484 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 
globe was added to the equipment of the Observatory. From 
the death of Prof. Ficklin in September, 1887, to July 1st, 
1890, the Observatory was in charge of Wm. A. Cauthorn, 
Assistant Professor of Mathematics. 
On taking charge of the Observatory about July Ist, 1890, 
I commenced the work of overhauling, cleaning and repairing 
the building and instruments. Observations for time with 
the transit instrument were commenced on July 24th, and 
observations with the equatorial telescope were begun early in 
November, 1890. During the summer of 1891 a wooden ad- 
dition 15x30 for office and library room, with porch and 
stone basement, was erected adjoining the west end of the 
building. The cost of this improvement was about $900. 
A break-circuit sidereal chronometer by Bond & Son, of 
Boston, a barometer of 35; inch bore by H. J. Green of 
Brooklyn, and a set of thermometers by the same maker 
were purchased about the same time ata cost of $350. A 
switch-board with the usual electrical connections was installed 
in the Observatory and a line of telegraph wire was run to 
the office of the W. U. Telegraph Co. in Columbia for the 
purpose of exchanging longitude signals. Numerous minor 
improvements were made in the building and instruments. 
For a year and a half after the destruction by fire of the 
main building of the University on January 9th, 1892, the 
office, library-room and basement of the Observatory were 0c- 
cupied as class-rooms by professors whose lecture-rooms had 
been destroyed. Funds which would otherwise have been 
available for the further development of the Observatory 
_ were absorbed by the urgent demands to which the fire gave 
rise. 
My time has been chiefly occupied with the work of instruc- 
tion in the University. But transit observations for time have 
been maintained with some regularity and about one hundred 
micrometric observations of comets and minor planets have 
been made with the 74-inch telescope, and published in the 
astronomical papers. Various other astronomical observa- 
tions have been made from time to time, and published when- 
ever sufficiently valuable. 
In conclusion I wish thankfully to acknowledge the aid, 
