Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-18
moot" Question in air
Way to Be Settled Use
of Radio to Be Big Help

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-Ameri-
lean and European scientists are go
ing to lot of trouble and expense
irving to decide a question IN Wh-ch
they've always disagreed.
That is whether North and South
America actually are slipping over
the surface Of the earth-slldlng 1af-
ther away from Europe and Africa as
time goes on.
They are. the Europeans say. And
so are Australia and Greenland and
hundreds of less important little
lands.
They are not, the Americans CON
tend.
SO to settle the argument the sci
entists are getting together and con-
Quoting one Of the greatest surveys
lever made.
DR.. William NJ Bowie. chief Of the
United States Geodetic survey, is IN
Madrid now attending an interna-
tional scientific conference that is
making the final arrangements.
Radio to Be Used
The survey is expected to start
within a month.
Major c. 4. Hodgson, acting geo
detic survey chief during Bowie's alb
sence, believes the tests will be, for
the first time in history, virtually
100 per cent accurate.
That is because they will be con-
Quoted by radio.
"The system, he explains, lis to
work from some point of which we
know the exact longitude-that is,
the exact location in relation to the
stars.
"From this point time signals are
flashed to other points. BY checking
up these signals with the stars at
the receiving points, exact calcula-
tons can be made.
Until now we have been forced
to signal by cable and wire. This
has been a barrier in the way of
perfect accuracy because of the time
lit takes to transmit such signals.
Many points, too, cannot be reached
by wire.
NOW, by using radio, these draw
backs can be overcome. The tests
will encircle the entire globe.
Second Survey to Follow
'In a few years q second survey
will be made, and the two results
checked. In this way it can be de-
termined whether the continents are
changing their relative positions, as
the Europeans believe"
The theory of shifting continents
is known as the displacement the
ory," or the "Wegener hypothesis. y
Professor Arthur Wegener, director
of the German Oceanographical sur
vey, is it's leading exponent.
The theory in brief is.
Continents are made of compare
lively light material, such as gneiss
land granite.
Underneath them is a layer of
heavier material, such as basalt, on
which they float like an ice flee on
water
This underlying layer also forms
the ocean bottoms.
Thousands of years ago-in the
carboniferous period, to be exact
the continents were all together in
a single mass. Then this mass sepa-
rated. Sections of it drifted away
toward the west and toward the
equator
The Atlantic ocean rushed in to
fill the rift between Europe and At
RIGA on one side and the two Ameri-
cas- on the other. Mountain ranges
like the Andes and Rockies-were
formed when the drifting masses
met resistance and buckled up.
Groups of islands were dropped off
and left behind.
Just what force caused this move
Iment of masses is not definitely
known. Scientists think there is a
normal driving force away from the
poles, and this may have had some
thing to do with it.
Bowie Says It's False
Wegener holds, that at the time
of separation, there may have been
other and greater forces, influenced
by movement of the poles.
Supporting his theory Wegener
points out that if the continents
icould be showed together again their
/ coast lines would fit. like the edges
of torn piece of paper. This is
| particularly true of the South Amer
tican and African coast lines.
He also points to the similar pre-