Observatory History: 1928-1950
From the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Commemorative Volume,
Jesuit Seismological Association
James Bernard Macelwane, S.J., Editor, 1950
Weston Seismological Observatory, Weston, Massachusetts
By Daniel Linehan, S.J.
Late in the year 1928, Georgetown University through the kindness of its Rector, Reverend Coleman Nevils, S.J., and the Director of the Observatory, Reverend Francis A. Tondorf, S.J.他向韦斯顿学院捐赠了一对博世-奥森钟摆(重25公斤). Reverend E.P. Tivnan, S.J. 当时的韦斯顿学院院长对在韦斯顿建立一个地震站很感兴趣，正是在他的努力下，乔治城大学捐赠了这个设备. Reverend Henry M. Brock, S.J. was appointed Director of the Station.
Some months passed before the equipment was put into operation. Several locations were tested, 但车站最终设在了“大厦”的地下室，那里的基岩只比地面低几英尺. In July, 1930, the first records were put on the drums, but even then, due to lack of experience, 值得怀疑的是，设备是否进行了适当的调整，除了10级地震之外，不会有任何记录. In December of that year Reverend Frederick W. Sohon, S.J. 乔治敦大学的电子游戏正规平台员参观了空间站并调整了仪器. The first earthquake was recorded in January 1931.
在这个初期阶段，许多人负责建立空间站的工作. 除了提夫南神父和布罗克神父的兴趣之外，神学院的学生们. T.H. Quigley, J.A. Blatchford, T.D. Barry and B.F. Doucette, of the Society of Jesus, 是谁负责建造空间站和安装设备的大量工作和测试. Reverend T.H. Quigley, S.J.他是第一个观察员，一直担任这个职位，直到牧师J.B. Doherty, S.J. Father Doherty was succeeded by Reverend D. Linehan, S.J., in the summer of 1934.
In August, 1934, Reverend F.J. Dolan, S.J., Rector of Holy Cross, Worcester, 捐赠了1909年停在该学院的Wiechert(80公斤). The Wiechert was installed in the same vault with the Bosch-Omori. Reverend G.A. 奥唐纳于1935年被任命为电台主任，并一直留任到1940年. In the summer of 1935 friends of Reverend M.J. Ahern, S.J., 在他担任牧师25周年之际，他筹集了一笔资金，为韦斯顿购买更好的地震设备. 决定购买贝尼奥夫(100公斤)钟摆，配有长周期和短周期记录组件. 这年10月，这笔钱交给了埃亨神父，并订购了仪器. 在Bosch-Omori和Wiechert附近进行了安置新装置的准备工作. The vertical component of the Benioff was installed in July 1936, and the first records were run on the 6th of this month. 水平组件后来到达，并于1936年11月11日投入使用. 韦斯顿在为设备筹集资金和安排安装贝尼奥夫设备方面最大的恩人是贝尼奥夫先生. James R. Burke of Boston.
In 1939 the Humble Oil and Refining Company, Houston, Texas, 向天文台捐赠了一个12道地震反射装置，用于韦斯顿的电子游戏正规平台. 后来，其他设备在韦斯顿由摊位的成员建造，主要用于折射工作. 1949年，位于俄克拉何马州塔尔萨的世纪地球物理公司捐赠了一个24痕量便携式装置. 有了这些现场设备，天文台一次有几个工作人员在现场工作. 天文台的工作人员已经测量了数百英里的领土，大部分使用的是折射技术. Besides conducting this work in New England, we have also operated in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oklahoma and California. 一些工作人员曾花时间与伊利诺伊州从事反射工作的地震工作人员一起工作, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico.
虽然韦斯顿天文台不是第一个在新英格兰进行浅层折射测量的小组，但人们相信我们在这一地区进行了更多的测量，并向工程师证明了这种方法可以经济地用于解决他们的许多问题. Applications have been made to the design and location of State highways; for the location of dam sites and the types of subsurface conditions to expect; for foundations of buildings, bridges and other edifices; for the location of tunnels under waterways; for the location of ground water supplies in glaciated regions and other similar problems.
In 1940 Reverend M.J. Ahern, S.J.曾获委任为天文台台长，至今任职. 虽然天文台从一开始就和电子游戏软件有联系, 这种联系是非正式的，电子游戏软件对电台及其人员没有管辖权. 1947年，它正式成为电子游戏软件的一个系，为电子游戏正规平台生院的学生提供地球物理学和地质学课程. 一九四九年，天文台的科研及办公设备迁入新楼，以配合工作人员的需要. This building has 7,建筑面积为1000平方英尺，包含15个房间，其中包括一个地质博物馆, offices, library, instrument rooms, electronic laboratory, garage for field units, dark rooms, etc. The building was designed in 1946 and begun during that year. 由于增加了部门和材料，我们已经感到拥挤了. 在建造这座建筑的过程中，我们最感兴趣和最大的恩人是阁下, Archbishop Richard J. Cushing of Boston.
除了定期的月刊和双月刊外，天文台职员还出版了100多篇独立的文章. Members have been engaged in several Governmental projects such as the construction of earthquake proof buildings in the West Indian Region; effect of explosions on private dwellings; the location of submarine explosions by seismic methods; the study of subsurface conditions in limestone regions; and many studies on water supply sources in various States. At the start of the last World War, 我们被要求发送关于微地震条件的每日报告，并收到了一个部门负责人的感谢信，感谢我们提出并启动了这项电子游戏正规平台. At the close of the War the Navy Department took over this study.