The American Eclipse Expedition 



599 



ship, and preparations are made to re- 

 ceive the officer with the honors of his 

 rank. This is always an important event 

 in the life of naval men after a long trip 

 at sea. The first boat usually brings the 

 mail-bag, which is watched by many an 

 eager eye as it is passed over the side of 

 the ship, to bring good tidings for the 

 many, but possibly it will bring an alarm- 

 ing message for some poor soul, whose 

 thoughts during the long passage he has 

 made have been seldom away from the 

 bedside of some loved one whom he was 

 forced to leave behind with anxiety and 

 sorrow. Let us hope the bright sunlight 

 of the day portends good news for all. 



As the scattered threads of our plans 

 are gathered together here at Gibraltar 

 from our reconnoitering parties, sent out 

 in advance of our arrival, and from our 

 diplomatic agents abroad, the members 

 of the three parties about to take the 

 eclipse field are assigned to their respec- 

 tive stations, and a final consultation with 

 the officers of the African party is held 

 over a dinner on board the Minneapolis 

 preparatory to their early start the next 

 morning. This party takes its departure 

 on board the U. S. S. Dixie July 18 for 

 Bona, Algeria, and three days later the 

 cabie announces their arrival at this in- 

 teresting port. 



BONA, ALGERIA 



The harbor of Bona is a large basin 

 formed by a break-water built out into 

 the Mediterranean, rivaling in size that at 

 Algiers. The shipment of a vast export 

 trade from the interior of Algeria is here 

 carried on in connection with a railroad 

 leading from Constantine to the city of 

 Bona. The trade of Bona has increased 

 enormously within a few years, so rapidly 

 in fact that I have found but few Ameri- 

 cans who know of the large and imposing 

 city which has sprung up like one of our 

 prairie towns. Through the kind efforts 

 of the American consul, the arrival of the 

 Dixie was anticipated, and as the general 

 site for the African station had already 

 been selected at Guelma. Captain John A. 

 Norris, U. S. N., the officer in charge of 



this station, soon had his party en route 

 to that point over the railroad just men- 

 tioned. Here were seen the ruins of an 

 ancient theater of the once famous near- 

 by city of Hippo Regius, the favorite 

 residence of-the Numidian kings and the 

 central station of commerce and civiliza- 

 tion in North Africa. Other remains still 

 exist here, giving archaeologists a field 

 for research of which advantage is being 

 taken. 



THE STATION AT GUELMA, ALGERIA 



Captain Norris and his party were re- 

 ceived at Guelma with marked kindness 

 by the mayor of that pretty little city, 

 who placed at their disposal a site for an 

 eclipse station such as is rarely to be 

 found. The mid-summer weather made 

 horse-racing impractical at the time our 

 party was there, and the park in which 

 the track was located was selected for 

 our camp, and its free use was given to 

 this the first eclipse party that had arrived 

 in the country. The grounds were 

 naturally shut off from the public and its 

 policing became a matter easily regulated. 

 All persons not connected with the ex- 

 pedition were excluded from the prem- 

 ises, but a fine large grandstand attached 

 to the grounds gave them an opportunity 

 to witness the eclipse phenomena without 

 interfering with the operations of the 

 party. 



Captain Norris, who had direct charge 

 of the transit work, soon had his instru- 

 ment mounted and under cover ready to 

 observe the latitude of the station, on 

 which the adjustments for the other in- 

 struments depended. His long experience 

 in building up the chain of longitude sta- 

 tions, covering the entire globe, in which 

 American officers have bound the coun- 

 tries of the world together by telegraphic 

 observations from Greenwich and Wash- 

 ington — a scheme that was inaugurated 

 by the late Captain F. M.Green, U.S. N.— 

 well equipped him for this important 

 part of the work. 



One of the polar axes was soon in 

 place and adjusted to the exact latitude 

 and longitude of the station, which had 



