Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-17
THE POPULAR GAME,
Hunting the Pole Has Amused Many
Energetic Gentlemen in the Past.

Hunting the pole is a good game, and
has amused many energetic but IN
scientific gentlemen and several rich
but ignorant syndicates. No one has
ever yet won the game. and no one ever
will, because to win is 4 physical i'm
possibility.
The truth of the matter is that reach
ing the pole is a paradox; q contradic-
ton of terms. For when man reaches
| the pole he will not be there.
AS we know, the earth is whirl;ng
around on its axis ut the rate Of a
thousand miles per hour. Which is a
fairly rapid pace. If it could. be ar
rested for speeding and stopped sad
denly everybody would. of course. fly
| Off into space. The intelligent recog-
milton Of this fact proves how illogical
is the idea Of reaching the pole.
Even though you are not Of scien-
tific mind, think of this matter seri-
cusly for a moment.
y man standing on the equator is
moving around at the rate Of a thou
sand miles per hour. That is. his feet
arc going 1T that rate. but his head
goes q t.iflc faster.
If the globe suddenly stopped revolv-
Jig he, being so accustomed 10 tht
rapid molten. would by reason Of innr-
tia. fly off into space il, direction Op-
poSitn 10 that toward which he has
been going. Therefore. since the earth
rcVolVc= from west to east he would
be flung toward the east and would
WhlZ through space at startling speed
of thousand miles an hour. This
speed would probably diminish grad
uallv, but that wouldn't matter much
to the man. As is we'll known. the mo-
ton of tho earth is slower as the parai-
lels Of latitude rcccdc from the equal
tor at the Arctic circle the surface Of
the globe crceps lanGuidly. and at tn
pole its II there is no motion whatever
1t is nrt difficult then for a rationa
mind - grasp the situa tion. Were !;
man. WHO. at the equator has contract
cd the liij il "f continuously moving
through ,':t'C at the Thousand; mile
an-hour Iatc. suddenly transported t.
the stationary POLE. the sensation woult
70 precisely tie same as if the equator
had stopped moving. The logical result,
of this "-,'.l' he that inertia would
cause t'' man to move in the direction
opposite /" c'l~t nmary route. But since
ut the pole there is no cast or west III
scientific t"ns.uucnccs would be thu,
the man Stanhrc on tn" pole would
spin ar0lni Ike Il top. with a motion
the revcr:.. If his previous movement
around with the world.
This is rot theory. but incontroverti-
ule fact. and the only uncertainty is
whether the man spinning round some
what faster than an o1ectri" fan, would
necessarily bore a hole in the earth.
and diSapI ar thai wa. or 10 shot off
tn" earth. still spinning. In view -
these c;"lf-evidert and inevitable con
illusions, it docs seem strange that nrc
sumahlv scientific men should striv,
t" attain Tie unattainahlo. Indeed We
are forced to the conclusion that the
polar expeditions arc fakes. and arc
merely excursions for the recreation
glory. or other emoltllnent of the So
called explorers.
Another conclusion forced upon us is
the probability that many explorers
who are looked upon as lost. in reality
reached til" pole. and suffered the con
Remus' Magazine.