![]() Therein he mounted a transit, made by Troughton in England in 1815, and loaned to Wilkes by the Coast Survey. Becoming incensed at the procrastination of Congress in providing suitable accommodations, Lieutenant Wilkes built his own observatory, 16 feet square, about 1,000 feet north of the Capitol, on Capitol Hill, with his private funds. In 1833 Lieutenant Wilkes, a scientist of note, relieved Lieutenant Goldsborough. His duties were defined as: the determination of the errors of chronometers, the translation of all books, charts, pamphlets, and other nautical information into English, and the reduction of all charts to the meridian of Greenwich. In 1830 the Secretary of the Navy upon recommendation of Lieutenant Goldsborough established the Depot of Charts and Instruments and placed that officer in charge. As late as 1835 the Secretary of the Navy invited attention to the vital importance to the government of establishing a naval observatory, its effect on the defense of the country, its great influence on the Navy and on our commercial and economic life as well as our scientific advancement. Lambert determined the longitude of Washington and submitted his calculations to Congress with his memorial. Too frequently they were found to have deteriorated, necessitating further purchase-and the cycle repeated itself.įrom 1809, when an amateur astronomer, William Lambert, presented his memorial to Congress recommending the establishment of a first meridian at the permanent seat of government, until 1830, all efforts to establish a national observatory had failed. ![]() When ships were decommissioned, their charts, navigational instruments, etc., were piled in a storehouse at the navy yard where they lay neglected until reissue. ![]() Upon receipt, instruments were frequently found entirely unsuited, or useless charts and publications were in foreign languages longitudes were not reckoned from a zero meridian and all required great effort and translation before availability for use in our naval service. Naturally, the results were far from satisfactory. ![]() Prior to 1830, the navigational requirements of ships were supplied by the purchase abroad through commercial agents, most of whom knew little or nothing about the requirements. Few realize the effort that must be put forth continuously in order to insure the “tick” on time and the publication of books six months ahead of the date when they will be necessary for navigation. The Navy as a whole knows little about the Naval Observatory except that it sends out the “tick” and publishes the Nautical Almanac. Our present-day methods and the lightning rapidity with which the navigator of today can obtain the exact error of his chronometers are a long step from the day when the superintendent of the Naval Observatory pushed a button that connected the Observatory with the fire alarm system of the capital. HOW WOULD THE NAVAL SERVICE like to “walk back the cat” to the gay nineties with infrequent checking of chronometers when the ship happened to be in port and in touch with a Western Union Telegraph office or, if in an isolated place, to send the assistant navigator ashore with an artificial horizon to make observations for chronometer corrections?
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