Wednesday February 28, 1894

Inspector Summer called about the above letter, which he did not consider serious. M^r Crosley of the Kentish Mercury called & I gave him information about new instruments & buildings for an article on the Obsy.M^r Turner resigned his post as Chief Assistant handing over his keys to M^r Dyson, his successor.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

M^r Turner resigned his Office of Chief Assistant

H.H. Turner, Chief Assistant

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RH says..... Despite having been Oxford's Savilian Professor of Astronomy since the new year, Turner only now formally resigned his post. Likewise, Dyson had been learning the job at Greenwich for time, but only gets his keys to Greenwich Park and the Observatory now. Meanwhile, the police decide they are not concerned about the bomb threat communicated in the letter received on 27 February, and Christie has an opportunity to show off his innovations to the press. It seems that the newspapers were important to the Observatory at this time, when a lot of public money was being spent on new kinds of research at the ROG rather than just the utilitarian work it had traditionally undertaken.

Tuesday February 27, 1894

A policeman delivered a memo. respecting warning letter as to another explosion. Sent this on to Adm^y at once by messenger.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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M^r F.W. Dyson appointed Chief Assistant from March 1. He came back to the Observatory this day.

H.H. Turner, Chief Assistant

Monday February 26, 1894

M^r Bond & M^r J. Cook of the Blackman Ventilating Co. called about warming of new Physical Obs^y (by hot air).

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... The Blackman Ventilating Company was set up in 1883, in north London, making fans to remove steam from laundries and paper mills and to dry timber, bricks and leather. It was later known as Keith Blackman and still exists, manufacturing ventilation fans for a wide range of uses. The New Physical Observatory made use of various innovative techniques and products. This image, for example, is a postcard that advertises Robinson's Fireproof Cement, used to plaster the building's interior.

J.R. Hind

RH says..... Having mentioned John Russell Hind in the previous post, I came across this photograph of him in my office, looking a little dour. He was an Assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, from 1840 to 1844 and, after a period working at the private observatory of George Bishop, he became Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac Office from 1853 to 1891.

Saturday February 24, 1894

The crown lens of the 28ⁱⁿ telescope was reversed to the photographic position the separation of the lenses having being reduced to 3.71 in.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... Christie was still trialing the reversable photographic-visual lens of the new 28-inch telescope. Meanwhile, the RGO archives record some of the more regular observations being undertaken with other equatorial telescopes at the Observatory. On this day, observations were made of "Pseudo/Euterpe", probably with the Sheepshanks telescope, and some trial observations of Ursa Major are also recorded. The first was presumably the asteroid or minor planet 27 Euterpe, discovered in 1853 by the British astronomer John Russell Hind, who had been an assistant at the ROG from 1840-44.

Thursday February 22, 1894

Reversed crown lens of 28ⁱⁿ telescope (to visual position) and [illegible] took off counter cell to cut away parts of it so as to allow it to be pushed in ½ⁱⁿ which would allow the distance between the lenses in photo posⁿ to be reduced to about 3½ⁱⁿ as compared with visual posⁿ

Col. [illegible] & Cap^t Thompson called & took notes with respect to the late bomb explosion.

Rev Sutton Patterson called to enquire as to the prospects of his son getting an appointment as Assistant at the Obs^y

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... The Observatory's archives do mention an application for employment as an Assistant by a S. Patterson in 1894 but, along with many others, he didn't get the job. Despite relatively modest pay it is evident that the prestige of a post at Greenwich held weight.

Wednesday February 21, 1894

M^r Donough came to fix dew cap & adapters &c at eye end of the 28ⁱⁿ telescope.
Meeting of International Catalogue Com^ee at R.S. saw M^r Awdry & Cap^t Wharton at Adm^y.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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To Oxford at night. Inaugural Lecture on Friday Feb 23 on the Photographic Chart. To Greenwich Sat night.

H.H. Turner, Chief Assistant

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RH says.....  As Turner looked to pastures new in Oxford, life at Greenwich continued for Christie, although experimentation with the new 28-inch telescope had to be interspersed with negotations with the ROG's paymasters at the Admiralty and representation on a Royal Society committee. The Carte du Ciel, or photographic chart of the skies, continued to be a particular interest of Turner's. His fascinating 1912 book, The Great Star Map, being a brief general account of the international project known as the astrographic chart, can be found online.

Monday February 19, 1894

Arranged with Simmons for defective parts of the Observatory fence to be made good. Wrote to Admiralty called attention to my letter of Jan. 5 asking for protection to the Obs^y during the times when no Park keepers are available for patrol, especially from 4.15 to 5.30 p.m.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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Visited St James' Theatre with the Astronomer Royal, by invitation.

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H.H. Turner, Chief Assistant

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RH says.....

Christie was clearly concerned about the Observatory's security since the explosion on 15 February. If it was true that the park keepers were regularly unavailable at this time in the afternoon, it may suggest that Martial Bourdin had made his plans better than is usually believed.

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The visit to St James's Theatre in Piccadilly was to see the depiction of a large equatorial telescope, based on the ROG's astrographic, in the set of a new play. See the entry for 29 January for more information.