176 Land Magnetic Observations, 1914-20 



Rough weather was encountered during the passage from Fila to Norfolk Island and 

 on arrival there it was found impossible to land on the south side at the town, and accord- 

 ingly I got ashore on the north coast and made a full set of magnetic observations during 

 a strong southerly wind. The passage to Lord Howe Island was even worse, the wind 

 rising to the force of a gale, so that the vessel missed the island in the night, being blown 

 out of her course, and returned after daylight. Here again the southern anchorage was 

 untenable, and, during the few hours stop, I got ashore on the north shore and made a 

 half-set of observations. 



I returned to Sydney March 22, having been out 64 days, during which 20 stations 

 had been occupied, some very incompletely, and having traveled approximately 6,100 

 miles, most of which was by steamer. The cost per station of the 20 stations occupied, 

 exclusive of the observer's salary, was about $12.50. 



II. Leaving Sydney on April 28, I went by way of Auckland, New Zealand, first 

 to Fiji Islands, where I reoccupied the secular variation station at Suva, and then to 

 Apia, Samoa, making observations at stops en route in the Tonga Islands. At Apia, 

 which was reached on May 13, comparisons were made with the standard instruments of 

 the Samoa Observatory, May 17 to 21, 1915. 



On May 21 the John Williams, the London Mission ship, arrived, and I was taken 

 aboard for a cruise among the islands of the Tokelau, the Ellice, and the Gilbert Island 

 groups. Stations were occupied at landings as opportunity offered, the itinerary being 

 indicated by the order and dates of the stations in Table 26. Some of the stations 

 would be difficult of access by means other than that employed, as seen by the fact that 

 at one island we picked up a government official who had been stranded there for 3 

 months owing to lack of communication. I went ashore at Ocean Island on May 28 

 to inquire about steamer service to the Marshall Islands and learned that, owing to con- 

 ditions arising from changes incident to the war, formerly established communications 

 had been greatly modified or discontinued. The result of my inquiries made it evident 

 that it was not expedient to undertake to reach the Marshall Islands, and that it would 

 be best to remain with the John Williams, on her return journey, a proposition to which 

 the captain readily assented. Scant time for observations was afforded at many of the 

 stops and at others rough seas prevented a landing for observations, though by making 

 use of such opportunities as arose some good results were obtained. 



We returned to Sydney on August 3 after a stormy passage. The time consumed 

 on this section of the work was 105 days, during which 28 stations had been occupied, 

 after traveling nearly 12,000 miles, the average cost per station being (exclusive of obser- 

 ver's salary) but little more than $10. This low cost is in large measure due to the cour- 

 teous and hospitable treatment accorded by the Australian Ship Committee of the London 

 Missionary Society, and to the officers and crew of the John Williams, who rendered every 

 assistance in their power to make the trip a pleasant and profitable one. 



Had the weather been less favorable, many of the stations could not have been 

 reached, as landings would have been impossible. On account of the prevailing easterly 

 winds, most of the landings were made on the west side of the islands, and because of the 

 dense groves of coconut palms, observations on the sun could rarely be made except 

 in the afternoons. There were but few permanent reference-objects that could be noted 

 in descriptions of stations. The native huts are in general light and portable and offer 

 little prospects for permanency. 



III. I left Sydney aboard the Mindini on August 31, for a short trip among the 

 Solomon Islands. Anchor was dropped in Tulagi Harbor on the evening of September 9. 

 Between that date and September 25 I traveled with the steamer as she moved about 

 the groups to the scattered trading stations, occupying stations as indicated in Table 26. 

 View 5 of Plate 7 is a typical station. The conditions of work were very similar to those 



