The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-02-23
AMERICAN SCIENCE IN TIE ANDES

2@FGSEl markable system of meteoro-
1A&lW logical stations. extending in
'-s>sS-|o chain from, the Pacific over
s !both Cordilleras CT the Andes to the val
ley of the Amazon. which have been
maintained in connection with the PERU
Wan station of the Harvard college OBJ
servatoEy. With the exception of the
station at Arsouipa itself all are to be
given up, the objects for which they were
established having been in large part at
tanned
Observations have been continuously
made fortfover a decade. and since the
phenomena of climate and weather are SO
much more stable, taking one year with
another, in Peru than in a country like
our own, for example, it is believed that
they will furnish a basis for a fairly
complete knowledge CT the meteorological
conditions prevailing throughout this re-
gion of the Andes. The barometer. for
example, shows in Peru no such irregu-
.larihes as in our northern ATTITUDES.
There is simply a double diurnal change.
twice each day. reaching a maximum and
TWICE minimum. January differs from
July, but 4 day in ere January or July
Is remarkably like day in another.
Among the various Peruvian stations
miles from the city of Arequipa, is nota-
BILE as being the highest point at which
continuous meteorological observations
have ever been taken-19,2 200 feet above
the level of the sea. The station is on the
very summit of the mountain; some $500
feet lower is another station called the
Mont Blanc station, as being at the same
altitude as Mont Blanc in Switzerland,
where the observatory at Meudon, assist
ed by the French academy, for a time en-
deavored to maintain observations.
The line of stations in which Arequpa
and Ell Misti are central points marked,
at the time it was established, the be-
ginning of regular meteorological work in
Peru. An occasional traveller had made
a few random observations, but next to
nothing was known, from the point of
view OF strict scientific accuracy, about
the regular conditions of weather and eli
mate. Since the Harvard work has be-
gun, however. the Peruvian government
inspired perhaps by the enterprise of it's
American visitors, has started an excel
lent observatory of it's own at the cap-
1tal, Lima. Arequioa also, as has beer
said. will still retain the main Harvard
station attached to the astronomical OBJ
seryatory proper, so that Peru will be
quite as well off, in this respect, as most
OF the South american countries
Ihe lne of stations now given up be-
gins at Mollendo on the coast. at an sele-
walton of 100 feet, stops at a point in the
desert plateau between Arequipa and The
sea, crosses the Western Cordillera of the
Andes at the summit OF Ell Msti, takes
= in the. Ia tern Gortlil leras at "
1860 feet, and finally rests at Santa Ana,
5000 feet above the sea, in the Amazon
valley. The chain thus stretches in a
nearly direct line northeast for about 400
miles. The observations taken over so
wide an extent OF country and a both
LOW and extraordinarily lofty points. have
embraced, in the ten or more years that
they have lasted, practically the whole
range of phenomena which go to form,
the peculiar meteorological conditions of
Peru. Meteoroligically speaking, that is.
Peru is a known and no longer an UNI
known country. 81 ~.
1t Is to be remembered, however that
extreme meteorological precision is not
Claimed for all the observations taken at
all the stations, The purpose of the Har-
ward expedition has been the visual and
photograplc study of the Southern
heavens; except at Arequipa, therefore.
Vers to have charge of work which was
only secondary to it's principal objects.
1t has had to rely ON such fairly intel
hgent Peruvians as it could find at the
various points-in one case, for example.
a stationmaster .on the line of the rail
road, who was glad to add even a. small
sum to his slender ges; in another a
prosperous farmer who took UP his task
SratultolSly with real interest in sits
scientific value-to assume the RESPONSE
pailty OF Watching and keeping in order
the various delicate self-recording instrll-
fnents, Tor measuring wind velocity and
direction, atmospheric pressure, humidity
and temperature, which were distributed
at the various stations. But the instru-
memt and the observer in all cases fur
nished a mutual check; and the work If
not everywhere scientifically exact has no
less Its real value, even where least care
fully done, as practical pioneer work in a
region unknown to the meteorological
Ell Misti was, of course the greatest
problem To carry UP the material for
the shelter for the observer who every
now and then must struggle up from
Arequipa to set in order the instruments
and bring back their records, and to bring
che instruments themselves without
breaking over a route which stretched
out thrtyfve miles in constant ziszae
arp the steep volcanic sand, was 4 task
which the easy-going Peruvians prophe.
sled would be impossible 1t was accom-.
pHshed, however, in safety, by the aid
OF twenty mules and twenty Indians. In
addition to a partysof nearly a dozen from
nhe 0bServatory-'hfty OF us i'm ALL" as
one member of the expedition smilinelv
said tho other day.
1t was impossible, with such resources
as the observatory could spare for this
single station, to continue trained oh.
server on the summit. Indeed, the most
that could have been uone in any circrm. |
stances, and only by the expenditure OF
a good many thousand dellars-s an ex.
penditure. by the way. which some time |
1t Is hoped to make, if the necessary funds |
can be secured--would have been to secure
"a couple of hardy Indians, of fair intel
silgence. to live six months alternately on |
me mountain, with an assistant from be. I
low to make the ascent perhaps once a 7
week to- see that they were keeping the +
instruments i'm reasonable order. The I
soroche, i as the mountain sickness, due
j 70 70 the decrease of atmospheric pressure,
rs called in Peru. would be fatal to any
white man, Peruvian or American. who
Z at al bltefnpted to pass any length of time al +
such an altitude.
accordingly a meteorograph, containing
the various self-recording met eorologicaIl
instruments combined in a compact and
4 convenient form, was specially construct I
ed TO run three months with continuous
records. This was left on the summit In I
"a strongly built little house, whose sides
were covered with Stats since weaf,erI