Referee’s Report, Hans-Joachim Linthe, History of the Potsdam, Seddin and Niemegk Geomagnetic Observatories – Second Part: Seddin

I have only read this submission, part 2 of 3, relating to the history of geomagnetic observatories near Berlin over 130 years, from 1890 to now. This part focuses on the period of Seddin Observatory, 1907-1932. I have been familiar with the outlines of the history of this observatory, and I am happy to find the opportunity to learn much more about it in this article. The period is significant in the history of geomagnetism, with a rise in national interest in many countries in geomagnetism, and in growth in international interactions, Potsdam (etc.) was long a crucial node in the network of geomagnetic research. The main characters in this story – Max Eschenhagen, Adolf Schmidt, etc. – should be better known in the history of geophysics generally and this article provides some background. I especially appreciate the short appendix on the instrument makers involved.

I have only a few small corrections to recommend:

p. 2 line 3: “required” should be “acquired” perhaps.

p. 2 line 23: “temoral” should be “temporary”

Corrections to standard English usage are possible in a number of places, but the meaning was always clear to me. Light copy editing would help.

I look forward to reading part 1, already available in preprint, and part 3 soon. I look forward to the illustrations. Lastly I recommend that there be a short discussion of sources (mainly published but perhaps there are archives?). I hope these articles contribute to a continuing interest in the history of geophysics generally.

The manuscript 'History of the Potsdam, Seddin and Niemegk Geomagnetic  Observatories – Second Part: Seddin' by Hans-Joachim Linthe  is the second in a series of 3 describing the histoy of the Potsdam, Seddin and Niemegk geomagnetic observatories. 

It is a very well written and also an important account of the history of geomagnetism because it describes a rather unknown geomagnetic observatory (Seddin), which forms part of the well-known and important geomagnetic time series of Potsdam, Seddin and Niemegk.

I only suggest minor changes to the manuscript.

Suggestions:

Page 2, line 3: 'required successfully'. change to: succesfully acquired

Page 2, line 30: It would be nice to add a figure with a sketch or photograph of the absolute hut.

Page 3, line 6: It is mentioned that the absolute hut was moved to Niemegk. If no photograph at the orirignal location exists (see comment above), one could add a photograph of the present hut in Niemegk as reference.

Page 5, line 6: What is the meaning of 'made up leeway'? Possible change to: The hourly values of this time interval were

only published later in 1959 (Fanselau, 1959).

Page 5, line 30:  'was unauthorised high that the', change to: was forbiddingly high and the

General comments

The manuscript is the second part of the series of the work on history German geomagnetic observatories. This part is about Seddin observatory. The title is adequate, the short introduction is adequate, it shows briefly circumstances of the establishment Seddin observatory. The whole article is interesting, well structured and clearly written.

Specific comments

Page 5, line 30                   it seems that word “unauthorized” doesn’t fit the context, can be omitted or replaced with other word