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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1911)
"7 V THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: AUGUST C, 191T. 5 ? f Value of n HAVE often been told of the , value of what are generally ' called trifles. We know that very great things often depend upon very small onea, that, for example, the lives of many teo- w ple and the. aafety of t ins of precious mer chandise, mey be endangered by the neglect of a bolt on a brldjr. and that a spark may cause the conrianxatlon of a city or of miles of forest lands. While we know these things and willingly admit them, and can rive Illustrative ex amples of our own. I think most of mv readers would Imagine t was drawing the long bow when I tell them that a slxteen-hundred-dotlar Instrument was thrown completely out of use for the want of cobweb! Yet. It was a sober fact, and was painfully In evidence to me no less than to some students of mine, one of whom had como 7M miles principally In order to use this Instrument. It was about as serviceable to us as Its picture would have boon: and all that on account of an accident to the cobwebs It contained. Let me explain the mystery. The W ires or Threads In Teleacepe. If the reader has ever looked through a telescope that was on a measuring Instru ment auch aa a aurveyor'a transit or level, he will surely have seen In It at lea-st two fine black lines crossing each other at right ancles, one being vertical and the other horizontal. The object of these lines Is to enable the observer to direct his trlescopo very accurately upon a given ob ject, or conversely, to find the object hia telescopa Is directed to when It Is adjusted by means of Its levels or circles. The whole' round picture seen In a telescope Is called Its field of view. As this Is of some considerable sixo and shows quite a num ber of objects. It would be Impossible to know which of these objects the telescope was directed to, unlesa we had these fine llnea to point It out to us. A telescope, as we probably know, con sists essentially of at least two lenses, one at each end of a tube, cacn lena being It self a compound of two or more simple or elementary onea. The lens nearest the object looked at la called the objective, and Is always the larger of the two. This lens forms near the other end of the tube an Image of the object. In exactly the same manner that a photographic camera does. In fact, as far aa the objective la con cerned, thcr ia ao difference between a telescope and a camera, both have the same kind of an objective mounted at one end of a tube or box. the first having generally a cylindrical or converging tube The Crelghton T'nlversJtv. a View" In a telescope, Field of Advantage and necessity of cross wires In a field of view .v r V a J V 'J4 .;V .. .. The store that presents, perhaps, tl most uancsu'ne apioarj.nce of all the l;on:e-f uriiUhing establishments of O. vih i and the one that furnishes the f.rod?et number of suggestions to l.i .itt vi . i s o:i tho furnishings and i i u. '. . i) u.; .f their cw.i hu. ies ia t'rt l l e itubel Furniture Co., lo .;. .1 at i.'iH-ISI.-. H. wiiid St. They flu. ''ejiuiiti ailiitf wli.n clarnilng lii.iH fir. ie inxiio Willi i.ieulum I i1' til t;uo )a. Pi'uule of ivioJerat oir ; e (!- p'l.jl.lc.l to "'iMjUwe t lie :y . . . . lot m irtlctic und pUuslug effects ltlioui any ouiny, iheltni el M.,ie lias e ijoye I a m:irk.d suc irn tit past year, or since It be tjm a tukuiuuuu of lhi city. Sue- Where many the Filmy Cobweb to the Science of Astronomy 1 W I Ell rinn of Transit Micrometer. The framework A, which carries the reticle. Is moved in the box Ii by means of the screw 8. which has a hundred threads or turns to the inch. The nut. head or drum C of this screw la divided into a hundred parts, tenths of which are Indicated by the pointer N. In this way one-tentn of one hundredth of one-hundredth, that Is, one hundred-thousandth of an inch can be measured. The reticle Is moved slowly by turning the milled head U, which forms one piece with the drum C and the shsnk E. Turning the shsnk E moves the reticle rapidly across the field. R R are two rods supporting long apirai springs, which push Rectlcle of transit, consisting of seven vertical and two horizontal threads or wires, each system being moved by a micrometer screw. so aa to have a small field of view, and the second a diverging or exoandlng box so aa to have a large field of view. In the photograplilo camera we place a sensitized plate where we can sea the Image of the object on the ground glass. and thus secure this Image by the pho tographic or chemical action of the film. A photographic telescope ia purely and sim ply a photographlo camera, only that it Is generally longer, that 19. has a longer focus, and thus gives a larger picture. In a visual telescope the Image Is looked at through an eyepiece, which is the second of the two lenses we mentioned before, and derives Its name from the fact of Its being nearest the eye of the observer. This eye piece Is a magnifying glasa In principle, and makes the image look larger. It Is often easily removable and replaceable by another, which has a different magnifying power, so that one may examine tho object he Is looking at under various degrees of magnification. The higher tne power, the fainter la the Image, because the eyepiece receives only a definite amount of light from the objective, and the more the Image Is magnified, the more the light Is spread, so that the highest powers of a telescope can seldom be used to advantage , except on a bright object and In a clear sky. Character of the Lines. The fine black lines we have mentioned before are at the same place In the tube where the objective forms the Image, ao and 4 fliv X f1 I aVr? k !. ATTRACTIVE 013 or TMiwoa rost thi par low j cess has attended the endeavors oil the firm on every hand. In a very short time after the store was estab lished here, the firm outgrew lis quarters and was forced to move to a new location on Hbward street, where it has continued to prosper. The Hubel Furniture Company Is distinctively a new kind of store for Omaha. It does business in a differ ent way from moat furniture houses, dne of Its popular plans Is to allow t'l days tree trial on ail purchase!. If any article proves unsatisf&ctory ... y?if a irunroi for any i-eu-un whatever, it may be txcbanired or returned for credit. No rharga re male. This firm makes as inuny eadiMr-cea aa may be necessary lu uriler to i1mn a the frame-work A away In the opposite direction, when the screw Is turned rack ward. These springs are strong enough to hold the reticle firmly In any position. F Is the field of view. The number of whole turns Is indicated by a cogwheel gearing Into a short spiral screw on the lateral fiice of the drum. It is not represented on the diagram. There Is a second and similar micrometer at right angles to the one shown. It moves two parallel horliontal threads, which are eupnortedd by two short rods or studs, and brought as close to as possible without touching the seven verti cal threads, ao as to be In the same focus with them. that both Image and lines are viewed to gether through the eyepiece. For very accurate work it Is evident that these lines thould be very fine and smooth, so that they may be looked at through eyepieces of the highest magnifying power. They ought also to be perfectly straight and taut, and sufficiently elastic to remain straight and taut, no matter how much the tube of the telescope and the frame on which they are fixed, expands and con tracts with the temperature, or Is moved about In various positions. And lastly, they should not be hygroscopic, that Is, should not be affected by wet weather. Cobwebs. Very few substances possess all these qualifications In a higher degree than the commonest kind of cobweb, simple ordinary spider's web, which tidy people abhor so1 much In the corners of their rooms. A spider line Is perfectly smooth under the highest magnifying power. It Is perfectly black In a bright field, and may be made bright In a dark field. It Is also elastic, and may therefore be stretched perfectly straight. Its weight being so insignificant that In short lengths there can be no dan ger whatever of sagging. Cobweb Is Inexpensive, to be sure, but so delicate, that It Is quite an accomplishment to know how to handle it. Perhaps the reader would lke to know how this Is done, and how spider lines are actually put Into a telescope. How Spider Lines Are Pnt In. The first thing to do Is to get the cob web. This Is not aa easy as It looks. Not every spider gives a web that can be used. Some lines are altogether too fine to be readily seen even with a magnifying glass, and too trying on the eyes. Some consist of loose strands not sufficiently knit to gether, they are not one line but many of them and absolutely unfit for the purpose. Borne have heads strung upon them, or are otherwise of varying thickness. It took us actually a whole week to find the cob web we wanted. This may be a powerful proof of the cleanliness of our buildings and premises, but it was a fact notwith standing, and was responsible for 90 per cent qf the Inactivity of our telescope. When the right spider has been found, his thread is caught as he spins It and be fore It touches anything, and wrapped on a branching twig or stiff wire shaped like the letter Y. Having then made ready the frame work on which the threads are to be Omaha women get splendid ideas on the furnishing beautifying of their own homes When a retail itore determines not to be a mere chop for the Bale of wares, but baa an ambition to excel to make iteelf a source of information and a place of Interest to all call ers it merits the praise of the general public. eft 4 Ml 3i , X. wr inr IHAOttiFICLNT SHOWINC -OF FLOOR customer. This method forma a strik ing contrast to the unwilling manner in which some store consent to ex change goads . At Uie Kuttei store an efort la made fastened, we take a compass or dividers, such as Is used for drawing circles, put a drop rf shellae or other sticky substance at the points, and pick up a su'table spider line longer than Is finally needful. Stretch ing this by opening the compass a trifle, we place the line In position, using a magnifying glass If necessary, and press It down so that It touches the shellac we have placed on the outside, on the la'eral sides as we might call them of the frame work, make sure that It is caught there, and cut It off with a penrntfe. We nert put the second thread in position In the time way. and all the others that we may need. We then with a clean pin or needle adjust them cautiously under a marnlfytng glass, and when everything Is satisfactory we drop a little shellac on all the threads on the front sido of the frame work, and the Job Is done, DirricnTtles. Tes, when everything Is satisfactory has the reader ever tried It? We think not, for It takes a long time and Infinite patience before everything is satisfactory. Cobweb Is extremely delicate. The least false movement will tear the thread. Re moving the loose ends may ruin two or three neighboring threads. Patience, try again. Sometimes the final drop of shellac may be too wet with alcohol and may so affect the threads as they curl up and stick together. Vnravellng then Is almost sure disaster. Flics must not witness the work, for they may spoil the threads directly as well aa Indirectly by annoying the operator. A breeze is almost as objectionable. Alto gether it is as trying a piece of work as one could well Imagine, trying to hands and eyes and much more so to patience. The material la not worth much, but the T- Ml . Photograph of whole eyepiece of transit taken out of the telescope. It shows the micrometer box with Its two screws. The eytplooe proper is diagonal, that is, turned at right angles to the telescope, so that stars high up In the sky may be con veniently observed. It is also parallactic, that Ik, may be moved some distance later ally in any direction, so that any wire of the reticle may be brought into the middle of the field of view, no matter how far it may be moved by Its screw. r . ' f ' . - ' Si jl'rV There is always something fascinating about beautiful articles for the home, and when beau tiful articles are so displayed as to give tha visitor new ideas on how to make her borne more attractive, It becomes a store of special Interest to the lover of the home Lecuiiful, whether this person Is in need of any articles for her home or not. f' .,;.. vJ saSasMMni isw tmmmmmmfiJ " mr.nu swa&iV-' Llrk 1 I c C0VERMcf9 to show the moat beautiful pieces at all timea. From the nature of this company's stock ojie ran readily see that the firm is in clone tuucu wliti tiie test mauufacturers In the coun -' !)Y- ' The slxteen-hundred-dollar transit In- j strument. which together with the chono- graph hidden behind It in the photograph, I skill Is. and when one has tried It for the first time, he will admit that the two dollars that a professional Instrument maker charges In his catalogue for only two threads at right angles, are far from being an unfair price. But if there had to be nine wires, one-hundredth of an Inch apart, what would the charge be then? That was exactly our case. And we did not have the time to send the eyeriece to a professional and wait for Its return, what ever the Item of coat might be. Platinum W ires and Holed Glass. Spider lines are so delicate tnat some makers use very fine platinum wires. One of the greatest firms In the country says in Its catalogue: "No one but a workman with practiced hand and provided with th.i best facilities can properly set the platinum wires In a cross-wire diaphragm, and it Is useless, therefore, for us to send a parcel of wires for that purpose." Platinum wires are, however, harder to set close and parallel and rtratght. than spider lines. They may be more durable, although our cobwebs were all that could be desired for twenty-one years, until they were de stroyed by an accident. This accident con sisted In one of mv students Inserting an eyepiece that was scarcely ever used. The lens went into the tube too far and tore two of the threads. These could not be replaced without renewing the whole set or reticle, aa it Is called. Whatever fault to s fffi -Si h try. The Ruliels present a particu larly handsome showing of living room furniture in new fumed oak and other novel finishes. They are dl trioulir.g aseuia fur LimUrri's Arts and the clocks In the vault, was rendered perfectly useless for th want of a few cobwebs. there was, ought to be laid upon the In strument maker, who should have pre vented such a possibility. If It waa the student's, he nobly made amends for It by spending a whole week upon the new reti cle, and finally delivering one In every respect as good as the one he had injured. Some makers use ruled glass. But the glass intercepts some light, and may be come soiled by age or dust, when It would be difficult to clean. Whatever its ad vantages may be. It could not be used In our lnatrument on account of Its peculiar construction, as Its maker himself per sonally affirmed. I have never yet found anything superior to common sptderr's web. Vsea of n Itecticle. The spider lines in a telescope serve also other purposes besides merely Indicating the center of a field of view by means of a simple cross. When there are many wires, as there are In everv astronomical transit, the exact fraction of a second that a star crosses them Is carefully noted. Knowing the Interval between the threads we can reduce the observed transits to the middle wire, and thus practically have as many chancea at the middle wire as there are threads in the field. Micrometer. And again, by having the whole reticle, or at least one wire of it. movable, we can place a thread wherever we please, and thus observe and measure the positions of and Crafts furniture. The Huhels mark all their articles in plain iigures so that a prospective buyer may walk through the store and tee just what each plc-e is worth. Tho ltubel Company has a big score In Minneapolis. u,ls establishment does a large business. The trade at the Ona:i.t and Minneapolis house Is sj grei't that the company is en abled to buy in sufficient iiuantities to seoiu-e the very lowest prices from all lactone... 'i no liiiu ia suong In lis t-iuiin on low prices ana l.ivHt 2rt DiSs-cAtca z iven m Sue rmr,: 1(Xt ARTICLti A3ST0VP oomparlsona with figure at other tores. Credit Is extended by the Kurels to customers and the terme of payment may be uik.de by the buyers. The Itu- stara or objects anywhere In the field fif view. In the Crelghton university transit the whole reticle is moved by means of a screw which has a hundred thread of turns to the Inch. The head of the screw Is divKlod Into a hundred parts, and thesa I arts are read by estimation to tenths, so that we may measure down to one-tenth of one-hundredth of one-hundredth, that Is. to one hundred-thousandth of an Inch. There are two such micrometer screws In the eyepiece, one moving the seven vertical threads, and the other the two horizontal onea. Their accuracy Is such that ona could measure Inches on a stake eighty miles away. The finely divided circle on this Instru ment Is read b ytwo micrometer micro scopes, which also use spider llnea These came with the Instrument twenty-flva years ago, and are so well protected that there Is no likelihood of their ever being damoged. Importance of the ftplde-r Lines. All the refinements of this slxteen-hundred-dollar Instrument were lost on ac count of the want of the few cobweb which constituted tta reticle. Stars could not be timed, the micrometers had no em ployment, and the circle could not be used. Nor Is this all. Several connected Instru ments were rendered Idle. The chronograph, unon which star transits are recorded, and tho sidereal and solar clocks as well, were all out of commission cn account of that apparently most Ins-.gnlficant acci dent to a few cobwebs. Even our great equatorial telescope, was only a eclne In strument, and had lost a great part of Its power of measurement, because the error of our tlme-plcces could not be ascer tained. In a word, It was an actual fact, and. as I said, painfully In evidence, that all -the measuring power of our observa tory was ruined on account of the want of a few cobwebs. It was a great object lea son, which the reader may turn to hia profit in hia own way. and thus form a much higher estimate than he has ever done before of the value of "trifles, and especially of the value of a cobweb. WILLIAM F. RIOOE, S. J. Crelghton University Observatory, Omaha. Neb. WHAT WOMEN ARE DODJO. Mary Hoover, aged 1 years, of Valley, Pa., is the champion snake-killer of that section. She has the skins of twenty-five reptiles a dispatched already this season, but none of them so large as the black snake she killed after a battle- feet 1 inches. j Miss Rose Morlarty of Elyrla, Ohio, la deputy city treasurer, deputy city auditor, t deputy clerk of the town council, clerk I of the board of control, clerk to the dl- I rector of public service and clerk to the I director of public safety. Among the newest strange gifts Mrs. Taft has received are several sacred tea plants from the garden of the Buddhist 1 prlesta In Ceylon. The plants were sent j to the secretary of agriculture, who will , have them cared for in the tea until of the Carolines, which are under the supervision of the department. Lady Mlnto distributed the diplomas and . prizes at the recent commencement exer- J clues of the London School of Medicine for Women. Jn her address she said that she had been much Impressed by the graduates of the school In Canada and India, as well aa in Great Britain. As president of the National Society for Providing Medical Aid for Women in India she had come into close touch with women physicians, many of them graduates of the London school, who were treating native women In India and struggling to teach modern aclentlflo methods in the homes and hospitals of India. bel company never takes a salary as signment, for this Is regarded aa un worthy the dignity of a reputable hcuise. Thi utmost leniency la exer cine.l with all customers. Those who have not visited the es tabliaument of the Rubel Furniture Co. on Howard atrvet, can hardly realize, even lrom tne pictures oiu duced here, how very artistic and at tractive this siore really Is. Tho man agement of the Rubol store extends a cordial lnviti.t.ou to everybody to call aud ace tha pretty store and its mtuy fcaTWiaSatJl.J 41 .1 -1 y charming articles. No on I asked t buy. All may come and vlait and the management will be pleaaed to do all It can to allow the fineat plc aud explain points aUiut tbaio. .