Crawford avalanche., 1900-04-05
NO BEARINGS 5 TO GET.
If ANY Man Ever Reaches the Mort
Pole He Will Be Lost for Sure.

If ANY Man Ever Reaches the North
Pole He Will Be Lost for Sure.
If any one really got to the north
pole he would, in common parlance,
be utterly 'at sea-" simply because at
the pole there is no possibility of as
certaining ones whereabouts. A per-
son arriving there would find an alto
gether different world before him.
Like blind man he would grope about
and vainly endeavor to get back
whence he came. This by no means
enviable situation is calculated to de-
stroy the illusions which he may have
cherished when starting on his polar
expedition. His completely changed
situation would be accounted for by
the fact that when stationed at the pole
the direction Of the north would be
found to coincide with the line Of the
zenith-that is to say, the point exactly
above us. The opposite point, viz, the
nadir, would coincide with the direc-
ton to the south. The longitudinal cir
cles, and hence also the meridian Of
the locality, would coincide with the
horizon. Hence an astronomical de-
termination Of the locality, according
to latitude and longitude, is precluded
The same may be said as regards
determining ones bearings in any di-
rection. The compass, too, will fail
there, because its horizontal intensity
is so slight as to preclude the possibil-
ity Of it's action. The only criterion for
judging that one has arrived at the pole
is that the observed latitude of the sun,
after having been corrected to altitude
incide with the value of the declination
of the sun for the day in question.
Moreover, In those regions there is
scarcely day on which dense fogs do
not prevail and 60 or more degrees
Co Of cold, such as mostly exist there,
will enhance the difficulties of observa-
tion to such an extent that it can only
be a question Of approximate esti-
mates. Such conditions are by no
means enviable, and are scarcely cal
culated to induce us to long for them
with all our hearts.
which are likely to make sojourn at
the pole never-ending torment. Worse
than all the rest, one cannot count the
passing hours there; in other words,
there is no criterion for determining
the time of day. During period of six
months the sun will neither rise nor
set, but during the whole Of the time
will remain either above or below the
horizon. AS the earth revolves around
its axis In twenty-four hours, the sun
apparently describes, during the same
interval, circuit of $50 degrees
around the sky, being visible at an alti-
tude equal to the declination whenever
declination is Of the same name as the
pole at which the observer is stationed.
The numerous attempts hitherto made
to reach the pole have, as matter Of
course, been by water-that Is to say,
by ships and sledges. The idea that
one might get there by an aerial pas
sage has not gained ground until re-
Gently, but IL we consider that balloons
are not navigable, and hence are liable
to be carried away by air currents In
any direction that may accidentally
prevail, and in the most unlikely event
only to the pole, no one possessed Of
but moderate allowance of common
sense viii comprehend how success
could have been expected from such
an enterprise. Moreover, determina-
tions OF locality cannot possibly be
made from balloon with any approxi
mate degree of accuracy Nautical
Magazine.