The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-08

All the Demands of the Universe.
By Evelyn B. Baldwin, of the Wellman
Polar Exposition.
The main facts concerning the recently
returned Wellman polar expedition are
Stll fresh In the public mind and need
not be recalled here. One of my chief
objects in Joining the expedition was to
give further attention and study to the
phenomena Of the aurora borealis, popu-
larly called the northern lights. I wished
to add to the researches made when was
with Lieut.. Peary, in 1893, in North
Greenland. With Wellman's expedition I
studied the aurora in another part of the
earth and several degrees further north,
namely, In Franz Josef Land, which was
the scene of Wellman's operations during
1898 and 1899.
The observation taken while with Lieut..
Peary led me to believe the aurora
phenomer On to be the manifestation of
great force which could be placed within
the control Of human ingenuity, and
therefore of practical utility. This idea
has been strengthened during the course
OF the expedition just conclr ded
THE LIGHT THAT FAILED NOT.
Let me illustrate by means Of an Incl
dent the service rendered by the sudden
appearance of an aurora. On one occa-
sion, when was with Peary-it was Feb.
"a, 1851 was crossing the Ice In Nc
Cormicl's bay, in Northwest Greenland.
A severe snow storm was raging, and 1t
was q pitch DIRK night. I was accom-
h.,
by nams. By the way, 1t was this same
Sipsu who last spring saved the life Of
Lieut.. Peary and others of his party,
who were lost and were endeavoring to
make their way back to Fort Conger.
On the occasion I speak of we were
trying to make our way with q heavy
load Of walrus meat across the bay to
headquarters. We could not see the way
on account of the heavy snowfall, which
had oblite1ated the pathway across the
ice, md we f1oundered about in very
uncertain manner. Presently we were
alarmed by a terrible crash and heavy
thud, together with a terrified chorus of
bowls from our dog team. The dogs had
fallen into the tide crack-that Is to say,
the opening between the edge of the ice
and the shore. They had tumbIed about
six feet downward, and in the darkness
we could not see what to do.
Suddenly, from the summit of neigh
boring cliff, an aurora of great beauty
and power appeared in the southwest and
shed upon US a light so intense that we
could see the smallest article Of our
equipment, and were enabled thereby to
extract the dogs from their tangled har-
ness, and to proceed In safety
So much for the Intensity Of the color
of an auroral display. Now, If the light
Is 1t not reasonable to conclude that the
rapid motion SO characteristic of every
form Of this phenomenon Is the indica-
ton of a great force which could also
be put to a practical use?
That this force is electrical, and that
the polar regions serve as great reser-
voirs Of 1t, I have no doubt, and when
this supposition is established It must
also follow that there are great and con-
trollable currents flowing within the
earth between the two great polar reser-
voirs, currents which could be utilized In
the propulsion Of machinery and the
workings Of dynamos quite as readily as
by the lesser power houses or our great
cities.
The great currents of the oceans have
been made Of practical advantage to
man, and there is no reason why he
cannot make the great polar currents
also serve his purposes. The very exist
ence and utility of the ocean currents
were not known until man in frail ships
pushed out into dangerous and unknown
seas in his cropping after knowl-
edge-knowledge which has been made
to serve q utilitarian end.
So far In the study of the arena the
means have been limited, and We have