S9^ SCIENCE PROGRESS 



The programme was carefully rehearsed beforehand. In 

 the rehearsals we were assisted by three of the British em- 

 ployees of the Phosphate Company, In order to avoid causing 

 vibration to the telescope, which would have spoiled the star i 

 images, the exposures were made by means of a shutter held 

 by hand in front of the object glass. The exposures were 

 given by the writer, seated on a platform supported from the 

 roof of the observing house. From there directions were 

 given to Mr. Melotte below when to change the plateholders 

 or to move the position of the instrument. Seconds were 

 counted by one of our voluntary helpers from the beats of the 

 controlling pendulum, and the exposures were estimated from 

 these counts. The roof of the observatory was kept closed 

 until shortly before totality in order to avoid the telescope 

 getting heated up. It was only opened then sufficiently for 

 the required amount of movement, so that the telescope was 

 almost completely sheltered from the disturbing effects which 

 wind might have caused. 



The rehearsals all passed off well, and we looked for such 

 results as would have decisively settled the amount of the 

 deflection. The weather, which during the whole of our stay 

 on the Island was generally unsettled, seemed at last to have 

 set in fine. For several days preceding the eclipse, it would 

 have been possible to have secured good observations. But, 

 unfortunately, there was a change on the very day of the 

 eclipse. I arose early, before dawn, and the sky was then 

 completely covered with thick clouds. Somewhat later, heavy 

 rain set in and our hopes fell to zero. But about 9 o'clock 

 signs of improvement began to appear, the clouds gradually 

 broke up, and half an hour later the sky was about the clearest 

 which I have seen during the whole of my stay on the Island. 

 The definition then was extremely good. But we had unfortu- 

 nately still an hour and a half to wait for totality. The clouds 

 began to gather again ; first contact of the sun and the moon 

 was well observed. Thereafter, it steadily grew more and more 

 hopeless. There was a short break about twenty minutes before 

 totality, but after that the sun was not seen again. The com- 

 mencement of the total phase was dimly seen through cloud. 

 One plate was exposed, first on the scale field and then on the 

 sun. Owing to the cloud, it shows no stars, but a faint coronal 

 ring is seen. But then even the glow of the corona through 

 the clouds was lost, and the sun was not seen again until after 

 the last contact, heavy rain following. So ended our hopes. 

 Our disappointment it is impossible to describe. It seemed 

 cruel to be sitting unable to do anything whilst the few valu- 

 able minutes for the coming of which so much preparation had 

 been made were passing beyond recall. 



