134 
CAPTAIN W. DE W. ABNEY ON THE TOTAL ECLIPSE 
Mr, C. R. Woods’ Report. 
The instruments under my charge were arranged as proposed in Engdand, the 
integrating spectroscope, slit spectroscope, and prismatic camera being adjusted and 
focussed with F in the centre of the plate. The Rowland grating was placed normal 
with the siderostat mirror, and the first and second order on the brightest side 
adjusted, with F and FI respectively in the centres of the plates. Some difficulty 
was experienced in getting the clockwork to move the slide of the integrating 
spectroscope sufficiently slow, as the desired rate of speed had been changed too late 
before starting to enable the alteration to be made at home; during the 8 minutes’ 
run of the clock the plate was moved through the space of inches. 
Five minutes previous to totality the siderostat mirror was finally adjusted and the 
clock wound up. A red end collodion plate, coated 15 minutes before, was then 
washed and placed in one of the prismatic camera slides. All other slides had been 
filled the night previously with gelatine plates. At one minute before totality (not 
2 seconds, as stated, I believe erroneously, in the instructions), the clockwork of the 
integrating spectroscope slide was started. At 40 seconds before, total exposures were 
made in the Rowland grating cameras. At totality, the j^rismatic camera and slit 
spectroscope were opened. The three exposures in the former instrument were per¬ 
formed as arranged, the last being closed 5 seconds after the lapse of 300 seconds. 
The slit spectroscope was closed at the end of the 300 seconds. The exposures in the 
Rowland grating were carried out strictly to programme, except as to the last 
exposure during totality, when, owing to longer totality than was expected,^ the jalates 
were moved up between 10 and 15 seconds after the lapse of the 5 minutes. The 
clock of the integrating spectroscope ran down at about 1-| minutes after totality, 
and the slit was covered over simultaneously with the stopping of the clock. 
Several long intervals during exposures enabled me to look at the corona and my 
surroundings. The corona resembled that of 1882 in its general character, the 
streamers seeming to extend to a little over 2 diameters. Several stars were visible, 
but the amount of illumination of the sky seemed little less than that of the Egyptian 
eclipse ; but, unlike the latter, its light was more natural, and the landscape lacked the 
weird colouring that was so noticeable during the eclipse last year. 
Two minutes after totality I took the red end plate into the dark room to develop 
it. Having to manipulate it almost in the dark, it got torn in putting it in. On 
letting in orange light, half of it was still on the plate, but nothing appeared on that 
part, which, in spite of my utmost care, also tore into several pieces, leaving nothing 
on the j)late save the gelatine edging. 
Five minutes after the eclipse a cloud passed over the sun, and shortly after the 
sky clouded over. 
The plates were developed in the evening, and the copies made on the two 
following nights. 
