MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 233 



the very first trial. The weight of the movable parts of the telescope 

 is about 1000 pounds. 



The column and the tube are enameled in a dark green. Compara- 

 tively little brass is used in the construction. What is exposed is 

 finely lacquered. In design, construction and finish the entire instru- 

 ment is a fine specimen of mechanical skill. It received the grand 

 prize at Paris in 1900, and the highest award at the Pan-American. 



A few words concerning the support and housing of the instrument 

 may be of interest. The base rests on two fifteen-inch I beams run- 

 ning north and south. Underneath these are two others of the same 

 size running east and west. The observing floor, which is fixed, is 

 eleven inches above the top of the upper beams. 



The dome room is 21 feet 6| inches in diameter. It is covered by 

 a 26-foot copper-sheathed dome. The observing slit is 40 inches wide 

 in the clear and is closed by a single shutter. The height from the 

 observing floor to the center of the dome is 26 feet 9 inches. 



The dome weighs about fifteen tons, and is carried on a steel track 

 by twelve conical rollers with roller bearings. It is rotated by an 

 endless wire cable passing over a sheave which is operated by a hand 

 rope and pulley. A light pull with one hand is all that is required 

 to shift the position of the dome. 



Both telescope and dome were built by the Warner & Swasey Com- 

 pany, Cleveland, Ohio. The erection was under the charge of their 

 representative, Mr. E. P. Burrell, whose skill and care in the work 

 deserve special mention. 



