April 21, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



637 



This should be considered the most impor- 

 tant of the secondary work. 



At the present time it is not possible to note 

 many details in reference to the location of 

 the various parties intending to observe this 

 eclipse, but it is reasonably certain that the 

 observers will be quite well distributed over 

 the accessible portions of the path. 



The Canadian government expects to locate 

 a party on the coast of Labrador, about 100 

 miles north of the Strait of Belleisle. 



The Indiana State University announces its 

 intention to locate a party in Spain. 



The German government has asked permis- 

 sion of Spain to land a party on the Colum- 

 bretes islands. 



One English party will probably locate near 

 Palma on the island of Majorca, one of the 

 Balearic group. 



Other English parties will undoubtedly lo- 

 cate in Spain. 



Professor Campbell has announced that, 

 through the liberality of Mi*. William H. 

 Crocker, the Lick Observatory will send out 

 three different parties for observing this 

 eclipse, one of which will be located on the 

 coast of Labrador, a second in Spain and a 

 third in Egypt. 



The director of the observatory of Pulkowa, 

 Dr. Backlund, has indicated his intention to 

 equip two observing parties. 



Under an appropriation of $5,000 by Con- 

 gress, the Naval Observatory will undertake 

 the observation of this eclipse and will equip 

 an expedition. The U. S. S. Columbia and 

 the U. S. S. Ccesar, vessels detailed by the 

 Navy Department, will carry to ports near 

 the observing stations the expeditionary force, 

 which will consist of the following: Kear- 

 Admiral C. M. Chester, U. S. N., superin- 

 tendent Naval Observatory, in charge of the 

 expedition, with about seven members of the 

 staff of the Naval Observatory. Mr. L. E. 

 Jewell, of Johns Hopkins University; Dr. S. 

 A. Mitchell, of Columbia University, and Dr. 

 N. E. Gilbert, of Dartmouth College, have 

 accepted invitations to participate in the work 

 of observation. Professor F. H. Bigelow, of 

 the U. S. Weather Bureau, will accompany 



the expedition and have charge of its meteor- 

 ological work. 



The equipment for 'three observing stations 

 is being prepared, the more important ele- 

 ments of which are as follows : 



1. A station near the central line, possibly 

 on one of the islands of the Columbretes 

 group off the east coast of Spain ; a horizontal 

 photographic telescope 5-inch aperture and 

 40-foot focus; a photographic telescope 8.5- 

 inch aperture and 12-foot focus ; a 6-inch Dall- 

 meyer camera, 36-inch focus; a portable tele- 

 scope for contact observations ; several grating 

 spectroscopes ; spectral photometric apparatus ; 

 meteorological apparatus. 



2. A station 10 to 15 miles within the edge 

 of the shadow path, probably near Valencia; 

 a horizontal photographic telescope 'r.5-inch 

 aperture and 65-foot focus; a prismatic spec- 

 trograph; a photographic telescope 9.6-inch 

 aperture and 14-foot focus with color screen; 

 a 6-inch Dallmeyer camera 40-inch focus; a 

 portable telescope for observing contacts; a 

 grating spectrograph; meteorological appa- 

 ratus. 



3. A station near the central line, probably 

 near the line of the railroad from Tunis to 

 Algiers in Africa; a horizontal photographic 

 telescope 5-inch aperture and 40-foot focus; 

 a photographic telescope Y-inch aperture and 

 114-inch focus; a 6-inch Dallmeyer camera 

 40-inch focus; a portable telescope for observ- 

 ing contacts; a concave grating spectrograph; 

 a chronospectrograph ; polariscopic apparatus; 

 meteorological apparatus. 



Each station will be supplied with instru- 

 ments for determination of time. Where tele- 

 graphic facilities are available the stations 

 will be supplied with chronographs and port- 

 able transits for the determination of the 

 difference of longitude. 



The location of the Naval Observatory sta- 

 tions can not be finally settled until the local 

 conditions are personally examined, but those 

 mentioned above are especially indicated as 

 desirable stations to occupy. 



C. M. Chester. 

 Rear-Admiral, U. S. N., 

 Superintendent Naval Observatory. 



