ^ i
ERRATA. P go Z2, hue 11 -Tho 11t.itmue11t III lino tt 111 donvad fro111 ,\ latl�r of Mr A.RUNDRLL, ud 111 nudouutodly co1 rect Th hfty oc on hnndrec\ poople 11okcn of on p,,ge 21, hne 2;',, we1e IHOb, l.,ly 111111ort.ed 'I\ orklll n Pag 24, Ftg 6 -8\' an 1.r1or. ,,1,1ob was 411 covoreil t,oo l te t,o b co11ected, tb sb.i<low� of t,b foll.lg n1 Fig 6 , re tho of :a. northern foru t Thoy ,1,1111l4l bl) f.ir tc,11u rkocl , ncl rcgnl-'1,, net t-h trunk ot the tr honld, II he lmll1antly light.or\ With th11 o�copt1,,u, the cnt aho\\ s tho ch:uncl,o1 of the g1owth n,du11r111,ly Pnb'tl 3J, lu1e 5 tro111 \,utl-0111 -/i'o, 2i , cad 27d6 P. â¢â¢â¢ l.J, 11110 10 from uoLlom -f'o, ch�corcl1111c1ca â¢eacl d1 coi,\,111co� l'ago 4J, IAU11 of Oil� -J,'01 1'',g i; 1e.11\ }'1g lJ Page 5b, t.tlo of out -J,bt 1''1g H,, tttd 1g H �oro 57, L1tlo of cut -1''01 }'1" 17 1c1ul F, r 15 Page !i>I, utJe of cut -fin t'1g 1B teud Fig l, Page 67, � le of cut -f"o, t'â¢i; 1!1 ,�atl i: 11; 17 Pag 0, tit! of cut -/>"o, F 1g 1 t ,tatl F,g 1B P11ge 86, tit! of out -Fo, f 1g 14 , tail t'1g l<l P :;e 113, lino ll -F'or .r s P.S, e11d JAS EN
OF THE OPERATIONS OF AMERICAN EXPEDITION TO OBSERVE THE TOTAL ECLIPSE, 1883, MAY 6, AT CAROLINE ISLAND, SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN. To Prof. 0 . A . YoTJNO, Chairman of the Eclipse Oommittee of the National Academy of Sciences: M Y D E A R P R O F E S S O R Y O U N G : I t gives me great pleasure to address to you my report of the Total Solar Eclipse of May 6, 1883, together with the reports of the other members of the Ameri- can expedition and with a niomorandum from the chief of the English photographic party which accompanied us. We had all hoped and expected to have you for our director in this expedition, and you will allow me to express my regret that unforeseen circumstances prevented this. My first oflBcial connection with the expedition dates from my reception of the following letter of instructions, under which I acted: W A S H I N G T O N , D . C , February 2 8 , 1883. Prof. E . S. H O L D E N : D E A R S I R : The Committee of the National Academy of Sciences on the Solar Eclipse of May 6 , 1 8 8 3 , has selected you as the Chief and Scientific Director of the party organized under its direc- tion for observations of the various phenomena on that occasion; to prescribe and arrange the work of each member, except so far as it may have been laid down by the committee in special instructions to any one, or may have been assigned to the representative of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. The names ot the party and the letter of instructions to eacH have been communicated to you. This leaves the eclipse work in your hands, but the committee desires that every facility which can be obtained, be afforded Mr. P R E S T O N for his gravity determinations. A s for your own special work, the search for intra-mercnrial planets, the programme sketched in your letter to me of February 6, marks out distinctly what you should aim at accomplishing. I send you letters to Admiral H U G H E S , commanding United States naval forces, Oallao, and to Captains C A R P E N T E R and F T F F E , commanding U . S. S . Hartford and Fensacola, one of which will be detailed to convey the party to their destination. They are communicated for yodr information. Mr. R O C K W E L L will act under your direction as to the expenditure of funds, and it IS desirable to have your certificate to his vouchers after your leaving New York. I t is expected that you leave New York in the Pacific Mail steamer of March 2 , for Panama and Callao. On arrival at the latter place please report to Admiral H U G H E S for conveyance to Caroline Island, as indicated m directions given him by the Navy Department. I wish you a pleasaut voyage and full success m the enterprise intrusted Lo you. I am, very truly, yours, J . H . 0. COFFIN, Secretary of Committee of the National Academy of Sciences. 15
