180 



Land Magnetic Observations, 1914-20 



Island, but found that the steamer made a complete circuit of the island with stops at 

 various stations of not more than one or two hours, allowing no time for work, unless 

 one were willing to remain on the island one week until the return of the vessel. The 

 proposed trip to the island was, therefore, abandoned, and after reoccupying the stations 

 of the New Zealand survey at Rotorua and Te Awamutu, I returned to the vicinity of 

 Wellington where three other stations were occupied. There has been considerable change 

 in the vicinity of each of the stations, so that exact reoccupations were not possible, but 

 close reoccupations were usually obtained so that the results are probably good for secular- 

 variation determinations. 



The following table shows stations occupied in New Zealand, with dates of occupa- 

 tion and geographic positions; for magnetic data, see Table of Results. 



Table 27. 



A. D. Power, on Magnetic Work in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, March 



to October 1914. 



Acting under instructions dated February 26 and March 9, 1914, I left New York 

 on March 11 for Caracas, Venezuela, with instrumental equipment as follows: universal 

 instrument No. 21 with dip needles 3 and 4 of 19 and 3 and 4 of 20; pocket chronometer 

 No. 260, small box-chronometer No. 677, three watches, also various accessories, including 

 thermometers, compass, tent, tape, tripod, tool kit, etc. Caracas was reached March 20 

 and a few days were spent there obtaining information concerning various routes, reoccu- 

 pying magnetic station, and transacting other business matters of the expedition. The 

 route decided upon from Caracas to Bogota and which was followed was first an overland 

 journey to San Fernando de Apure, at which point the river travel began, going first 

 down the Apure River to its junction with the Orinoco, following the Orinoco up to the 

 mouth of the Meta River, thence ascending the Meta River into Colombia as far as 

 possible, making the stage overland to Bogota. 



The trip of 300 miles from Caracas to San Fernando de Apure was made between 

 March 25 and April 5, taking 5 hours by train to Cagua, 3 hours by coach to Villa de 

 Cura, and the remainder by mule cart. Parts of the trail were very good and other parts 

 almost impassable. The dryness and intense heat also added considerable discomfort, 

 making night travel necessary. The trip from San Fernando on the Apure River to 

 Orocu6, Colombia, on the Meta River, a distance by river of over 550 miles, began April 12 

 and ended May 22. Navigation by steamer or launch being impossible at the time, ar- 

 rangements were made to use a large canoe fitted with a sail. The trip down the Apure 

 River to the Orinoco was against the strong easterly wind and required about 4 days, 

 but ascending the Orinoco with the strong wind favorable, it required only a little over 

 one day to reach La Urbana on the Orinoco, where the station of 1913 was reoccupied. 



