AN IMPROVED SUN-DIAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 128, 26 November 1907, Page 8

AN IMPROVED SUN-DIAL

!Mt. \V. E. Cook, Government Astronomer, West Australia, writes to the Western Mail : — At the conversazione of j the Royal tSockty, London, one of the ! most interesting exhibits was a sun-dial, constructed upon a new principle. 'Ihe old-fashioned sun-dial was ;i very useful instrument in its way, but it suffered j fiom tlue-3. drawbacks, viz. : — (1) The j spaces on the dial were ol unequal size, and each mark had to be separately computed. (2) The reading was inaccurate owing to th-2> blurring 01 tho edge of the shadow. \3) When the dial timo was obtained it had to be corrected tor equation of time and for longitude. j In the new form, called by its designer a "helio-chronometer,'' all these dtiiiculties disappear. The giaduations on the dial ar© equidistant, the i-sading- can be made with great accuracy, and the time read off directly from the/ dial is true standard time, and requires no correction of any sort. One of these- "heliochronometeri"' has been constructed and mounted at the Perth Observaloiy, and may now be inspected. In working out ihe design, however, several improvements suggested themselves. The original is very eleghnt, no doubt, but requires considerable skill in ord-er to make it work satisfactorily. My idea, is rather to adapt the principle of a design which can easily bo eonstiucted in wood and paper by the ordinaiy bush carpenter ; and I have succeeded in making one which works very satisfactorily, gi.v>?s the time within a- minute, and can be made by any intelligent .lad. As probably many will want to construct one for themselves, I am having instructions and diagram prepared, which may be obtained in a lew days, upon application. I should, however, advise all would-be makeis to see the Observatory instrument, as it is generally easier to copy a model than to work en timely from written instructions.

. Passengers from Wellington to southera towns on Satunlay were disappointed ;>t the bteamer misting the fiifet express at Christchurch by the narrow margin of eight minutes. The delay, it appeals, was in no way due to tlie steamer, but to the low water making it ihflteult for her to get ( alongside the wharf at LyHelton. Passengers state that eren when tho vessel got alongside her keel was stirring up the mud. > Southern contemporaries report that requests by. telephono to (Jhribtchuich to delay the train for a, few minutes weie not complied with, so that passenger*, for stations south of DuiiccUu weie compelled lo interrupt their journey until .Monday. T3ie block of freehold land adjoining Nathan's buildings, where Che Imperial Chambers were recently partly d:&troyed by (ire, was put, np for sale by Messrs. Harcotut and Co. this afternoon, but the properly was passed in. The election of members of hospitul and fiuriLible aid hoards by the contributory local uuthuntisa wjll tako p(.'<:« in W&Uiu^tou awU otiiir ceulwa to-tooV' row! °"