Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-01-16
tudes, terrible rigors, and enormous
difficulties of the unknown North.

tudes, terrible rlgors, and enormous
difficulties of the unknown North.
The latest expedition has been the
most successful Of all. The Duke of
Abruzzi, young scion of Italian royal
ty, has recently returned from voyage
Of exploration which penetrated fur
Their into the polar regions than man
has ever been before to the knowledge
Of the world. Even Nansen, the in
trepid, who until Abruzzi's voyage had
the honor of going farthest north, did
not get nearer than 26O miles of the
pole, distance, to be sure, less than
from New York to Buffalo, but 10 min
utes of latitude, or twenty miles, short
Of Abruzzis highest point. This does
not seem to be great advance, but 1t
is distinct achievement and brings
the pole twenty miles nearer than ever
before, and represents an achievement
which never before crowned the en-.
deavors of man. The nearer one an
proaches the pole, the greater the diff
culties. To advance n single mile is
often a physical impossibility on ac-
count of the Ice barrier. Twenty miles
may represent the labor of weeks un-
der conditions which would appall any
but the stoutest hearts and exhaust all
but the most robust physiques.
The North Pole Described.
What is the North Pole about which
SO much is heard? An answer to this
question is found herewith: 1t is sim
ply the mathematical point which
marks the northern termination of the
axis of the earth. 1t is place where
there are 90 degrees Of latitude, or
none, and 3G0 degrees of longitude, or
none at all, just MS one prefers to look
at 1t. A man standing at the North
Pole would have to go south whichever
way he stepped. There is no north, no
east, no west. Should he stand ut the
pole for a year he would have but one
night and one day. The sun would rise
on March p and set on Sept. 81, not to
rise until the following March. AFTER
rising" says n writer, 1.-THE sun would
circle through the heavens as IL rolling
along the horizon, ascending every
twenty-fonr hours little higher, until
on June q it would be 231a degrees
above the horizon. Then it would grad.
ually sink until sunset, Sept. 81. Dur
ing the night at the pole all the heaven
ly bodies would move in horizontal cir
cles instead of oblique circles as here.n
There will be nothing to designate the
pole when it is reached, except the OBJ
servations which fix the geographical
point. The explorer takes frequent OBJ.
servations of the sun along his route to
determine his latitude and longitude.
BY computation he should know when
lie has reached the earth's mex
The series of observations are after.
ward corrected whenever the exploring
party reaches the base of operations or
wherever the standard chronometer is
left Peary, for example, who is now
In the north, and may have reached the
pole, has with him six chronometers
rated for different times, and showing
Greenwich mean time Washington
mean time, and one rated at some con-
venient camp, and indicating the local
time Of that place. By this chrome
meter his more northern observations
would be computed, with corrections or
errors added or eliminated. this to indi-
cate precisely the places of observation.
Again, when civilization is reached the
observations would be>agaIn computed
with astronomical observations made
at Washington, and would then be add
ed to the various nautical tables that
are supplied to maritime nations. That
IN explorer had reached the pole could