The Alaska daily empire., 1921-03-16
'x-RAy OF EARTH'S. IS.
 JUST COMPLETED.
Non-Magnetic Ship Shows Supposition Compass AL
 ways Points North Myth.

ington has just completed what might be termed an X-ray of the earths atmosphere, and has for warded from here all data in re gard to the experiment, which was made through the use of the non magnetic ship Carnegie, which ar rived here recently
 The X-ray was in the form of observations of compass and other magnetic variations on all of the earths oceans, these variations be. ing traced in the atmosphere by i've specially designed instruments call ed a defector and magnometer These tracings later will be shown on chart, which might be likened to the X-ray plate; this chart will be made available to every navy and merchant marine on earth as . guide to navigation, as nearly exact as it is humanly possible to make ! such guide.
 | So intensively and penetratinSly did the instruments work, aiied by the utter absence of magnetic at traction by everything else on the vessel. that certain degrees of longi tude in the Indian Ocean were found recently to be radically different from the best charts and projections i available up to that time. In some instances these differences amounted to several minutes.
 Variation in Fields. There is a constant play of these variations over the magnetic fields, i and the cause of this play or change, although eXhaustively theor- | ized upon, never has been exactly explained, the Carnegie scientists said. These magnetic changes make the utilization of the magnetic ship and it's instruments and the preparation of new charts con stantly necessary. For instance al mariner using magnetic chart prepared by the Institution ter years ago could not steer as accur' ately as if he consulted a char; prepared but year ago.
 The magnetic ship made an ab- solute myth out of the general be- lief that the compass always points directly north It added convincing proof to the scientific theory that there are only two Longitudinal lines. one of them Extremely irregu- lar, where such a thing occurs Whenever ship crosses one oi these lines the compass will get the direct polaric influence. Everywhere else it will point either east of north CT west of north.
 Ship Circles Globe.
 In the taking of these fgurativeI X-rays and the compilation of it's data, sometimes interestingly geo. graphical as well as magnetic, the Carnegie has travelled more than 300, GOO miles since she was launch cd June 12. 1909 She is the only vessel credited with having circum- ncvigated the globe in the sup- Antarctic regions. In this voyage, entirely within the confines of the Great Southern Ocean, which has come to be the scientific name for the Antorctic, she stopped but once, that being at the island of Georgia, whaling station in the South Pacific.
 On the present voyage. which began in October, 1919, she touched rt French West Africa, Buenos Aires the island of St. Helena where Napoleon was exiled. Cape town, Ceylon, Australia, New Zea- land, Papeete, the Tanning Islands and San Francisco. She will so from here to Samoa and the Pan anna Canal anu then home to Wash 1 ington.
 In Storm Tossed Seas. The Carnegie was compelled 10 use her auxiliary gas engine num- Der of times to take her out Of equatorial calm belts and to help drive her through storm tossed seas when the sails were in danger or blowing away. This engine con ! tains the only magnetic influence l on board. but it is so far aw2y from ] the recording instruments that il has absolutely no effect on them. The Carnegie carries a compile ment of 23 persons. Captain J. P = Ault of Washington has full charge of both the navigation of tie yesse1 and the recording of the magnetic data. He is assisted by a second i in command, Lieutenant II. F. John. gton of the British Navy, who re- sides in Toronto. Andrew Thomp~ son. Toronto; Robert NJ. Mills Washington, and H. R. Grummann Lincoln, Ncbr, act 2s observers.
 The Carnegie is not a government enterprise but is solely under the direction of the department of ter : rnctrial magnnlisu. of the Carnegie