Outposts of Asia

by Morilla Maria Norton

We left Singapore on the 4th April on the steamer “Van Outhoorn” of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij, and four days later we anchored in Oleh-leh, at the extreme north of Sumatra island. During the rest of the voyage the steamer remained within sight of land. Our destination, Emmahaven, was reached at one o’clock in the afternoon of April 15th. There we took the train for Padang, only twenty minutes’ journey. In Padang I was able to select an abandoned shooting ground for archery on the seashore near Damar Street, as a site for the observing station. It was found afterwards that this site was too near the sea; when the sea was rough it was impossible to make sextant observations with artificial horizon on account of the periodical trembling of the ground. But fortunately on the day of the eclipse the sea was extremely calm, so that we could get sharp photographs. Dr. Lau, a German engineer, who had been resident for a long time in Padang, was most helpful to us during the whole period of our stay. He provided for us both labor and materials. On account of the excessive rain it was not possible to commence the setting of our instruments until April 27th. The principal instruments employed are as follows:—8-inch prismatic camera, in charge of the writer; 5-inch coronagraph, in charge of Mr. K. Hirayama; Vogel’s direct vision star-spectroscope in connection with a 4-inch telescope, in charge of Mr. Sotome.

Now for a few words about the weather conditions at this station during my stay. Observations at Padang for several days after our arrival showed that as a rule the mornings were quite clear, but about noon the sky began to be overcast, and in the evenings it rained. Since the totality was to occur about one o’clock in the afternoon, we were all anxious about the visibility of the eclipse. But later observations showed that the weather was greatly improving. Still there was not a single day in which the sky was entirely free of clouds, such as I had enjoyed during my stay in India to observe the total eclipse of 1898. The nights were specially bad, with either clouds or rain. Till the time of the eclipse we had only a few clear nights, during which we tried to photograph the spectrum of a bright star for focussing.

The morning of the day before the eclipse was cloudy; it began to rain in torrents in the afternoon and by night it had not improved at all, promising nothing but rain for the next day. The morning of the 18th of May dawned cloudy, but afterwards it began to improve. The clouds broke in several places, and the clear sky gradually increased in extent. Noon was the hour of totality. During totality, although the sun was still covered with thin cirrus clouds, it was yet possible to observe the corona through them. The entire programme was carried through successfully, but with little hope of getting results of value. All the astronomers stationed at or near Padang on the west coast of Sumatra met the same fate. Fort de Kock was the only place where the sky was perfectly clear, although it was pretty near the northern margin of shadow, and the chance of clear weather was the poorest. Our site was excellent for the observation of the moon’s shadow. Two or three minutes before totality we saw the darkness approaching through the air, on the sea to the N. W., and the shadow swept with great rapidity towards us; at this moment totality commenced. We also noticed that the light was approaching, from the same direction, just before totality ended. In making the exposures I was assisted by Mr. Shakushu, a Japanese priest at Singapore, who rendered most efficient service in this way. After the eclipse the development of the plates was taken up. Since the weather in camp was very hot in the daytime all the plates were developed at night, ice being used abundantly. The resulting negatives were nearly all satisfactory, which was contrary of the first expectation. Yet the effect of the clouds is clearly seen in the long exposed plates of the 5-inch telescope.

GOVERNMENT STEEL FOUNDRY

General Nakamura, the head of the Government Steel Foundry, when interviewed in Tokyo, desired to express regret at the impression given to the public that he advocates a high tariff on steel imported from other countries, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the institution which he represents, to the detriment of foreign producers and to the exclusion of necessary importations from other countries. In reply to questions he stated:—

“I do not advocate the increase of the tariff, nor has the question yet been considered by the Government. What I said was that, among the causes of the hard position in which the foundry is placed is its inability to compete with supplies from abroad. So far losses have been sustained by the foundry, but without an endeavor to place the value of the turn-out on a par with foreign imports, how long can this be done? We are endeavoring to regulate this, and possibly a more radical, or somewhat readjusted, protective policy may be beneficial.

“There are, of course, other causes for the still undeveloped manufacture of steel in Japan. The present output is insufficient for the needs of the market. Only one-third of the supply needed is made by the Government Steel Works, and even this one-third does not include what is needed for the other branches of consumption, such as machinery, hardware, etc. On the other hand, the demand for steel has considerably increased from what it was before the war, and has so very much outstripped the supply as to be a cause of anxiety to me as director of the works. The fluctuations in the price of steel, which have been considerable, have also had a serious effect upon the market. In the perfecting of the quality of the material itself, for the first time this year it underwent the inspection of Lloyds, and it was pronounced that the output was qualified as material for shipbuilding, provided it passed examination. The Government Foundry has therefore been registered at Lloyds.

“There is, as stated, great opportunity for the development of skilled labor among the operatives, and considering that iron work is so difficult, the progress made is most gratifying. Most of our instruction in steel manufacture has come from Germans, and most of our officials are graduates of the Tokyo University who have studied abroad. In the housing and care of the operatives some care is taken. Rent is free, but the accommodation is not adequate to shelter the 9,000 employes. Secondly, there is a convenient supply of food at low rates, a commissary, and in case of injury a relief fund, which provides medicine and temporary wants, and, in the case of death, looks after the widows and orphans. A society for this purpose has been formed, and its interests are one of my chief concerns. The operatives are recruited from Fukuoka prefecture and from other parts of Japan, and while not feeling that the Japanese are particularly adapted to this work, given the time and experience I am pleased with the results. The average age of the operatives is thirty, and so we have the advantage of youth and strength in our favor. The Chinese mine at Taiyeh supplies one-half of the ore used by us, and the rest of the ore is brought from different parts of Japan. Owing to the condition of transportation the price of iron is appreciably dearer than in America. Beside the material supplied to our army and navy, the remainder is sold on the open market and consumed in the usual manner in the manufacture of utensils and implements of commerce. The machinery used in our workshops is from Europe and America, wherever we find the best and most up-to-date plant.