The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-04-05
THE EARTH'S MAGNETISM IN
NORTH CAROLINA.
How it Varies--A Magnetic Survey
Needed-No Accurate Boundary Lines
Without it, Its Cost.

Needed-No Accurate Boundary Lines
Without it-~Its Cost.
Correspondence Of The Progressive Farmer.
The earth's magnetism is one of those
mysterious forces in the world, the ma
ture Of which nobody has been able to
explain to the satisfaction of other PEG
pie, but like other of these mysterious
forces man is making use Of it in the
practical affairs of life through the
magnetic compass, the telegraph, the
telephone ard in many other ways.
No ship ventures upon the sea without
having a magnetic needle az it's guide
no man attempts to locate the boun
Diary line of a state, county, township,
Or a acre Of land, without calling to
his service this mysterious force OF
nature manifested in the compass OF
the surveyor. Hence it deserves a
careful investigation.
1t is well known that our~little com
pass needle which indicates the mag
netic north does not generally point to
the rue north pole, but usually a little
TO the east or to the west Of that point.
Hence, in ordinary surveyors language
we speak Of the compass needle vary
ing so many degrees to the east or the
west OF the true north. ID Further
more it is well known that the amount
of this variation is quite different at
different places. Thus, in 1887 the fol
lowing variations r approximately
correct for three different places in
North Carolina:
Newbern 1 degree and 81 minutes
west; Raleigh 1 degree and Is minutes
west; Asheville AZ minutes east.
~ And yet there are places where
the magnetic north agrees exactly
with the true north and south line, and
such would be spoken of as places OF
no UGriatiOn. But these points Of nc
variation instead of remaining station
airy are in North Carolina moving
westward. Thus, in 1910 the line of nc
variation was at NeWbern; in 1866 al
Raleigh; in 1897 near Asheville. And
this of course means that the amoUnl
of variation at one place in North Caro-
lima instead of remaining the same
year after year is gradually changing.
Thus, at Raleigh in 1845 the variation
of the magnetic line from the true
north vas 0 degrees, A minutes east
In about 1866, as stated above, the
magnetic north and the true north
were the same, and hence there was nc
variation. But in 1882 the magnetic
north moved to the west Of the true
north to the extent of 1degree and Is
minutes.
81 Though the variations just men
toned are sufficiently puzzling to give
the engineers and land surveyors g
considerable amount of trouble, if the
irregularities named were all that we
have to contend with the difficulties
could be overcome with some ease,
after locating the true north and south
line at a few stations, az at NeWbern,
Raleigh, Charlotte, Asheville, etc.
But, unfortunately, if starting on our
southern boundary line we follow the
compass needle across the State OF
North Carolina, we will find that in
stead of travelling in a straight line we
would probably make curves Of con
siderable magnitude in areas of even
smaller extent than one of our coun-
ties. So that instead of the magnetic
north and south line across the state
being a straight line it may be quite a
crooked one. Consequently a magne-
tic map Of North Carolina showing the