New-York tribune., 1921-03-17
Non-Magnetic Ship
Completes X-Ray of
Earth's Atmosphere
Experiments Make Absolute
Myth Out of General Be-
lief That Compass Always
Points Directly North

SAN FRANCISCO, March 1e.-The
Carnegie Institution of Washington
has just completed what might be
termed an X-ray of the carth's at
mosphcrc, and has forwarded from
here all data in regard to the expert
ment, which was made through the
use of the non magnetic ship Carnegie,
which arrived here recently.
The X-ray was in the form of obscr-
vations of compass and other magnetic
these variations being traced in the
atmosphere by two specially designed
Instruments called de1ector and
magnometcr. These tracings later will
be shown on a chart, which might be
llkened to the X~ray plate; this chart
will be made available to every navy
and merchant marine on earth as a
guide to navigation, as nearly exact as
1t is humanity possible to make such
a guide.
SO intensively and penetrating did
the instruments work, aided by the
utter absence Of magnetic attraction
by everything else on the vessel, that
certain degrees Of longitude in the
Indian Ocean were found recently to
be radically different from the best
charts and projections available up to
that time. In some instances these
differences amounted to several min
utes.
Compass Theory Myth
There is constant play of these
variations over the magnetic fields,
and the cause of this play or change,
although eXhaustively theorized upon,
never has been exactly explained the
Carnegie scientists said These mag
nctic changes make the utilization of
the magnetic ship and its instru-
ments and the preparation of new
charts constantly necessary. For in
stance, mariner using a magnetic
chart prepared by the institution ten
years ago could not steer as accurately
as if he consulted chart prepared but
year ago.
The ship made an absolute myth out
Of the general belief that the compass
always points directly north 1t added
convincing proof to the scientific
theory that there are only two longi-
.udlnal lines, one of them extremely
irregular, where such thing occurs.
Whenever a ship crosses one of these
polaric influence. Everywhere else it
will point either east of north or west
cf north
In the taking of these fgurative
X-rays and the compilation of its data,
sometimes intcre stlngly geogra phical
as well as magnetic, the Carnegie has
travelled more than 800 600 miles since
she was launched June -. 1909. She
is the on ly vessel credited with having
circumnavigated the globe in the sub
Antarctic regions. In this voyage, en-
tirely within the confines of the Great
Southern Ocean, which has come to be
the scientific name for the Antarctic,
she stopped but once, that being at the
land OF Georgia., whaling station
in the South Pacific.
Tossed by Storms
On the present voyage, which began
in October, 1919, she touched at French
West Africa, Bucnos Ayres. the island
Of st. Helena, where Napoleon was
exiled; Cape Town, Ceylon, Australia,
New Zealand, Papeete, the Tanning
Islands and San Francisco She will 90
from here to Samoa and the Panama
Canal and then home to Washington
The Carnegie was compelled to use
her auxiliary gas engine a number Of
times to take her out of equitoral
through storm-tossed seas when the
sails were in danger of blowing away.
This engine contains the only magnetic
influence on board, but it is so far
away from the recording instruments
mat it has absolutely no effect on
them.
The Carnegie carries a complement
of twenty-thrce persons. Captain j. p.
Ault, of Washington, has full charge
OF both the navigation of the vessel
and the recording of the magnetic data
He is assisted by a second in command
Lieutenant H. +. Johnston, Of the Brit
ish navy, who resides in Toronto An
drew Thompson. Toronto; Robert NJ
Mills, Washington. and II. r. Grum-
mann. Lincoln, Neb, act as Observers
The Carnegie is not a government
enterprise, but is solely under the
direction of the department of terres-
trial magnetism of the Carnegie In
stitution.