Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-02
NAUTILUS VOYAGE
TERMED SANE" BY
CARNEGIE EXPERT
Venture to Add Substantial
knowledge to Arctic
Science.
OBSERVATORY. BUILDS
ELABORATE CLOCKS
Studies of Planet Eros Nearest Per-
feet of Any Made in
World
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The projected cruise Of the Nautilus
not only will be a sane venture, but
should add substantially to scientific
knowledge of the Arctic.
This was the opinion expressed yes
terday by DR.. John A. Fleming, direc-
tor of the terrestrial magnetism labora-
tory Of the Carnegie Institution OF
washington, which is sending one OF It's
own physicists to accompany Sir Hubert
wilkins on his two-month submarine
voyage under the Arctic ice.
DR.. Floyd M. Soule, he said. will join
the wilkins expedition in Bergen, Nor
way, in time to be with the party late
this month when the Nautilus is due
to set out. The expedition promises
such substantial results. he pointed out,
that it is sponsored by such organi2a-
tions as the Geophysical Union, the
American Geographical Society, the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
and the Cleveland Museum OF Natural
History.
All Precautions Taken.
Every possible precaution against
danger has been taken, DR.. Fleming
said, and observations on the thickness
of the ice, which Is seldom greater than
2 feet, indicate that there will be no
need to use some OF the emergency
safeguards provided for the voyage. In
formation will be obtained, 1t Is ex-
pected, of hitherto UNEMPLOYED parts OF
the Arctic Basin. Among the obServa-
tions to be taken are those of the pene-
tration of sunlight into the sea, gravity,
salinity, water temperatures and ter
restial magnetism.
The scientific work, Dr. Fleming said,
will be in charge of one Of the most
experienced and conservative OF living
Arctic explorers, DR.. Harold H. Sverdrup
of Norway, who was second in COM
mand to Roald Amundsen in the voyage
Of the Maud.
The voyage Of the Nautilus is part
of the scientific program for the inter-
national polar year. Word has been re-
ceived from DR.. Hugo Eckener, 1t was
announced, that he will leave Germany
about July 10 for trial flight for a
short distance into the Arctic area.
This will be preliminary to a major
flight planned this year or next across
the Arctic Basin from Frederichshafen
to Faibanks, Alaska. 1t is planned to
have at least one American geophysiclSt
aboard.
Elaborate Clocks Are Built.
Plans were described by Capt j. F.
Hellweg, superintendent Of the Naval
Observatory, for improved time service
for the American people. Time Is OIL
cialy determined, he explained, by the
observed passage of various stars over
the meridian Of Washington. These OBJ
seryations are used from day TO day to
correct the records of the Siderial clocks
whose records are tranSposed into the
solar mean time, which is broadcast.
The observatory, he announced, now
is building vault for these star"
clocks which will be essentially big
tFermos bottle. There will be an in
terror vault of hollow tile surrounded
by a 30-irch air space. Outside this
win be a wall Of reinforced concrete
and all will be sunk below the frost
line. The interior of this vault will re-
main constantly at a temperature OF
80 degrees and pressure will be kept
constant.
Light will be reflected into the vault
to eliminate effects of any lighting
mechanism inside. The vault Will be
finished in white enamel so as to give
a brilliant illumination to the interior.
To look inside the vault an upside
down periscope device has been ar
ranged so that 1t never will be neces-
sary for eny of the scientific staff to
enter 1t. except at rare intervals when
the clocks are in need of repair. 1t Is
planned to have six clocks in adj in
closed in the vault. These will never
be reset but checked with the passage
Of the stars.
Eros Studies Nearly Perfect.
The Naval Observatory, Capt. He'll
veg explained, is loath to increase the
number OF daily time broadcastS unless
a continuing need can be shown. II
such a practice was started, he said, i
would be very difficult to stop it when
the actual scientific need was ended.
The observations of the minor planet
Eros, taken at the observatory this Win
ter. Capt. Hellweg announced, have been
found the nearest perfect Of any taken
in the world during the international
cooperative project recently concluded
Practically all obServatories were train
ing their telescopes on Eros. which
came closest to earth Of any heavenly
body except the moon and thus afforded
q meaSuring stick for the solar system.
Need of extreme accuracy down 10
at least a thousandth of A second in
time signals was explained by Frank
Wenner of the Bureau of Standards, and
eficials Of the Coast and Geodetic Sur
yey stressed the need OF more fire.
uuent signals in their surveying and
gravity work.
Plans to return to sails for the con-
venience Of scientific workers were eX-
planned by representatives Of the newly
organized Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institute, which has just QUILTED a
ship for long voyages TO collect scien-
tific data. The sailing ship, 1t was ex-
planned, sails much more smoothly
than one driven by machinery, there
would be less disturbance to scientific
instruments and less sea-sickness
Among tho u0FkpTg