406
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12TH MAY, 1894.
22. During the year 1893 the Time Ball has been dropped daily except on Government holidays. On the 22nd On some other days it was not possible to drop it owing to the following causes. January an assistant was ill. On July 20th and 23rd thunderstorms were raging. On September 10th the line was broken by a falling tree and on the 11th it was under repair. On September 28th, 29th, October 2nd and 8th heavy gales were blowing. On November 27th the ball failed to drop owing to thickened oil around the top of the shaft. The Ball was dropped 343 times and failed once during the year. The following table shows the daily error.
Table VI.
Errors of Time-Ball in 1893.
-meaus too late.
+means too early.
Date.
Jan.
Feb.
Mar. Apr.
May. June.
July. Aug. Sept.
Oct. Nov. Dec.
1,
2,
3,
0.1
4,
5,
6,
333
0.1
0.1
0.1
333333
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.8 +0.5
0.1
0.1
+1.1
+0.6
0.1
0.1
+0.2
+0.7
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.7
0.1
0.1
0.J
0.1
+0.8
33333
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
A
33
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1.
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
+0.3
-0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
7,
+0.2
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
་་་
+0.2
8,
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
+0.2
-0.2
0.1
9,
0.1
0.1
+0.2
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
10,
0.1
0.1
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
11,
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.2
12,
-0.2
0.1
-0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.3
0.1
-0.3
0.1
13,
-0.2
-0.2
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.4
0.1
-0.4
0.1
14,
-0.3
0.2
0.1
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.5
-0.2
0.1
0.1,"
15,
-0.5
-0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.7
-0.4
0.1
0.1
16,
-0.5
-0.4
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.5
0.1
0.1
-0.5
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
18,.
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
19,
-0.2
.0.6
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.3
0.1
0.1
20,
0.1
-0.7
+0.2
-0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.4
0.1
0.1
21,
0.1
-0.8
0.1
-0.3
0.1
0.1
-0.2
0.1
-0.4
0.1
0.1
22,
-0.9
0.1
-0.3
0.1
-0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
23,
+0.3
-0.7
0.1
0.1
+0.2
-0.2
0.1
0.1
-0.3
0.1
24,
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.4
0.1
25,
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1.
0.1
0.1
+0.2
26,
+0.2
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
27,
+0.2
0.1
0.1
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1.
0.1
28,
0.1
0.1
+0.2
+0.5* 0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
:
0.1
0.1
0.1
29,
0.1
+0.2
+0.6
0.1
0.1
0.1
.0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
30,
0.1
+0.2
+0.6
+0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
+0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
31,
0.1
0.1
+0.4
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.3
23. Some of the principal duties of the staff are at present distributed as follows, the number of hours during which each official attended during the year being added in parenthesis:-
Mr. J. I. PLUMMER, Chief Assistant, (1897 hours) makes astronomical and magnetic observations, regulates clocks and enters observations in the degree squares.
Mr. F. G. FIGG, First Assistant, (1889 hours) attends to storm-warnings and weather- forecasts and investigates typhoons.
Miss A. DOBERCK, Assistant Meteorologist, (1757 hours) copies log-books and makes weather maps.
Mr. Ho To SHANG, Second Assistant, (1981 hours) hoists and sets the Time Ball and attends to the continuous records and construction of the monthly and annual Weather Reports, in which he is assisted by two native clerks, one (1871 hours), of whom besides The revision of the attends to electric, and the other (2007 hours), to photographic work. above work is undertaken by the foreign staff.
24. Observations of magnetic declination and horizontal force were made with the unifilar magnetometer Elliott Brothers, No. 55, and the dips were observed with dip-circle, Dover No. 71. The observations have been made on two days bi-monthly instead of on one day monthly as in former years.
The methods adopted in making the observations and in determining and applying the corrections are explained in Appendix G. of Observations and Researches made in 1885; "On the verification of the unifilar magnetometer Elliott Brothers No. 55." The value of log 2 K was 3.44910 at 25°. The value of I was + 8.50. The mean value of the magnetic moment of the vibrating needle was 0.45617 in English units and 595.57 in C.G.S. units.