A spring about 350 feet below and one mile to the northeast of the Observatory supplies excellent water. On a closely connected peak half a mile to the east of the Observatory, and 50 feet higher, are the reservoirs from which water for household and photographic purposes is distributed. The height of the marble floor of the main building above mean sea level is 4209 feet. Here are some excerpts from an 1894 book describing the telescope: James Lick is entombed below the floor of the observing room of the telescope. The original hydraulic arrangement still operates today, with the exception that the original wind-powered pumps that once filled the reservoirs have been replaced with electric pumps. The instrument is housed inside a dome that is powered by hydraulic systems that raise and lower the floor, rotate the dome and drive the clock mechanism to track the Earth's rotation. The telescope is located at the University of California's Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton at an elevation of 4,209 feet (1,283 m) above sea level. Also called the "Great Lick Refractor" or simply "Lick Refractor", it was the largest refracting telescope in the world until 1897 and now ranks third, after the 40-inch refractor at the Yerkes Observatory and the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The instrument remains in operation and public viewing is allowed on a limited basis. It has a lens 36 inches (91 cm) in diameter-a major achievement in its day. The James Lick Telescope is a refracting telescope built in 1888. The James Lick Telescope, shown here in an 1889 drawing
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