transit instrument in 1 884. He neglected to state the maker of the mount 

 but emphasized the perfections of the 3-inch Clark objective. 144 



The first observations with the 36-inch Lick equatorial refractor were 

 made on 3 January 1 888, fourteen years after James Lick first announced 

 his bequest. It was then the largest instrument of its kind anywhere in 

 the world, and its performance matched its size. The history of this great 

 telescope has often been told. Warner & Swasey made the mount; the 

 Clarks made the 36-inch objective and 33-inch photographic corrector. 

 The contract with the Clarks was not let until 1880. Then there were 

 long delays before Feil could produce satisfactory glass blanks : although 

 the flint disc was soon cast, a successful crown glass was obtained only 

 after another 3/2 years and 19 failures and a trip by Alvan Graham to 

 Paris; in 1887 Alvan Graham went to Paris again to negotiate for a 

 better crown disc for the photographic lens as the first crown disc intended 

 for this purpose had been defective and had broken under the Clarks' 

 hands. The visual achromatic combination was sent to Mt. Hamilton 

 in 1886; Alvan Graham accompanied the photographic lens west the 

 following year. 



During these fourteen years representatives of the Lick Trust visited 

 the Cambridgeport workshop, first to advise whether the Clarks be given 

 the contract, and later to report on work in progress. Their letters give 

 some intimate pictures of the Clarks' personalities and habits. In 1877 

 Howard Grubb, who was also eager for the contract, told the trustees 

 that Alvan Clark "had set his heart on making the big object glass." 145 

 Charles Plum visited the Clarks in 1879 and reported that they were 

 "wholly devoted to the manufacture of instruments for the advancement 

 of science in astronomy, and are continually experimenting for improve- 

 ments." 146 Eight years later, when the trustees were becoming impatient 

 and the fate of the photographic lens was doubtful, he noted that the 

 Clarks "don't save any time when it is to cost them the difference in 

 money." 147 Although many visitors were impressed by the Clarks' friendly 

 and talkative manners, Simon Newcomb warned the trustees not to 

 expect voluntary progress reports, as "the Clarks never write unless they 



144 Sidereal Messenger, vol. 3 (1884), pp. 287-288. 



145 Howard Grubb to Richard S. Floyd, 4 September 1877 (letter in Lick Observa- 

 tory Archives). 



146 Charles Plum to E. Matthews, 3 June 1879 (ibid.). 



147 Charles Plum to Lick Trust, 21 May 1887 (ibid.). 



284-281 O — 68 — —6 75 



