Journals of the
Lewis & Clark Expedition

Search
Advanced Search
Previous
December 18, 1803
9.84% Complete
Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806
Next

December 18, 1803

[Clark]

 

Sunday 18th    Clear morning    Took the me[ridian?] altitude of the Suns Lowr Limb with the Sextent    found it to be 56° 15' 22", The Chronomter too Slow about 24' 20"—    I also took the median altitude of the Suns Lowr limb with the quadt and found 52° 57m 0    the errour of the instrument is 1° 20' 00" + ad +


  Lat = 38° 21' 36 1/10"
Qudt = 38 31 57 1/10
Sexton [1]
2 56 15 22    
  28   7 41    
      4 38   – refraction—
  28   7   3 [2]    
    16 18 9 Sun Diamtr +
  28 23 21 9  
        8    
  28 23 29 9 Suns Center
      8 49 0 Err of [enstr?=instrument?]
  28 14 40 9 True altitude
  90        
  61 45 19 1 N, reasonabl Distanc
  23 28 43   S, Suns Declination
  38 21 36 1/10  
  52° 57'   0"    
  26 28 30    
      38 –  
  26 27 52    
    16 18 9  
  1 20 8    
  28   4 18 9  
  90        
  61 55 41 1  
  23 23 [44?]    
  48 31 57 1/10  
decntl.
  52 57                  
    38 –                
  52 19                  
    16 18 9              
  52 35 19 9              
    6 20   8                
  58 55 27 9              
  90                    
2 37   4 32 1              
                     
  52 57   0 [3]                
  26 28 30                
    16 18 +              
  26 44 48                
      38 –              
    1 20 10                
  28   4 18                
                     
    12 37                
    12 19                
      18                
        6                
      24                

I took the altitude of the ☉ L L with the Sext: the 18 Decr. and Calculated the Lattidude of River Dubois i. e.—

  38° 21' 36" 1/10  
also 19th and made it   38 23   8   [Decl?] day
also 3d January 1804 do   38 21 35    
also 4    do    do    do   38 21   6 2/10  
  76 44 14 2/10  
  76 43 11 1/10  
Diffn     2   1   3 1/10  
  38 22 31 5/10 +
  38 21 35 7/10  
  38 22   7 2/10 True Lattidud [4]
1. The following undated material is found with the December 18 entry and apparently represents calculations of latitude and longitude. Some of the arithmetic may be incorrect; smears and overwriting make parts difficult to transcribe. (back)
2. There may be a number before "28" (perhaps 6), but it does not figure in the calculations. (back)
3. These last two sets of figures are difficult to decipher because of overwriting. The arithmetic does not come out correctly as given here. (back)
4. The material from "I took" to "True Lattidud" is upside down on the obverse of document 1 of the Dubois Journal, and is placed here by the first given date. (back)
Previous
Next

Created by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
in partnership with the University of Nebraska Press
and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.