The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-10

tAfter reading an account Of the Won
ders OF Arctic Life" IN the Posf-Irtea.i-
gencer, from the lecture gwen in Seattle
by Lieut.. r. ( PearyJ
No doubt An ambitious man VIII some
day stand exuitant on the earsh's north
pole. shouting Eureka" and feeling very
much superior TO the rest OF mankind.
And even though his achievement be of no
practical value TO commerce or science. ne
viii he able 10 claim THAI he has stood
upon the strangest po.nt yet discovered by
nan-proyided the south pole has not been
discovered first. which Is highly improo-
able.
II is the siowest place on the face OF the
earth. that north pole always barring its
twin brother. the south polel. AT any
other place one is whirling around the axle
or axis OF the earth once in every twenty
four hours at a rate that varies with ais
distance from the equator. In fact, when
one considers that at the equator this rate
is about q thousand miles an hour, and
that the rate decreases very slowly until
the Arctic circle IS reached. one is APT 10
hold ones breath when one considers the
rate OF an ordinary mans trip through
space. Combine this circular velocity
around the sun. and is IL any wonder that
SO many men are observed 10 stagger on
the street, At any rate. the most slow
going man Is travelling many hundreds OK
miles per hour faster than the man who
stands upon the north pole.
Our diseoyerer Will ina fat on the
north pole prepared for his occupancy.
IL is not flat of the ordinary variety.
but an actual level so very level that 1t
will seem concave. There VIII be no nying
of at a tangent for the hot-headed man
at the pole. for the tangent Will coincide
with the surface of the earth fer quite
distance in that locality.
All this Is due to the spherodical shape
OF the earth. AS the school books say:
1T Is somewhat nattened at the poles,
For this same reason. the explorer VIII
be nearer TO the center OF the earth than
any other man that ever existed, and
likewise further away from the equator
and tha South pole.
Explorers are queer men, and 1t Is Just
possible that our successful discoverer
will wish to build a house at the pole ana
live there. Il will be a queer house. for
no matter how he builds II every window
in 1t will be south window.
This will be convenient. as In q cold
climate south windows are much more
preferable to north ones.
The calendar that hangs over his desk
will In itself be a curiosity. for IL Will Dc
devoid OF weeks and months. ard VIII
show but one day for the entire year-one
day and one night.
This day will be a long legal holiday.
too. for 1t will be New Years day all the
time But as the original New Years day
was a Sunday, every day Is Sunday up
there also (the only respect in which the
North pole resembles heaven). As a con-
sequence, he will never be able TO ceie-
brate his New Year with good cheer, for
there will be no Monday or Saturday to
substitute for the Sunday II falls on.
But his clock will be a stranger affair
than his calendar, for no matter whether
Ii is fast or slow IL will always be right,
and no matter how correct IL may be II
will always be wrong.
On every different meridian there is
different time. and as all the meridians
meet at the pole the correct time VIII al
ways be any time you may choose with
In twenty-four hours.
The meanest servant girl In the world
will not be able to complain about his be-
ing late at meal time.
But he will find 1t utterly impossible to
get up early in the morning, no matter
how ambitious he Is. Surprising that his
house Is built exactly over the pole, what
ever time Il may be on one side OF the
house. it will be just twelve hours later
or earlier on the other side. Neverthe-
less. he viii have TO depend on his clock,
as sun dial I'm that region VIII not work.
AS It is with his time. so IL Will be with
his longitude. He can claim any iongi-
tude he wishes. He can calmly say to a
OF London. and also the same as that OF
New York: yet the iongitudes of London
and of New York are not the same, and
am not a liar.' In fact. he will have a
great deal OF latitude in his longitude,
but very little in his latitude That will
be all his own, 90 degrees north.
Every breeze that blows VIII to him be
a south breeze, and every side of his house
will face south. He can start for any
point on the face OF the earth and reach
It by travelling due south. For him there
will be no north, no east, no west These
terms will not In that latitude even fulfill
the conditions required by the definitions
in the dictionary. None OF the ordinary
instruments for use In astronomical OBJ
servation will be OF any use TO him. for
the sun will not obligingly cross a merid-
ian for him, and the North star will be
almost directly overhead and continually
changing It's position.
Worse and more OF It, the commas that
he holds I'm his hands az he stands on
the pole viii cease 10 be Of any use what
ever, as both ends will point due south.
In fact. II viii be so everlastingly hard
Tor him TO determine where the actual
North pole Is that no one may ever know
when he is on 1t after ALL
IL BY accident on the day OF the sum
mer solstice he happens TO stand ON the
North pole the sun will appear TO sweep
around the horizon for twenty-four hours
remaining at the same height above n
Then he will know he is on the North
pole. He will not only have TO find IL bv
accident. but he Will have 10 prove II
by accident.
am sure when he does find II that .hers
VIII be sign board nailed upon II. read
ing:
''''''''' '''''''''''. '..'...........