Evening star., 1923-12-07

towering almost the entire period
since the discovery Of America, what
was there In the mere north pole:
which. after Its discovery. changed
the world? Nothing. To reach 1t
was but a great adventure and mag
nfficent victory like reaching goal In
"a world-game of foot ball-nothing
more.
+ Not so will be the Bartlett expedi-
tion, II 1t succeeds in making the
scientific Investigations planned for
1t, and especially IT, 1t verifles the
existence of a. new Greenland In that
unknown region. 1t will pass, north
of the magnetic pole, and will bring
back invaluable data concerning that
mysterious center of attraction for
the mariners compassion the COM
pass never points to the actual geo.
graphic pole. but TO magnetic CEN
ter located on Boothia peninsula,
west OF Hudson bay. on the main
land of Canada. Not far from that
magnetic pole the early explorer,
Franklin. died in 1S47.
x*%
Tho mariners ; compass on the
Shenandoah will never point north
upon the proposed flight. AS the
ship will speed eastward, or In fact
northward, at q rate of forty to
sixty miles an hour, the direction of
the compass. will be constantly turn
ing toward that magnetic pole
southeastward, south and southwest
ward. It will therefore he an unre-
liable guide for navigating the skies,
and the ship will depend upon other
means of finding its locality and
course.
There will he no stars. and the
summer sun Will be circling all
around the horizon. never Getting.
When the ship passes over the north
pole there will be no direction ex-
tcept south. no matter at which angle
the Night, is taken. --...
|, The Shenandoah is not equipped
with a gyroscopic compass. which is
an instrument independent of mag
netism and which once set to point
to the north pole keeps that direc-
ton regardless of any disturbing
compass will be added to the equip
ment, because of its great weight
and the weight OF the dynamo re-
quired to keep 1t in the necessary
rapid revolution. There are other
Observation-Disclosures a theodolite
familiar to mariners. for getting
bservations-but. with perpetual
daylight hiding the stars, and with
sun running around a race track
like horse at a fair. of what use
are they? The chief dependence will
be encompasses on shore, at vari-
Gus points. which will signal by
wireless. so long as the flying ship
Is within range, and by these signals,
triangulation will suffice to give the
air navigators their bearings.
X +
About the same time that Com
mander Bartlett in the Shenandoah
will put aoff from Alaslas, flying east
ward-the first exploration ever. un-
dertaken In that direction-an air
plane expedition under Capt. Raoul
Arnundsen will start, from Spttz-
bergen westward, or rather pole
ward-and it is not beyond possibil-
Amundsen and the great Shenandoah
will meet or pass each other near
the pole-the strangest meeting
since the world began. These air
planes Will not undertake to go on
to Alaska, but hope to cruise near
the pole. Upon the Amundsen ex-
pedition the United States will be
represented by Lieut.. Ralph E.
Dawson. L. 5. ". at the Invitation
of the leader, Capt. Amundsen.
y y
When Rear Admiral Peary chose
his time for the trip, he selected
April. as the season, between severe
winter and the thawing summer 1t
Is impossible TO travel in the Arctic
region in summer. for the slush is
everywhere more than knee deep.
This will not interfere, however.
with flights by either the Shenan-
doah or by Amundsen's airplaDes.
and it is likely that a Date later
than Peary's will be chosen, espe-
cially for the Shenandoah, because the
melted snow and ice will expose the
land better, and landing places Sc
lected upon high points will be prac-
ticable. ~ ~.
tCopyrisht, 1898. BY Paul v Collins, -.