The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-09-08
Must Make Observations Of
Latitude Daily Until He is
Satisfied.
Description Of Arctic Winter
Day, Sun Swinging Around
Horizon.

New York, Sept. S.-Anthony
,Fiala. the Brooklyn explorer who ac-
companied the Baldwin-Ziegler expe-
ldition to the Arctic regions and later
HEADED the Fiala expedition. sent out
by Ziegler IN quest OF the North
Pole, has written an explanation of
how DR.. Cook or any other explorer
lcould determine that he had reached
the pole. Mr.. Fiala's interesting
Particle also answers many other ques-
ltions the public is asking about DR..
Cooks reported sensational achieve
ment in the far north. Mr.. Fiala's
contribution Is as follows:
A discoverer of the North Magnetic
Pole would prove his position by the
vertical swing Of the needle in his
-ldipcompass, the magnetized steel
pointing directly down toward the
center of the earth. but the victor at
the north geographical pole would be
lobliged to prove his discovery by the
position of the sun, II the time were
summer, or by the stars, If perchance
he should drift over the pole during
the darkness of the Arctic night.
/ DR.. Cook, while standing at the
pole, would find that his compass
needle pointed south toward a point
nearly 1,4OO miles away. in the direc-
ltion of Hudson Bay. SO that an ex-
'lplorer trfye'ing toward the northern
axis of the earth finds that the sun
Is better guide to follow than the
compass
1 In those northern regions Just be-
low the pole the sun hangs low in
the sky and revolves like the hands
Iof a great twenty -four-hour clock. At
the midnight hour the sun is lowest
and directly north, while the noon
; hour Is marked by its southern limit
: At s O'Clock in the morning II is east
and at the same hour in the evening
! Cor at is o'clock) II is west.
So twice In twenty-rour hours the
sun is on the meridian of the OBJ
server and observations for latitude
can be taken at midnight as well as
at noon. The farther the explorer
is away from the pole the shorter the
season that the sun remains above
the horizon at midnight. In Norway
the midnigh. sun is seen for only
few days of the year, and at still
lower latitude II Is not seen at all
lduring the hours of night
At the north pole there is no east
or west; every point of the compass
is south and the sun swings around
just above the horizon In great paral-
lei circles. Illuminating a noontlme
which IL six months long.
Ii makes its first appearance above
the horizon in the month OF March.
just a fiery little tip of its upper
ledge. Each day II shows more OF its
face, gradually screwing its way In
great circles above the horizon until
on June 21 it reaches its highest
point, though still not many degrees
above the circle where ice and sky
meet.
This maximum altitude attained
the sun begins descent once more
slowly circling its way down until in
September its face disappears behind
the horizon.
There Is a short period OF twilight
and then comes the blackness of the
pole night, relieved only by the fires
of Aurora and by the faint twinkle
of the stars-when storms are alb
sent-save for a few days monthly
when the moon brightens the frozen
area by the beams of her reflected
light.
With continuous noontime at the
pole the explorer reaching there In
the summer or late spring could find
his position by taking observations
for his latitude at any time and make
sure of his discovery by taking a set
of attitudes OF the sun six hours
apart. A resulting altitude of 80 de-
grees from each observation would
4 prove that he was at the north pole
i The operation OF finding latitude
4 is a simple one and there Is not much
| danger of great errors. DR. Cook
8 ought to have been able to have
lplatted his position within one-fourth
\ to one-half mile of the exact center
4 of the earth's northern axis.
4 The actual process of taking an OBJ
Iseryation is anything but pleasant
when the temperature is from 40 to
j go degrees below zero, particularly
} If breeze is blowing. Lying on his
: breast in the snow, the sextant in his
! mittened right hand, the bare fingers
/ of his left hand moving the tangent
4 screw. his right eye to the telescope
y the observer painfully waits for thu
d sun to reach the meridian. A small
q theodolite is better instrument. but
t no matter what instrument is used
u every time the observer oreathes he
4 must be careful to exhale away from
the apparatus or the ice, formed on
the scale and its divisions by con-
'densation, will prevent a reading