Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-09-28
Alisesllaneuus 8sading.
FACTS ABOUT THE NORTH POLE.
How Dr.. Cook Knew When He Got
There,

EIS" bIs SSSN NHO" VHSH ITO Sok
There.
The following extracts are taken
from an article written for the Omaha
World Herald by VIM. F. Rigge, pro-
fessor of astronomy in Creighton uni
lversity:
DR.. Cooks discovery Of the north
pole is most deservedly called one Of
the most daring and successful ex-
ploits Of discovery ever undertaken In
all history. 1t owes its success to the
fixed and infiexible determination Of
the will which was not deferred by
any difficulties or dangers whatsoever,
not less than to clear and practical
intellect which quietly and securely
studied the method to be employed,
and provided for every possible con-
tingency that might occur on the way.
While the glory of the undertaking
and Of the planting OF the stars and
stripes on the north pole will be suf-
ficiently presented by the press, 1t
may be Of interest for us in this place
to examine a little into the scientific
and practical side Of the achievement.
Has No Doubt Personally.
So far as I am personally concern
ed I never for an instant doubted the
genuineness of DR.. Cooks reported
discovery Of the north pole. While,
of course, there will always be some
people whom no evidence can con-
vince, I am certain that the scientific
world will unanimously accept DR..
Cooks data and credit him with the
glory Of being the first known human
| being to have reached the earth's
north pole.
The Meaning of the "North Pole"
The north pole is the north end Of
the earth's axis Of revolution. The
earth is big ball and Is turning like
colored ball that children throw ual
into the air. AS 1t turns 1t brings
successfully some parts of its surface
into the sunlight and takes others
away, and thus causes day and night. |
In thus turning it must spin about
line or an axis passing through Its
center. The ends Of this axis are
called the poles-the north pole and
the south pole.
At the same time that 1t is turn
ing on an axis the earth Is moving |
forward as a whole and its centre |
moves in a we'll defined orbit about |
the sun. The time it takes the earth |
to complete its course about the sun
and return to the same point Is our
definition of the length Of year.
The earth's axis is set at an angle |
to the plane Of its orbit. The conse-
quence Of this Is that the sun in the
course Of year appears to change its
position in the sky, running high and
large circles in the spring and sum-
mer and low and small ones in the
fall and winter. All these diurnal
circles Of the sun, as we'll as the ap-
parent circles traced by the stars at
night, are the consequences Of the
earth's rotation on its axis. They are
orly apparent-the same as the back |
ward movement of the trees and
houses and other objects seen from a
railway car.
All the circles have the same CEN
ter, or rather they have two common
centers, the north and south poles OF
the heavens, both Of which are visible |
at the equator, but only one anywhere
else on earth. These celestial poles
are the points in the sky where the
earth's axis produced would pierce
them.
Height Of Pole.
The height Of the pole is equal to
the latitude of the place. At the equa-
tor both poles are on the horizon, but
as we travel northward, for example,
the north star, which is very near the
pole, appears to ascend In the sky
until, If we should ever reach the
north pole on earth, as DR.. Cook did,
it would be directly overhead.
This is the way, therefore, that DR..
Cook knew that he was at the north
pole. He saw the north star directly
overhead. In principle this Is very
easy. In practice it is one of the
most difficult of all problems to solve.
The eye is no guide whatever, except
in the toughest possible way. One
must use an angle-measuring instru-
ment, such as a transit or a sextant.
Practically, this instrument must be
small, or it could not be transported,
and therefore it can not give an OBJ
servers position very accurately. AT
sea sailors are generally satisfied with
the nearest mile or half mile.
Then again the pole star Is not ex-
actly at the pole, but more than a
degree away. 1t moves in a diurnal
circle about the true celestial pole as
any other star does, only this circle
is very small. If we were to take the
mean Of it's least and greatest altitude
we would have the altitude Of the
true pole, and that would give us our
latitude.
Any other star will help us almost
as much as the pole star, If we meas
ure its altitude at certain times. The
sun itself is often used for this pur-
pose, ana almost tACluoiNciy oo oS oSe'
Appearance of Heavens at North Pole.
AS the north pole Of the heavens Is
exactly overhead at the north pole or
the earth, the stars would appear to
move in horizontal circles. They Will
never change their attitudes, and
therefore never rise and never set'
but move forever parallel to the hori-
zon. They will therefore be visible
perpetually; that is to say, all the
stars of the northern hemisphere Will
be visible perpetually, while all those
of the southern hemisphere will bel
forever invisible. This condition or
affairs is Of course, exactly reversed
at the south pole Of the earth.
Hence, as the sun is north OF the
equator for six months, from March
81 to September 81, daylight will en-
dure at the north pole for six months
Then from September 21 to March Fl
there will be night for six months.