Show Tree Show bow Tor r the Millions Unprecedented Feature of This Years Total Eclipse of the Path Crosses Thickly Settled Regions Never Before Has Such a Phenomenon Been Visible to So Sf Many People at Their Own Homes as This One Will Be Bee e Washington March IE liIn ILIn In one re r rr rece gr r ce t ed t the suns suIt total eclipse of May 28 will be without precedent Its puh h instead of extending over the d regions that intervene bet n Iowa 10 and nd the western coast Ii a 9 in iCS or fr stretching over the watery expanses t of ot the th Pacific as us in 1883 when the States had hd to send an I diu n to the Caroline islands I mile meat em t of or South America or let j the e go 0 unobserved will cross i th the fut five state elates tt of or Louisiana Mississippi I Alabama Georgia South Carolina and i North r touch Virginia and I traverse trave a very fairly settled portion I of the th republic which is covered with a I t I I V 1 1 4 C c SL Cl 2 CAIRO 0 4 e j A 4 L c t k I 1 ei I I Ip s p b bAll All Aboard for the Eclipse Map Showing Network of Railroads That what L t May Nay Benefit by Natures Free F a Show Next May f perfect network of oC rail The track of totality begins on the Pacific ocean just ip wit Vf t of Mexico Me xico at sunrise trends due duea eastward a ward over Mexico o enters the Im ted States very er near Deal New Nw Orlean Orleans Li Lt and extends extend nd northeastward o r JUt and Montgomery Ala pars to quanta a aGa G and ADd r over Raleigh N C and leaves 1 1 lun in the region of ot Norfolk i t and Cape Henry B the II named it includes thirty other t MII ng that are large enough to find j loi t on n the smaller maps After leav bay ii i the United Status the path of the i i i ite crosses the Atlantic ocean and andt t Cs ut Europe at Coimbra Portugal t tak ih in Algiers and northern Africa Inti terminates near the northern end of if the Red H Sea at sunset et The eclipse rill U t about on one minute and twelve s near New Orleans OrIean and one minute and forty seconds near Nor folk Hitherto only the favored few who could afford to spend days and per hays haps weeks in travel have been able to view the great s this time people a ast mat can wit witness ness ne the phenomenon om their own doorsteps Other millions dwell within an easy days journey of the path of totality and far more than half the entire population of the country will willbe be able atole to witness a portion of the show at home for a partial eclipse will be visible in every state east of the Mississippi Nature has no similar display with such consid consideration for the masses maes ma es within a genera generation generation generation tion Total eclipses were vIsible in the United States in 1867 1878 1978 and 1889 but their paths paths did not traverse closely settled re ions All Aboard For the Eclipse Already the railroads have begun to tot take t ke advantage of the situation None of the great cities of New York Phila fe Rich Richmond mond Pittsburg Cincinnati and Louis Louisville ville vitle fe Is more than twelve or fourteen hours removed from the path of to toI I while some are much nearer And according to Professor S J I Brown astronomical director of the naval observatory arrangements are nr being made by several of ot the lines I which connect these cities with con convenient convenient convenient localities where the eclipse will I be total to run special eclipse excursions eons some on the day da of the event and some on the day just preceding f it ft This will undoubtedly result re in a I temporary boom for many ma y of the eclipse cities Besides the great towns mentioned every one of the Atlantic coast cities south of Norfolk is within easy of ot the great and every everyone eve everyone one of them will unquestionably send end ita lie quota luota of sightseers sl I The accessibility of the path of the eclipse will render the coming event of incalculable value alue to science Preparations Preparations are being made by nearly every scientific institution in the country to ta h place their beet befit instruments and most skilled observers m the field The TheL United States Stat government will spend L thousands of dollars establishing ob observation observation observation statIons station along the path of the eclipse As Uncle Sams chief star stargazer stargazer stargazer gazer Professor Brown will have charge of the governments principal I observations He is Ls making preparations preparations for the work with a knowledge born of long experience and a natural L genius in all matters appertaining to te his science He has haa been connected with the observatory for L years He is a graduate of the naval I academy at Annapolis and holds the rank of commander in the navy Greater results are from I the this year says S YS Pro Professor Professor fessor Brown than from any taken taker L heretofore During the half decade since the last total eclipse ecliD e there have been great strides in improvements in Ic inthe Inthe L the apparatus employed In the work Photography has been wonderfully de developed develop developed d and the improvements in pho photography photography photography alone may effect remarkable discoveries during this years ears eclipse Moreover the ease with which the eclipsed region may be visited will in increase increase increase crease the number of scientific observers ers era enormously Eclipse Weather Observations The government is already preparing preparing preparIng ing to occupy several stations along the th path of totality The necessary ap apparatus apparatus apparatus is being gathered and arranged L Land and men specially adapted for the work are being engaged and their ape special special cial parts in the observations are be being being beIng ing outlined Congress has allowed I to the naval observatory for ex expenses expenses expenses and to the Smithsonian institute The naval observatory will wil 1 send out two expeditions The points 3 from which they will wiil observe the th eclipse have not yet been chosen definitely but they will probably be beat located located ed about miles apart one one orie in North 1 Carolina and the other in Georgia A fi L floating cloud which might obscure the thi eclipse at one point may not affect in inthe Ii i the slightest the view from the other and it is to obviate the danger from Iron I cloudiness that has caused the division 1 of forces In anticipation of this years eclipse S the weather bureau has for three years yean a past been collecting data of the weather r conditions in past Mays Maya along the line Une i of totality at all times of f the day The Th result of this Investigation has been 1 to show less danger ari of ot a f cloudiness in central Georgia and east eastern eastern ern era Alabama nearly due south of At lanta and that therefore re e this is the thi a best region for locating the eclipse sta stations so go far as that consideration is I concerned The scientists of the observatory however have taken thought of o f other conditions also and although the th e period of eclipse Is longer in the neigh of Norfolk have about decided decide t to establish stations on high ground in ii 1 a North Carolina and Georgia The sta selected will be occupied oc two or o r three weeks before the eclipse edl se The Th 2 C instruments will be erected and the uj t part each man is to fake take will be thor thoroughly thoroughly rehearsed There will be a care careful careful careful ful division Of the work during the eclipse Each man maii will be assigned to some particular duty and he will bend every effort to the gathering of all data possible in that connection There will be but a minute and a half in which to make all the observations and it is imperative that the whole affair should be carefully systematized and that each man should shoula know mow definitely ly and absolutely what he is in to do Thousands Will WilI Take Observations No previous eclipse has had the at attention attention attention of so many mardi skilled observers an aa will watch this one The Smith Smithsonian Smithsonian Smithsonian Institute will have a corps in inthe inthe inthe the field under Professor S P Lang ley Icy Princeton college will have h ve a force under Professor Young the Uni University University of Pennsylvania Penns under Pro Professor Professor Professor fessor Stone and the Yerkes observatory observatory observatory tory will conduct an expedition ex with Professor Hale at its head hea 1 These The e are only a few of the institutions which are preparing for the field In fact practically practically practically cally every college and scientific Institution institution in the country will be represented represented All AIl told probably a hundred expeditions of this kind will be sent to the path of totality well equipped for some portion of the work The eclipse will wiil be a great attraction attraction tion for amateurs a n persons who own photographic outfits or other scientific I instruments used in observing the phe phenomena nomen of the solar eclipse Letters have been received at the observatory which warrant the prognostication that probably 1000 of these unattached amateurs will viiI be somewhere along l boh ng the path of the eclipse The govern government goy m ment does doe not discourage these ai ama ain amateurs at t teura but rather gives them eveh eve n and courts S of photographs and data from add to the government records It is remembered that one of the finest sets j of photographs of the eclipse in India I in 1896 was taken by b an amateur with witha a homemade camera ca ra but one having I an excellent lens Amateurs have haYe been beena a help in the field in 4 I many instances and they are always ready to volun volu volunteer teer their services When Professor Cambell of the Lick observatory went to observe the eclipse in India he took only his wife for assistant on the field he found all the trained volunteers necessary to manipulate the seven in jn instruments instruments he made ue u e of The expeditions to te be sent out by the Naval observatory will Ul not be large ones They will probably of five or six pix ix observers including photographers raphers But the men men sent will be the best procurable Th The government nt nat naturally naturally naturally hag has superior to draw drar on for making observations It has Its disposal the lenses and spectroscopes sp scopes gathered during the last twenty five years ear and its appropriation of money is probably larger than any of or orthe the institutions could afford to devote to the purpose Large Larg instruments are aa arenow e enow I Inow now being prepared pr for or use next May ray A number of special in hl instruments ranging fr Jm a tele telescope tel telescope scope down will be erected on the field Instruments will willbe be selected in all cases because of special l fitness The Naval observatory will shortly have ready for distribution a little Utile pamphlet containing a map of the path of the eclipse on ani o a sufficient scale to show most of the and cities s railroads and streams and the eleva elevation elevation tion of points paints along the path of total totality totalitY ity together xa ct tIma oL of the It will also atso contain sug suggestions for amateurs by following which they may be able to contribute much that is valuable from their ob observations After the eclipse the observatory will publish a complete report of observations with reproductions of photo photographs photographs photographs graphs and drawings Any sketches photographs and observations ob of con eon contacts contacts in any observation of sufficient merit to make them worthy worth of preservation will gladly be received by y the scientists and included in this tion |