El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-04

- ARLY this month the non-mag-
=, netic yacht, The Carnegie" will
arrive at the island of Tristan de
Cuna in the Atlantic ocean, little
more than nalf way between South
America and Africa. This yacht was
built expressly for the purpose of
oceanic magnetic observation in the
great terrestriaI-m agno survey of the
earth undertaken by the department
of terrestrial magnetism of the Carnegie
institution of Washington, D. C. The
Carnegie left Buenos Ayres on Febru-
airy Is and has proceeded across the
ocean in the course ordered for her,
making nautical observations each day.
She will stop at the island several days
to- check up the variations Of the COM
pass which have been observed in the
passage. Tristan de Cuna is small
island, unimportant in itself, but of
scientific value from its situation and
the fact that on it is located one of
the terrestrial magnetic stations which
are lately being established in various
parts of the world.
VIII Go to Capetcyvn.
From Tristan de Cuna, the Carnegie
will proceed to Cape Town, South
Africa, where her staff will be joined
by DR.. Henry NJ. W. Edmunds of the
Carnegie institution, who sailed from
New York the latter part Of February,
and by professor J. c. Beattie, of the
department of physics Of the South
African college, Cape Town, and pro-
lessor ]. s. Morrison Of Victoria col
lege, Stellenbosch, South Africa. The
British government has been so i'm
pressed with the importance and value
of complete terrestrial magno-survey
Of the earth that it desires to cooperate
in securing it. These two professors
who are recognized English authorities
upon terrestrial magnetism, have been
granted a years furlough from their
respective colleges in order that they
may assist with the great work being
done
Under the direction of these English
professors large portion of Central
Africa already has been covered by q
terrestrial magnetic survey and a line
Of terrestrial magnetic stations extend
ed through the interior from Cape
Town almost to Cairo. The results Of
this overland observation, together
with the oceanic observations made by
the staff Of the Carnegie, will be
checked up and properly recorded and
reported upon next month While the
oceanic magnetic survey seems more
important because of it's bearing upon
navigation, the overland survey is real
ly OF equal value All the original land
surveys of America were made from the
compass The changes in the earth's
conditions have caused many discrep-
ancies in boundaries and directions
The knowledge of the compass is re-
CURED IN surveying and exploring and
the effect of the earth's magnetism
upon its direction should be understood.
Making Magnetic World Survey.
If one desires to know the magnetic
forces and what causes the magnetic
m 0ho
complete magnetic survey of the
world covering the land as well as the
sea. During the past year great pro-
gress has been made in this direction.
Interior surveys have been conducted
and terrestrial magnetic stations es-
tablished In British North America,
Central North America, the West In
dies, Colombo, Ecuador, British, Dutch
and French Guiana, Africa. Persia. Tur-
key, Asia Minor. Asiatic Russia and
China. The work is still going on after
a systematic plan which will probably
require five years more to complete
While not a new science, terrestrial
magnetism is compare lively an IN
known force, but its value and utility
are fndisputable. especially to the ma
riner. Peregrinus in the 18th century
something of the magnetic
attraction of the earth. The irregu-
larities of the compass recorded during
the first voyage OF Columbus were
promptly attributed by him to the
magnetic conditions or forces which |
vary at different parts Of the earth's
surface. While the compass iss com
monty supposed to point direct nortIt
1t does not really do so, and the posi4 (
ton of the earth's magnetic poles in re-
latlon TO its entire surface changes fire. |
quently. In 1900 DR.. William Gilbert |
published in London hi for,o,,e 1.-o-i- |
DE Magnetic" He spent 5000 pounds J
sterling examining many matters taken,
put Of the lofty mountain, of the depths
Of the sea, of the deepest cavern and
the hidden mines" in order to discover