JAMES EDWARD KEELER. 85 



JAMES EDWARD KEELEE. 



By Prof. W. W. CAMPBELL, 



ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE LICK OBSERVATORY. 



THE Lick Observatory has lost an ideal director. Astronomy has 

 suffered a loss it can ill afford. Colleagues and friends widespread 

 will miss a companionship which was simply delightful. 



James Edward Keeler was born in La Salle, 111., on September 10, 

 1857. Ealph Keeler, his first American ancestor, settled in Hartford 

 in 1635. His father, Wm. F. Keeler, was an officer of the original 

 'Monitor' at the time of its engagement with the 'Merrimac' His 

 mother (still living) is the daughter of Henry Dutton, former Governor 

 of Connecticut and Dean of the Yale Law School. 



In 1869 the family removed from La Salle, 111., to Mayport, Fla. 

 Here Keeler prepared for college, under the tutelage of his father and 

 his older brother. Here his fondness for astronomical studies was de- 

 veloped. He established 'The Mayport Astronomical Observatory' in 

 1875-77. It included, at the least, a quadrant, a two-inch telescope, a 

 meridian circle and a clock. Under date of 1875, September 22, his jour- 

 nal records an observed altitude of Polaris secured with 'my quadrant.' 

 Other entries read: 



"1875, November 14. Sent to Queen last night for lenses for my 

 telescope." 



"1875, November 29. Lenses from Queen came to-night; one two- 

 inch achromatic, and two plano-convex lenses for eyepiece." 



"1875, December 12. Directed my telescope to the stars, and saw 

 the rings of Saturn for the first time. . . ." 



"December 14. Saw the Annular Nebula in Lyra. One satellite of 

 Saturn. . . . All four of the stars in the Trapezium. . . ." 



"1876, January 26. Got up at half-past four this morning and ap- 

 plied my telescope to Jupiter for the first time. . . ." 



In 1877, at the age of twenty years, he constructed a meridian-circle 

 instrument. The telescope was that of a common spyglass, 1.6-inch 

 aperture and 13.45-inch focus. The axis was turned out of wood. 

 Brass ferrules, driven on the ends of the axis and turned down, formed 

 the pivots. The wooden circle, 13.3 inches in diameter, was graduated 

 to 15'.* 



* Keeler's original sketch of this instrument and his written description of it will be pub- 

 lished in the next number of the ' Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.' 



