Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-06-07
EARTH WABDLES,
SAYS SCIENTIST
Poles Travel In Circle Of Sixty
Feet Diameter.
SEVERAL OBSERVERS AGREE

Professor Hin Of the Naval observa-
tory at Washington Has Spent
Twenty Years on the Problen--As-
tronomers Throughout the World
Confirm His Theories.
After twenty year. Of research Pro
fessor George A. iii Of the Naval oh.
seryatory ut Washington. who has
been working with other scientists all
over the world. has deduccd proof that
the earth Is wabbhng on It's axis
"The poles Of the otrth." says Pro.
fessor Ill., are wabBling about. ZIP.
parentiy at random. but combining their
travels within circle Of sixty feet
diameter Should Peary again take
the trip to the north pole he would find
the dag which he planted there on his
last trip Of discovery nearly tifty feet
from the spot which he would now
point ont as the true north pole of the
earth.
"A point which is the north pole to-
day is not the north pole of tomorrow.
No one can predict where this noInadic
pole will be the next minute. the next
hour or the next year The arctic ex-
plorer may pitch his tent somewhere
within the circle of sixty feet and place
his finger on what he supposes to be
the pole.
Pole Always Moving.
Like some living thing. the little
point which has for more than cen
fury attracted all sorts Of men from
various corners of the earth will be
crawling away all the while.
Its speed is worse than snail-llke
IL has never been observed to travel
farther than -four feet In one week
Sometimes Ii has required more than a
month to travel yard. In six months.
however. ii describes an irregular semi
circle, but so far we have been able
to determine no orbit or path of oscil-
lation, and the only thing that we
really know about it is that its posi-
ton is never twice the same.
"Fhe time required for the pole to
make its irregular semleircle is about
fourteen months. II it is twenty feet
on one side of the charted pole today
it will probably be thirty or forty feet
on the other side seven months hence"
Working with Professor Hill in his
Investigations have been astronomers
In observatories on nearly the same
parallel of latitnde5as Washington. SO
degrees 81 minutes and 20.4 seconds.
The most important stations are
Gaithegsburg. Md3 Cincinnati, Lick
observatory, in California;; Mizusawa
in Japan; TschaRHui central ASIA
Berlin and Carloforte. Italy.
The fact that the pole oscilates has
been proved by comparison Of observa-
tons Each observer through two sep
arate telescopes gazes at stars billions
Of miles distant He selects few
which may be seen through his instru-
ments by day rs well as by night.
Stars Appear to Stagser.
Instead OF following straight paths
the stars appear to stagser across a
set line and back again The stars
are to all intents and purposes station.
ary therefore the position of the earth
must be changing.
Vow If our attitudes" says Pro-
fessor Hill, are slipping up and down
over the earth like hoops over a barrel
the poles Of the earth must be chang
ing
The axis Of the earth is not still.
II has two motions. one revolving,
which accounts for day and night. and
the other oSclIating the result Of
which we have not determined"