a Western Union Telegram, telephoned
to: Serty
by: DE (?)
time: 9:45 a.m.
Dispos'n: Mail
 

Received at
44 SF P 33 NL Cont DOT

Berkeley, Calif. Jan 7-17

Lick Observatory,

Mount Hamilton, Calif.

Please photograph during eclipse faint unusual object Metcalf uncertain extra-tolated position January 7.8 during Greenwich Time ascension 96 degrees 54 minutes declination 22 degrees 53 minutes.

A O Leuschner.

  810P
 

                                                                                                                                                 January 9, 1917.

Dear Dr. Campbell:

  Thank you very much for Miss. Haskett's note in regard to the Metcalf object. The mistake was made at the Western Union office where the message was sent as a night-letter.
I telephoned it personally to the office and asked that it be sent as a regular telegram. All I can do now is to save the University the charge by having the item cancelled from our monthly bill.
 The object referred to was discovered as an asteroid by Mr. Metcalf on December 16. It was again observed on December 23, December 26, December 28 and December 30. These five observations should give a very good orbit but no matter what combinations we have tried we have not as yet succeeded in getting a reasonable result.
Considering the unfortunate experience that Dr. Alter and Wallace have had with the comet announcement in November by Metcalf, an experience which was due to erroneous observations, we have naturally been very cautious about accepting the unusual results which would follow in the case of Mr. Metcalf's new asteroid. On December 20 the motion was nearly twenty-minutes a day in declination. There are either errors in the observations or we are dealing with a very unusual case of exceptionally close proximity to the earth. As I feared the object might get lost if not observed during the eclipse I wired to Metcalf and to you for additional observations. We will let you know as soon as possible what we have gotten out of the material now on hand.

       Very sincerely yours,
                A. O. Leusehner(?)

Director W.W. Campbell
Lick Observatory