The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-13
Geographer Hard to Down.

GeoRrapher Hard to Down.
Dr. A. Szielasko. a German, has just
Illustrated the fact that the enthusiast
TIC geographer trained in the German
scnool is very hard to suppress. He
comes up serenely after an accident
tnat does not completely disable him
ana begins to look around for scraps Of
knowledge.
A while ago Dr. Szielasko went out on
the Norwegian steamer Frfdtjof Nan
sen, which was bound for Antarctic
waters on a whaling cruise. He took
an exploring outfit, including sounding
apparatus. for he hoped to bring new
facts to light about the sea floor He
also intended to make a special study
of Antarctic birds.
In about two months the first Antarc-
tic land came into view. It was the is
land of South Georgia, south of the At
lantic, two-thirds as large as Long
Island. The vessel was nearing Cape
George when 1t struck a hidden rock.
and in six minutes after the bump 1t
disappeared beneath the waves and the
crew was making for land in two small
boats.
They saved nothing, except their lives.
Fortunately an Argentine whaling sta
ton IN Cumberland Bay was able to
FEED the crew until they had an oppor-
tun1ty to leave the island
Inc explorer had lost his entire out
lit, but on the very day of landing he
set out to make the best scientific ex-
ploration he could under the circum-
stances Of Cumberland Bay. He be-
gan by ascertaining the height Of the
Dig hills that enclose the bay.
With bits Of timber he fashioned
rude sort OF instrument for taking ang-
les, ana then by pacing he got an ap-
prox1mate idea of the horizontal dis
tances he must measure to use with his
angles in mathematical determine
ton Of the height of the mountain tops
above sea level He first tried the
wooden instrument and paced distances
on two or three submits whose heights
had been aScertained, and was happy
to ind that he had hit upon a rather
close approximation of the truth.
So he went on measuring the heights
not only Of the mountains, but also of
the valleys and the broad platforms
between them till he had made a chart
showing the land forms, their heights
above the sea and their relation to one
another around the big bay He fol-
lowed up little streams, mapping their
courses. There were seven great
glaciers which he did not have time to
explore for their entire length. but
he traced them for several miles. map
ped their moraines, gave them names,
and conferred the same blessing upon
the other prominent features of the bay
and coasts
Then he studied the geology of the re-
glon, made many notes on it's birds and
other forms of life, and zeaIously en-
ployed every waking hour to acquire
all the facts to be had by intelligent
seeking. He put in thirty days of the
hardest kind of work before a ship
hove in sight. and took the party to
South America, whence they sailed for
home.
DR.. Szielasko's map and literary ma
teria1 proved to be SO excellent that
they have been reproduced in Peter
mann's Mitteilungen, the most scien-
tif1c of all geographical publications.
The map appears in six colors, five Of
which show the different levels Of land
above the sea.-New York Sun
Up to Prof. Willis Moore.
"Can even the shrewdest weather
man that ever lived tell us what
starts storms?'' asked Dr. G.. p.
Broadhead, of Portland, Me, at the
Hotel Herman.
I've addressed that query to some
Of the highest scientists of the country
and have never yet received any SAT-
isfactory answer.
1--WE know that they do start some
where, but the origin OF the disturb
ances is mystery. Generally speak
Ing, our billiards. and bad spells have
their beginnings in the frozen regions
OF the north-far up In the Alaskan
wilds or maybe from the north pole
itself Lately, however, this rule hae
been broken, as one or two of the
fiercest storms Of the season began In
Oklahoma and blew with terrific fury
til they vanished in the Atlantic. It
seems to me that Prof. Willis Moore
or some Of his assistant weather
sharps at Washington ought after