Evening star., 1925-05-31

IGeodetic Survey computed the tidal
observation made by Admiral Peary
on his last successful dash into the
Arctic.
| The Macmillan expedition will seek
this land or region of shallow water
this Summer. in the vast Lnexplored
region surrounding what Staffa nsson
called the Pole of Inaccessibility,
which lies about 500 miles from Thc
geographic pole.
Peary Christened Land.
Peary christened the supposed con-
tinent, which he claimed to have seen
from the northern tip OF AXel Hell
burg Land, "Crocker Land" On the
maps of the Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey, the unknown region is named
l"Harris Land"
| In 1908, President Roosevelt wrote
to Oscar S. Straus, Secretary of
| Commerce and Labor. as follows:
| Civil Engineer r. +. Peary. United
| States Navy, has been directed by
| the Navy Department 70 report by
letter TO the superintendent of the
United States Coast and Geodetic
| Survey, and you are requested to di-
rect this official to order him to make
| tidal observation along the Grand
Land and Greenland shore of the
Polar Sea during his projected cruise
| in the Roosevelt" 1t is believed that
such observations will throw light
upon the coast survey theory of the
existence of a considerable land mass
| in the unknown area of the Arctic
Ocean"
Observations Made.
In compliance with these orders,
Admiral Peary's parties obtained sys-
tematlc tidal observations day and
night at Cape Sheridan, Cape Colum-
bla, Cape Bryant and Fort Conger,
| totaling 298 days Of records. The OBJ
ject was to obtain tidal observations
along those coasts at a sufficient num-
ber of places for determining the tides
in that region in the belief that such
| observation might throw light upon
the possible existence of consider
able land mass in the unknown area
Of the Arctic Ocean"
In 1911 DR.. Harris completed the
studies Of all Arctic tidal and current
data obtainable and the Coast and
Goedic Survey published his paper
entitled Arctic Tides in which he
gave in detail the hypothesis of the
existence Of this land mass and also
map of the Arctic Ocean containing
an outline of this hypothetical CONT
nent or island.
DIR. Harris considered what the in
dications of land We're from the tide,
using all available data. The tidal
observations over all the Arctic Ocean
that Harris had were very meager,
and the cotidal chart he constructed
to show the progress of the tide in
the Arctic Ocean was necessarily
based to a considerable extent on
theoretical considerations. Along the
north coast of Siberia, for example,
from the mouth of the Yenisic River
eastward to Pitlekai on the Chukotch
Peninsula, no tidal observations were
available.
In a study of the currents of the
Arctic he used the drift of the vessels
Advance and Rescue of the first Grin
mel expedition, the British ships In
trepid and Resolute, the Jeannette
and Nansen's Fran. His current ar
guments are based also upon reports
of the drift of ice, on the one hand,
and upon its age and comparatively
slight movement, on the other.
Land North of Alaska.
From his detailed studies of tidal
and current data of the Arctic DR.
Harris found it necessary to reduce
the extent of the open polar basin
and to assume an area of shallow
water or a tract of land north OF
Alaska, which has since been spoken
of as Harris Land"
In addition to receiving from Ad-
miral Peary and working up his
original sounding and tidal records,
the Coast and Geode.ic Survey COM
puted and discussed his astronomical
observations made on his last dash to
the pole and at the pole upon re-
quest of the research committee of
the National Geographic Society. The
testimony of two expert astronomical
mathematicians of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey who were directly
engaged in these computations was
accepted by the committee on naval
affairs of the House of Representa-
tives in 1910 and ii was on the
strength of this testimony in the con-
troversy as to whether Peary reached
the pole that Congress passed the bill
bestowing on Robert Z. Peary the
congressional medal and advancing
him to the rank of rear admiral as
fitting reward for the successful
crewning of % years of persistent
and complete the discovery of the
world.
The Coast and Geodetic Survey. the
Oldest scientific bureau in the Govern
ment, has always had a keen interest
in Arctic explorations and the OBJ
tanning L quantitative data from this
little known region, particularly tidal,
current = and magnetic observations
and soundings. Undoubtedly many
explorers have neglected their oppor-
tunities for observing and recording
Arctic tides because the amount of
rise and fall is generally inconsider
able and because the possible bearing
! of this phenomenan on polar problems
was not fully realized.