The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-05-03
The North Pole Moving.

tho North Pole, and numerous have
heen the good ships and better lives
sacrificed / n the vain Efforts to ma
that goal; but, according to the lateSt
advices from the scientific world,
there has at last appeared new ana
unexpected chance OF this dithcuit
Undertaking being accomplished, not
hv ore explorer more energetic ana
enterprisinc than all the rest over
COMING the obstacles that have nth
erto barred the way, but by the North |
Pole itself condeScending to come
down from "the roof Of the worl H.
where it has perched ever since tne
earliest recorded period or sclen6irc
knowledge, and to move into u reS,on
more easily accessible to hum'h %
inps. 1t is true it's movements are
even more leisurely than those OF the
GLACIERS. which do make visible pro.
oross day by day; and it may still
reouire many cycles OF time for the
Pole to Get within speaking distance,
90 TO saw. but it will surely get there
II men will only wait long enough.
The best part of this is that II the
North Pole Ia moving as astronomers
assure us, then the South Pole, which
has ever been the most retiring and
forbidding OF the two, ia doing the
came thing. 80 that whenever the
one comes within reach OF us the
other will, too, so that we can
then .kilI two birds with one
stone" or, in other words, hnd out
all about both ends Of the earth 5
axis at the same time.
We are told that it is to Prof. 5. q.
Chandler, OF New Haven, Conn, we
are indebted for this important infor-
nation regarding the movement OF
the poles. Not only has he clearly dem
onstrated the fact that they are real
Iy. qjag,tlatrJss thiSs "d{hreection hec 10 Of
the movement, and the laws which
govern it, so that he says: 1--WE can
now with certainty compute in ad
vance tables of the variations of lati-
| tude-as, of course, such variations
are the natural consequence of any
Polar movement" Prof. Chaudler's
discovery i'm mediately awakened the
deepest interest in astronomical cir
cles everywhere and in all the obser-
yatories Il series of observations were
at once entered upon for the purpose
of substantiatlpg or else disproving
his assertions. In every case, after
several years of closest scrutiny, the
most learned astronomers OF this
country have given their testimony
as to the value Of Prof. Chandler's
discovery; and several OF them even
announce the rate OF speed at which
the changes OF latitude proceed. Prof.
Tucker, Of Lick Observatory, COM
putes the change to be one-tenth Of
q second Of latitude yearly; while
Prof. Doolittle, OF the University Of
Pennsylvania, thinks 1t is at least
forty feet annually. The INTERIM
tional Geodetic Association is now
undertaking series OF systematic
studies to determine the movements
of the poles, and have selected six o.
servatories. along the 27th degree OF
north latitude around tn, world, ns
posts Of observation, 50 that great
results may be expected from this
work.
Two very important results will be
brought about by the changing posi-
tion CT the poles. The first Of these
is the change in every national or
State boundary which is determ ned |
by degrees Of latitude; and, in the
case Of the United States, this
to some nine thousand
miles. 1t will thus be seen that n
necessity may arise in the near fu-
ture for Congress to take the mat ter
into consideration and to order that
all boundaries Of this kind shall here.
after be fixed by natural objects in.
stead Of by latitude, A still more
serious result, and one that cannot
be remedied by legislation, is the
gradual change going on in the sea
level. and tho consequent change
in the coast lines Of the whole world
In the course of Investigations OF
this subject the records OF the coast
survey for the last thirty seven years
were carefully examined and it was
found that such changes had actually
taken place during that period as
would have resulted from a chang
in the position of the poles, such ns
Prof. Chandler asserted had occurred. ,
1t will be seen from this that our as
and scientists have much |
more interesting and important work
On hand at present than that Of chas- {
ing after baby planets, like Eros, 4
which seeHs to be amusing itself by 4
playing hids and seek with the star [
gazing fraternity, who ara desirions 1
)f his assistance in determining tn,
distance OF the earth from the sun
And II their observations confrm
Prof. Chandler's theories Ii will be (
,he OpoDiDq Of u whole world of iJYes. ,