shburn
Observatory of the University of Wisconsin. There is, I believe,
no doubt that his munificence in this direction arose from what he
learned about astronomy and telescopes in the present case.

It happened, most fortunately, that the joint committee of conference
included Drake of the Senate and Niblack of the House, both earnestly
in favor of the measure. The committee recommended concurrence,
and the clause authorizing the construction became a law. The price
was limited to $50,000, and a sum of $10,000 was appropriated for
the first payment.

No sooner were the Clarks consulted than difficulties were found
which, for a time, threatened to complicate matters, and perhaps delay
the construction. In the first place, our currency was then still
on a paper basis. Gold was at a premium of some ten or fifteen per
cent., and the Clarks were unwilling to take the contract on any but
a gold basis. This, of course, the Government could not do. But the
difficulty was obviated through the action of a second one, which
equally threatened delay. Mr. L. J. McCormick, of reaping-machine
fame, had conceived the idea of getting the largest telescope that
could be made. He had commenced negotiations with the firm of Alvan
Clark & Sons before we had moved, and entered into a contract while
the appropriation was still pending in Congress. If the making of
one great telescope was a tedious job, requiring many years for its
completion, how could two be made?

I was charged with the duty of negotiating the government contract
with the Clarks. I found that the fact of Mr. McCormick's
contract being on a gold basis made them willing to accept one
from the Government on a currency basis; still they considered that
Mr. McCormick had the right of way in the matter of construction,
and refused to give precedence to our instrument. On mature
consideration, however, the firm reached the conclusion that two
instruments could be made almost simultaneously, and Mr. McCormick
very generously waived any right he might have had to precedence in
the matter.

The question how large an instrument they would undertake was, of
course, one of the first to arise. Progress in the size of telescopes
had to be made step by step, because it could never be foreseen how
soon the limit might be met; and if an attempt were made to exceed it,
the result would be not only failure for the instrument, but loss
of labor and money by the constructors.