Page images
PDF
EPUB

ORDER OF SEQUENCE

FOR AN

ASTRONOMICAL REPORT

AT

MAIN OR PRIMARY FIELD-STATIONS.

Longitude by Telegraph; Latitude by Zenith Telescope, (Talcott's method.)

1. Geographical position of station.

2. Physical-geography details; especially all physical peculiarities.

3. Meteorological conditions, both general and special; the latter while observations were made.

4. Description of observatory; including personnel of party, name of telegraphoperator, and name of telegraph-company whose wire has been employed.

5. Description of instruments used.

6. Points with which connections were made; nights of observation, and observers; also name of computer or computers.

7. Tabulation of stars used, and number of observations.

8. Instrumental values; circumstances of telegraphic communication, i. e., length

of circuit, number of batteries, repeaters, &c.

9. Uniform tables of time-reductions at receiving-station.

10. Uniform tables of time-reductions at sending-station.

11. Grouping of series of exchange-signals, including means of single and serial results.

12. Personal equation.

13. Probable error by least squares.

14. Resulting longitude.

15. Reduction of the latitude-observations properly grouped, with discussion of results.

16. Resulting astronomical co-ordinates.

ABBREVIATIONS AND SIGNS.

a, b, c,

azimuth, level, and collimation corrections.

A, B, C,

azimuth, level, and collimation factors.

Tobserved time reduced to the mean of wires and corrected for rate.
T'observed time corrected for instrumental errors.

AR. apparent right ascension of star.

4,T=

resulting error of the chronometer after the mean of the wires is corrected for rate and level.

4T adopted mean error of chronometer.

&T=4T。- 4T.

4Terror of the chronometer.

v difference between mean final correction of chronometer and T.

REPORT

ON

ASTRONOMICAL OPERATIONS,

CONDUCTED DURING

THE FIELD-SEASON OF 1872,

AT THE

MAIN OR PRIMARY FIELD-STATION, CHEYENNE, WYOMING TERRITORY,

2

AND

DEDUCTION OF RESULTS.

BY

DR. F. KAMPF AND J. H. CLARK,

CIVILIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSISTANTS,

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS

AND SURVEYS WEST OF THE 100TH MERIDIAN,
Washington, D. C., January 1, 1874.

CHEYENNE, WYOMING TERRITORY.

(1.) GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF STATION.

The station at Cheyenne, the latitude of which is N. 41° 7′ 46′′.62, and its longitude 28m 19.44 east of the Mormon observatory at Salt Lake, is situated in the western part of the town, in lot 11, block 413, and is northwest from the junction of the branchroad leading to the depot of Fort D. A. Russell with the main stem of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The town of Cheyenne, on the north side of the railroad, is the capital of Wyoming Territory; and besides the Union Pacific Railroad with its branch to Fort Russell, has a railroad-connection with Denver, Colorado. These facilities make it a flourishing place, and it possesses already, in addition to its public buildings, quite a number of substantial business-houses and attractive private residences.

A fine hotel, engine-houses, workshops, and other similar improvements, are among the sources of prosperity which spring directly from the railroad-company. Besides the traffic with Fort Russell, it is the depot for Red Cloud's agency, Fort Laramie, and the settlements on the North Platte.

The surrounding region affords unlimited pasturage, and cattle are said not only to subsist but grow fat on it during the whole year.

Agriculturally there is but little promise outside of what may be accomplished by

irrigation.

(2.) PHYSICAL-GEOGRAPHY DETails.

The site of Cheyenne is nearly or quite level; northward, however, there is a gradual swell of the land, and within a few miles it cuts off the extensive view one is accustomed to on the great plains. Eastward and southward there is the usual rolling and slightly-broken prairie; but in the southwest, Long's Peak, already white this September with snow, some seventy miles distant, looms up boldly above the horizon. West and northwest, low mountains, many of which mark the rim of the Laramie Plains, are just visible. Crow Creek, a moderate stream coming down from the foothills of this rim, forms a valley immediately west and south of the town, working its way apparently through mountain-drift, as the direct eruptive force of the Rocky Mountain system seems not to have reached so far east in this latitude.

(3.) METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.

The determination of this station occupied the first three weeks in the month of October, 1872. There were no rains, nor any clouds, and, with the exception of two or three windy nights, the elements presented no obstacle whatever to a continued series of observations. In the early morning it would become cold enough to form

« PreviousContinue »