The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-07-03

expecting 10 b.
gone about four years. He sailed In
a small sloon of forty.six tons, the
Gjoa, equipped with a petroleum en-
/ gine for Use In ease Of need. and with
him were but seven others, Lieutenant
/ Gotfred Hansen OF the royal Danish
navy and six seamen. The whole cost
/ Of the expedition was only about $oT,.
F, 600, which Amundseu paid chiefly out
Of his own pocket, so great was his In.
terest In the problems he longed to
solve for the world
The north magnetic pole Is to be dis.
tingulshed from the geographical north
pole. The latter Is Il point the for
mer is believed TO be considerable
area at BoothIa, the most northcrly
peninsula Of the American continent,
about l,290 miles from the geograph.
ical north pole, There are magnetic
forces in the earth which cause the
compass 10 assume certain position
at each place on the earth's surface.
The north end Of the needle points
northward, but not exactly in the direc-
ton Of the geographical pole AZ some
places II points east OF the true north.
at others west. II expeditions were to
be imagined startling from various
places on the.Surfafe Of the earth and
each moving forward always In the
direction indicated by the north end OF
the compass needle these expeditions
would at last meet at Boothia. which
is thus called he north magnetic pole
Of the earth. II the expeditions took
the direction indicated by the south
ends Of the needle they would meet on
the antarctic continent, near the south
pole, IN Victoria Land. This Is the
south magnetic pole. These places are
remarkable In that a so called mag.
netlc dipping needle viii assume a YER
teal position at either cf them, with
the north end downward at tie north
magnetic pole, and vice versa.
In 1881 the British government sent
an expedition 10 the northwest of the
American continent, and one Of its
members, Sir James Ross, surveyed
the region with the view OF discover
ing the north point Of magnetism. He
found that In Boothla the dipping nee
die was DETECTED only one-slxtleth OF
a degree from Il vertical position. His
instruments were not so accurate as
those since invented. He assumed the
magnetic pole to be actually only
point Since his time scientists have
busied themselves with questioning
whether II Is point or an area and
whether the pole remains where II was
fixed by Ross or Is constantly chang
Ing. It was to make observations
which would settle such points as these
and also to make his way through the
northwest passage that Amundsen set
out Before he left Neumayer, the
great German magnetlcian, said to
him, Young man, II you are able to
make an exact determination of the
earth's magnetic north pole you win
do a work Of immense value to eel.
ence."
Captain Amundsen expected to get
through the northwest passage and
proceed down the western coast of
America toward San Francisco, and
scientists on the Pacific coast hope TO
give him a welcome before long which
will be warm enough to thaw out the
frost be has acquired during his pro
longed stay in the arctic regions. The
captain gained fame eight years ago,
when he was first officer Of the Bel
gian south polar expedition, and II was
while blocked in the ice Of the antarc-
tic seas that he conceived the desire
to penstrate the northwest passage and |
accurately locste the north magnstic
pole.