The record-union., 1899-11-06
THE NORTH POLE.
Who Can Tell What Will be Pound
There2


This is question that cannot be an
swered with perfect accuracy, as nc
one has yet set foot on the northern end
of the earth's axis. Yet one or two
venturesome explorers have come with
in a few hundred miles of doing So and
their reports, added to our general
knowledge of physical geography, can
assist US in getting a general idea In
1.-THE Youths Companion" June 22d
Admiral A. H. Markham of the British
navy himself an Arctic explorer of no
mean reputation, treats the matter as
follows:
1--WE all know that the term North
Pole is the conventional name given to
an imaginary spot situated at the
northern axis of our terrestrial sphere.
What we shall find there is difficult to
say. At one time I was under the i'm
preston, and it was also the view held
by many eminent Arctic authorities.
that an archipelago of many islands
would probably be found to exist ex-
tending from Franz Josef Land and
Greenland across the Pole toward the
northern coasts of America and Siberia;
or perhaps, as the diurnal rotation of
the earth has caused all our continents
to be formed along meridians rather
than in an equatorial direction, a large
continent, like Greenland, might have
been found to extend right across the
Pole. This conjecture has, however,
been effectually set aside by the recent
wonderful voyage of DR.. Nansen, who
saw no land of any description to the
northward of Franz Josef Land
ct is therefore probable that large
frozen sea, studded perhaps with a few
islands, will be found by the venture
some explorer who first succeeds in
reaching the Pole Many singularities
and peculiarities connected with it will
very forcibly be brought to his notice
when he gets there
The first of these singularities relates
to the confusion of directions, both
apparent and actual, at the Pole. Says
Admiral Markham:
LAS the terrestrial pole is situated
some twelve hundred miles to the true
north of the magnetic pole, it follows
that on passing the magnetic pole and
continuing toward the terrestrial pole,
southerly course by compass will
necessarily have to be followed, be-
cause the north point of the needle will
be attracted toward the magnetic pole,
which will be to the true south of the
observer.
when, in 1876, was sledging over
the frozen sea in my endeavor to reach
the North Pole, and therefore travelling
in a due north direction, was actually
steering by compass E. S. E., the var
iation of the compass in that locality
varying from SO degrees to 102 degrees
westerly.
1T is not, however, to bearing by
compass that desire to call attention,
but to what is called true bearings o.
places of the earth's surface determined
by the relative positions that they oc-
cupy with reference to the terrestrial
poles.
IF our explorer has succeeded in
reaching the North Pole, he will be able
to assert that he has reached
a position where nothing could be north
of him. For instance, had Herr Andree
succeeding in reaching the North Pole
in his plucky and adventurous balloon
voyage, he would have had no difficulty
provided there had been any wind IN
returning to the south, for the simple
reason that he could not have been
blown farther north, for every wind
would be a fair wind: that is, it would
blow him south. Obviously the North