StNicholas [serial] . strongly to maintain the directionof that axis. On board ship it is frequently necessary tomake observations of the heavenly bodies in orderthat the captain may know precisely where hisvessel is. If you have ever looked at a starthrough a telescope or spy-glass held in the hands,you will probably realize that the rolling andpitching of the deck of a ship would seriously in-terfere with the observations. Well, about themiddle of the nineteenth century, Professor Pi-azzi Smyth sought to correct this. To do this, heconstructed a platform for the telescope, or otherinstrument
StNicholas [serial] . strongly to maintain the directionof that axis. On board ship it is frequently necessary tomake observations of the heavenly bodies in orderthat the captain may know precisely where hisvessel is. If you have ever looked at a starthrough a telescope or spy-glass held in the hands,you will probably realize that the rolling andpitching of the deck of a ship would seriously in-terfere with the observations. Well, about themiddle of the nineteenth century, Professor Pi-azzi Smyth sought to correct this. To do this, heconstructed a platform for the telescope, or otherinstrument, and so connected this with one ormore gyroscope wheels that it was held to aneven and quiet position. He worked at this prob-lem with a great deal of interest and persever-ance, and at last produced a successful mechan-has recently come into favor again. 1908.] THE GYROSCOPE 421 ism. This was tested by Professor Smyth onboard the yacht Titania, when on a voyage toTeneriffe, and was reported as entirely CROSSING A RIVER ON A SINGLE RAIL. AN ARTIST S IDEA OF A GYROSCOPIC TRAIN A practical application of this tendency of ro-tating bodies to preserve the direction of theiraxes has been made in Germany to the compassesused on shipboard. The needle of the ordinarymariners compass is very sensitive. This hasbeen necessary hitherto in order that it should maintain its direction toward the north duringthe motion of the ship as it moves about in differ-ent directions. It has been found, however, thatthe rolling and vibrationof a ship interfered withthe needle. If the waveswere rolling high, theneedle was apt to becomeunreliable because of itsgreat sensitiveness toshocks. However, if whenthe needle was known tobe in an undisturbed con-dition, it is connectedproperly with a gyroscopicwheel kept continually inmotion, this wheel wouldhold the needle to its trueposition. The usual shockson shipboard would havepractically no effect. Ex-periments have been madeabroad in this co
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Keywords: ., bookauthordodgemar, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1873
