The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-05
1PLAN TO SURVEY WHOLE Earth
An ENORMOUS Task in Which Many Governments Take Pat0,
Thousand Stations Necessary in This Country

survey. the most delicate instruments
have been made 70 register the lightest
and slightest magnetic Impressions on
land and sea, and these instruments have
been placed on board Of every vessel
OF the coast survey and IN nearly 600 OBJ
servatories on land.
The difference between the magnetic
merfdians and the geographical meridians
is ike that between the magnetic poles
and the geographical poles. Only mag
ne,.c needle can follow their convclu-
tions. A magnetic chart looks like a
picture OF snakes sauirminE over the
globe their heads converging toward a
common center, or the magnetic pole
The magnetic poles are sup, 'osed to be
four In number. two In the Northern
and two In the Southern hemispheres.
and they slowly shift their positions
around the geogra phical poles. the pc
RODS of their change being centuries.
The stronger magnetic pole in the North
ern hemisphere is located in the vicinity
Of the mining region at the head or the
great lakes, and the weaker IN Asia. To
illustrate the manner in which these poles
shift their positions and thus change
the location OF the magnetic meridians:
In 1863 the magnetic pole was TO the
North and east of Paris: II moved west
ward until 1914, when II attained It's
western maximum OF . degrees "a min
utes In 1890 1t was at 20 degrees AZ min
utas west OF Greenwich. In 1865 II Will
pass near the meridian west OF Paris ana
then II will pass easterly until the year
ZIG. when II will be 20 degrees east or
Paris The eastern variations AT faTls
will decrease. becoming zero in 22eI, when
the magnetic pole will return TO the me-
ridian OF Paris.
The line OF no variation. technfcany
known as the agonic line. IL the basis OF all
magnetic calculations, and as II SHIFTS from
pace 10 place allowance has TO ne mace ioi
il in charts and by nav.gators and survey
ors This Is the line on which the needle
remains true 10 the magnetic pole 1t was
discovered by Christopher Columbus dur
ing his first voyage of discovery in 1879 IN
the Azores Upon his return TO Spain ne
announced IT, but was dscredited. and 1t
was not until 1856. when he had been long
dead, that another navigator, Martin COR
tex, corroborated him and he was believed
Since that It has made some eccentric
moves In 1860 1t ran through New York
city: in l77e 1t started from point near
Birmingham. Ala. and ran due east across
the Atlantic: In 1850 1t had shifted so that
It started from a point near White river,
Ontario and ran in southeast direction
past Georgian bay, through the peninsula.
crossed Lake Erie near Buffalo. ran
through New York and Pennsylvania. past
Harrisburg through Baltimore. down tho
Chesapeake bay TO Norfolk. along the coast
to Hatteras and SO out to sea.
The line now runs from Lansing, Mich,
through Columbus. O.; Charleston. w. Va;
through Virginia. the Carol!nas near
Charleston. down the Atlantic and through
the Bahamas.
The causes which operate and make the
magnetic poles and meridians shift and os-
cillate back and forth have long been sub