Thomas County cat., 1889-11-14
rHE MAGNETIC POLE
Civoly Experiences ef Navieaters In High
Latitudes.

e
Givoly Experiences of Navieators In High
Latitudes.
''Very few people understand, or
even realize. the care with which nav
igators are forced to watch COM
passes" said an ex-naval officer the
other day, ''both for variation and de-
Walton, for the least undetected error
adds an infinite danger to the many
dangers of seafaring.
Comparatively few. outside of sea-
faring men. understand much about
compass variation, except in vague.
general way, and the number that
comprehend the troubles of deviation
of the needle are very few indeed.
Il had funny experience once" he
continued, with variation. Invent to
the Arctic in 1873. in the Tigress, with
Commander (now Commodore) James
A. Greer in search of the Polaris and
her survivors. Our compasses were
adjusted at New York, and as that city
is only few degrees east of the same
longitude as the Magnetic Pole. we be-
gan our cruise with the needle show
ing nearly true north
I'm our wide sweep to the eastward
to get around Newfoundland. we had
considerable variation. but as the de-
grees of longitude grew more narrow
the farther we proceeded north. and
we still kept making easterly until We
reached Disco. the needle. would have
given no information whatever to a
landsman.
1.-The magnetic pole and the geo.
graphical pole are nearly 20 degrees
apart; the former being about "a deg.
north latitude. and S5 deg. west longi-
tude from Greenwich. Consequently.
by the time our ship reached Davis
Straits the needle pointed well west
ward, and swung further around as
We sailed on, until the night after
leaving Tesuiak-the most northerly
settlement-and crossing Melville Bay
we reached and crossed the latitude Of
the magnetic pole.
when we crossed the line the COM
passes behaved very strangely. AS We
neared the line the compass cards be-
gan swinging slowly. the length of
swing increasing each moment, until
at the very moment of crossing each
card swung completely around the
whole circle, and repeated the opera
tion for ten or fifteen minutes. The
little tell-tale card, hung on needle.
swung so rapidly that its movement
could be heard when standing on the
deck below it.
when the card in the pinnacle be-
gan swinging, Norwegian sailor had
his trick at the wheel and followed the
card. OF course. the vessel waved.
and when the card swung back he
steered the new course. and yawed
again. The officer of the deck yelled
at the quartermaster and the latter
yelled at the poor Scandinavian, who
kept on faithfully following the COM
pass on the course he was ordered to
steer.
" I'LL CtCh hdttCio 10"
worse and worse, including the erratic
yawing and the united. excited and
emphatic yelling of the officer and
quartermaster.
'.At last. when the poor devil at the
wheel had become thoroughly ratified,
the card made it's first full turn around,
and he dropped the spOkes to look at
the pinnacle, with both eyes bulging
out. When the card made the second
turn that finished him. He dashed out
of the wheel-hOuse and along the deck
to the forward deck-house, where DIR.
ElstOn was. and there threw up both
hands in horror, saying: Doctor, doc
tor. for Gods sake. give me something
quick. I've got the jim-jams. and l
haven't had drink of any thing since
we left ST. JOHNS"
''The man was so excited that the
tears were running down his face; his
face was red and swollen, and his eyes
stuck out like bolt-heads on an iron
ship. The poor devil was in such a
state that another man had to take his
trick at the wheel-steering by land
marks for an hour or more, while
Lindgvist had to undergo a sharp
course of medical treatment to bring
him through.
1T was on the same voyage that
saw the greatest variation of the COM
pass. When we discovered the fate
of the Polaris. and that her crew had
built a boat and started south, we
started back too. The ship. when we
rounded Lyttleton island, was headed
due SOUTH on her course, but she
steered due northwest; the variation
was 135 degrees west
up there. when we went on deck
after slecp, we had to look at the
compass tn know whether it was day
or night time, and before the compass
was relied upon. we had to look at the
memorand I'm of variation that Lieu
tenant vii xins posted at the binnacle
every hour. You see. if the sun was
&, Tho month, urn MI - woo hofxyaon c;v