Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-09-27
the POLES MOVE.
Cause Is the WabbIing of the
Earth on Its Axis.
PROF. HILLS OBSERVATION.
After Years Of Research Work the
Scientist Declares That tho Polar
Points Are Constantly Travelling In q
Sixty Foot Circle.


Astounding as 1t may seem, the poles
Of the earth, are wabbling about ap-
parently at random, but combining
their travels within a circle Of sixty
feet in diameter. Should Peary again
make the trip to the north pole he
would find his flag, which he planted
there on his last trip, nearly fifty feet
from the spot which he would now
locate as the true north pole. 1t
means simply this: If the true north
pole were a little black ball on the
smooth, CLASSY surface Of the Arctic
ocean it would be pcrpetually rolling
around in an aimless sort Of fashion
within a circle Of thirty feet radius.
After nineteen years Of tireiess and
thorough research and investigation
Professor George A. Hill of the naval
observatory in Washington, In con-
junction with experiments made by
other scientists all over the world, has
established the fact that the staid old
earth is wabbling on her axis. A point
which is the north pole today would
not be the north pole tomorrow. More
over, no one can predict where this
nomadic pole will be the next minute,
the next hour or the next year. The
arctic explorer may pitch his tent
somewhere within the circle of sixty
feet and place his finger on what he
supposes to be the pole. Like some
living thing this little point, which has
for more than century been attract
ing all sorts of men from the various
corners Of the earth, will be crawling
away from him all the while.
Its speed Is worse than snail-like. j.
has never been observed to travel far
Their than four feet in a week. Some
times it has required more than
month to cover yard. In six month
it has described an irregular semicircl
Of about sixty feet In diameter. No O.
bit or path Of oscillation has been d,
termined by Professor HILL
AS the Boston Herald observes, tl,r
authentic north pole is not, accordin-
to the astronomers, the pole which me-
point out on the charts. In 1909 IT,"
wandering pole passed within foot
the charted north pole, and accordil
to Professor Hill It wanders home jua,
about once in every fourteen year
Since then 1t has contented itself wit
moving about in sort Of irregulH
spiral curve, sweeping back again, tn"
out again, and so on, travelling l..
curves oil the while.
Take an ordinary school globe moul'
ed on pivot extending up through
center. Give a pencil to the north pc
so that 1t protrudes in line with e.,
pivot. Fix a pad Of paper at right 1
giles to the pencil and touching f.
point. Spin the globe around, and
long as the globe is not joggled e."
lead traces a small dot upon the papt
Oscillating the pivot and the pen il
traces a snail-like coil. This Is VIII q
the earth would do If a colossal per"
were attached to the north pole aAt
allowed to write its record upon "
fixed sheet In the sky. Thus you S"
that the trouble with old Mother Ear
is that her axis is not still. 1t has tr
motions, one revolving and the otE :
oscillating.
A technical explanation Of how
astronomers have proved this wo'
surely befuddle the layman. In POI
lar terms. the scientist, through iva
separate telescopes, watches the :
parent movements Of the stars billie
Of miles distant. He selects few
those whose positions have been
established and which can be 81
through his instrument by day as
as by night. Day after day, week 9
err week and year after year he -
serves the latitude where he Is.
stead of following paths by strai'
sweeps, the stars stagger across th'
and back again. These staggerings
resent the changes in latitude. Now
our ATTITUDES are slipping down and -
over the earth as hoops over barre
the poles of the earth must be char
ing. Vega, one Of the constellation
the harp, is the principal body cons'
ed. Many astronomers agree that -
sun and all it's bodies, including
earth, are hurrying at mighty II
through the heavens in the direction
Vega and that within something Xix,
billion years we shall either crash IL. 3,
it or pass it.
Many interesting speculations "y'
now being inspired by these discover
concerning the polar migration. 1t 49,
safe to say that the south pole Is M
ing similar but opposite travels to tho
of it's brother, the north pole. Ho
ever, astronomers are at work on
southern hemispheres to determine Il
That our earth will tilt until the pr,
ent north pole slips down to our 70"
or perhaps even longer, is one Of the :
speculations.