The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-12-10
ALAsKAs MAGNETIC ROCKS.
Study of Taem BY scientist wiz, Lead
10 Explanation of what Has
necn "a Mystery.

The AlagRan commission now sitting
In London upon the Alaskan boundary
question will be interested over Prof
Barnett's discovery Of considerable
itreteh OF magnetic rocks on the coast
of Alaska. Now the world will UNDER
stand how It happens that mariner
who comes within a certain distance OF
the coastline finds hls compass doing
everything but preserve its rightful po-
sltion. says the ST. James Gazette OF
recent date. We have had to wait long
for the information But Alasha re-
mains stlll largely a land Of mystery
Its whole history Is strange. The Rus
SLAMS who colonlzed It before such
| things as MOndoe doctrines were. spent
GOO 900 on great survey then
dropped the business. not greatly wiser
than before. Then. having so done.
they sold out. lock. stock and barrel.
for a beggarly million and half
pounds. The territory was making a
return OF half a million year at the
time-roughly. a pound 4 mile; a quar-
ter Of century later It was returning
an annual revenue OF e2.072.000. while
ten years further on ifs silver output
alone was worth yearly million.
Alaska has no monopoly In magnetic
rocks that distress the mariner and
surveyor. Not long ago party Of Rus
sian explorers found their needle swing
round $50 degrees Parry. in bis sec
ond voyage in the Fury and Hecla. OBJ
served a considerable local deviation oi
the compass when OF the shore Of lgloo-
llk. At Bluff Harbor, South Island, New
Zealand. there IS 4 focus Of magnetism
IN the summit Of the blum; and duriuf
the survey OF South Island the officers
o. +. NJ S. Acheron had 20 abandon The
use Of compass heasings. A similar dis
turhance was observed by Capt Creai
when surveying near Port Walcott
Northwest Australia lie care across
submerged square mile Of rock. whlel
made the needle Of the compass hol
about so degrees and more from wheri
u should have been. Upon the Norwe
giah coast In the Joedern province is
J magnetic mountain. about q Thousand
: yards long but Of no great height IL
influence ia such that vessels venturinl
; too near the coast lose their bearings
and frequently are wrecked
Nobody quite knows who first discov
cred that . certain kind Of stone wouls
: attract iron. and nobody knows wit
hrst turned the knowledge to account
: One gentleman Of whom there Il recor
lived at a date early enough to indlcat
respectable antiquity for the sciencs
From his case II would seem that th
frat 10 employ the mariners cOmpaa
was not a mariner at aii. but = gentle
man who ruled the Chinese 1,e57 year
before the dawn OF the Christian eri
J, Il vas Emperor Hoarg-ti. A certai
friend Of his, a Prince Tchiye0u, ha
annoyed the monarch. who put OF
after the nnmannerly one TO reliev
him OF his peacock feather. his yello'
4 waIstcoat. his head and other unconslf
cred trihes but the prince wiki hi
leeiona came across fog, and into thi
with all hls fighting men. he divsd' II
excellent emperor. left on the outsld
e did not know from which side TO ents
s the mlst. nor IN what direction to pr
;, ceea. when he did get inside. So
q made a car. which showed EN- the fot
j. cardinal points: By this means he owe
{ took Tchiyeou. made him prisoner. af
!. ont him 10 death" The magnet
) needle 10 Is erudesg fcF a vas employs
for that car