NOTE ON THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE LICK OBSERVATORY. BY EDWARD S. HOLDEN. On July 16, 1874, Mr. LICK made his first deed of trust and appointed a Board of Trustees consisting of Messrs. THOMAS H. SELBY, D. O. MILLS, H. M. NEWHALL, GEO. H. HOWARD, JAMES OTIS, JOHN O. EARL and WILLIAM ALVORD. So much of this deed (subsequently annulled) as relates to the observatory is given in the Publications of the L. O., Vol. I, page 5. In the summer of 1874 Mr. MILLS visited Washington and consulted with Professor NEWCOMB and myself on the plans for the new institution. He also visited Dr. HENRY DRAPER in New York for the same purpose. Before leaving Washington he requested me to prepare a brief memorandum to be presented to the trustees on his return to San Francisco. The memorandum was prepared (and is reprinted below with a few omissions) and it was accompanied by a ground plan of the proposed buildings. This sketch, by Professor NEWCOMв and myself, is now lost. Some of the pencil sketches from which it was made are, however, still in my possession. Essentially the same ideas were made the basis of a carefully drawn plan which was prepared for the (third) Board of Lick Trustees by Mr. S. E. TODD, architect, in Washington in 1879. This latter plan (which is practically the same as that of 1874) is reproduced in the accompanying plate. The observatory is now built substantially according to this plan simplified and made somewhat less costly, and at the same time less sightly. The original plan of 1874 contemplated making a portion of the observatory building of two stories. Surveys made between 1875 and 1879 seemed to show that it would be advantageous to place all the principal rooms on the ground floor. The plan of 1879 was drawn with this modification of the original sketch of 1874. In the actual construction of the observatory it was found necessary to return to the first idea and to place some offices and a photographic laboratory on a second floor. In the plate herewith the longest direction of the building is (magnetic) north and south with the Great Dome at the south end. The first office north of the dome is erroneously marked It was "Computers." It was intended as the Director's office. intended to fit the quarters of the Senior Astronomers with studies so that much of their work would be done in their houses. The office of the Junior Astronomers is marked "Dormitory" in the architect's plan. The buildings were to be enlarged, when necessary, by constructing rooms on the east side opening into the long hall (marked "Gallery" in the plan). The continuous piazza of the first floor and the balcony at the base of the hemispherical dome, with the continuous platform on the roof leading to and opening into the small North Dome have been changed in the actual building, and the change has not been an improvement, I think. In 1874 Mr. MILLS invited me to become the Director of the new observatory, and I accepted the offer. On his return to San Francisco he found that various difficulties had arisen between Mr. LICK and the Trustees. These were finally settled by the resignation of the first Board in 1875; and a second deed of trust was executed bearing date of April 21, 1875, and a second set of trustees was appointed, namely: Messrs. R. S. FLOYD, F. D. ATHERTON, JOHN H. LICK, JOHN NIGHTINGALE, B. D. MURPHY. Extracts from Mr. LICK's second (and last) deed are given in the Publications L. O., Vol. I, page 9. The second set of trustees resigned in September, 1875, and the third (and last) Board was appointed at the same time, namely: Messrs. R. S. FLOYD, WM. SHERMAN, E. B. MASTICK, C. M. PLUM and GEO. SCHOENWALD. In 1876 I met Captain FLOYD, the President of the Board, in London, and explained to him what was contained in the memorandum of 1874 which he had not then seen. The memorandum was at Mount Hamilton during the whole time of the building of the observatory and was in constant use. It is now lost. I have found the original MS., dated October, 1874, from which the clean draft was made and I think it of sufficient interest to be reprinted here as a part of the early history of the observatory. It will show, I think, that one clearly conceived and consistent plan has been steadily followed from 1874 until the completion of the observatory in June, 1888. It must be borne in mind, while reading it, that it was written nearly twenty years ago. The memorandum and plan herewith. were submitted to Mr. LICK in his lifetime and I believe they were satisfactory to him. MEMORANDUM ON THE FOUNDING OF THE LICK OBSERVATORY OF CALIFORNIA.* I. Objects of the New Observatory (and Plan of Operations). The object of the Lick Observatory has been announced by the founder himself in the deed conveying the funds necessary to complete it. This object is to establish a more powerful telescope than any now made, and to make the same “useful in promoting science." The object of, and excuse for, its existence is the promoting of astronomical science in general, and it at once becomes its duty to assume a class of observations for which either its geographical or climatic situation, its instrumental equipment, or its endowment, renders it peculiarly fitted. We have in America several observatories which have assumed special work which they are doing satisfactorily. For example, the Naval Observatory has three meridian instruments, and six observers are employed with them; and they are engaged in cataloguing a number of fixed stars, and in making regular observations of the sun, moon and major planets, and a fair number of observations of the asteroids. The positions of stars determined by these instruments are not of the last degree of precision and there is no observatory in the United States engaged in making such determinations-hence it is evident that one of the works fairly open to the new observatory is the accurate determinations of the places of a number of standard stars, which shall serve astronomers as zero points from which to measure the coordinates of other stars. This work would be extremely valuable, but on account of its extreme delicacy and the multiplied precautions which would have to be taken in fixing these positions, this is work which would progress but slowly. It would require for its prosecution a meridian-circle, or else two instruments, the transit and the vertical circle (the meridian circle combines the principles of the other two). These should be of a good aperture (from five to six inches), and it is almost essential that whatever instrument of this class was employed should be made by the REPSOLDS of Hamburg or by TROUGHTON and SIMMS of London, who have unrivaled reputations, and whose finished instru * Copy of a Memorandum of October, 1874, sent to the President of the Lick Trustees by E. S. HOLDEN. ments of this class are the best in the world. There need be no haste in the procuring and setting up of this instrument, and when it is completed it will require the exclusive attention of one observer. No meridian instrument of importance would be required, save a meridian-circle, or in the case of the adoption of the two instruments in its stead, a transit instrument and a vertical circle. A small portable transit instrument and a zenith telescope (combined) might well be added to the equipment of the observatory for immediate use in obtaining the geographical position of the site which will be selected, and the correct time for general daily use when the observatory shall be in operation, and before the final mounting of the meridian circle. The meridian circle is admirably adapted to the rapid determination of the approximate position of small stars, i. e., by using it in zone observations. The northern heavens from the pole to two (2) degrees south of the equator have been examined in this way by the great ARGELANDER, whose Zones have been published in three volumes, one comprising 108, 129 stars, and extending to the pole to 41° of north declination; one of 105,075 stars, from 41° to 20°; and one of 110,984 stars, from 20° to -2°, thus making 324, 188 stars catalogued in this region. The German Astronomical Society has undertaken the revision of this work, and hence it would be superfluous for the Lick Obseratory to attempt this, or any part of it. It might, however, do useful work in extending the zones southward, provided it did not duplicate any of the zone work just finished by the Observatory of Cordoba in the Argentine Republic. This kind of work would require the co-operation of two observers, or of an observer and a recorder, and would demand their whole attention. Meridian observations of the sun, moon and planets it would not be advisable to undertake, these being thoroughly attended to at Greenwich and Washington. The observation of asteroids is not sufficiently attended to in America, but it would hardly be advisable for the Lick Observatory to make itself responsible for their continuous observation at present, although it might become a work worth undertaking. To sum up the meridian work of the observatory, it seems that the only series of this kind which it is worth while at once to prepare for are the determinations of the position of fundamental stars and the continuation of the zones to the south. The searching for new asteroids is thoroughly done by Prof. |