WE REACH THE POLE 291 



as those made at the same spot twenty-four hours 

 before. 



I had now taken in all thirteen single, or six and 

 one-half double, altitudes of the sun, at two different 

 stations, in three different directions, at four different 

 times. All were under satisfactory conditions, except 

 for the first single altitude on the sixth. The tempera- 

 ture during these observations had been from minus 

 11° Fahrenheit to minus 30° Fahrenheit, with clear 

 sky and calm weather (except as already noted for 

 the single observation on the sixth). I give here a 

 facsimile of a typical set of these observations. (See 

 the two following pages.) 



In traversing the ice in these various directions 

 as I had done, I had allowed approximately ten 

 miles for possible errors in my observations, and 

 at some moment during these marches and counter- 

 marches, I had passed over or very near the point 1 

 where north and south and east and west blend into 

 one. 



1 Ignorance and misconception of all polar matters seem so widespread and 

 comprehensive that it appears advisable to introduce here a few a b c paragraphs. 

 Anyone interested can supplement these by reading the introductory parts of 

 any good elementary school geography or astronomy. 



The North Pole (that is, the geographical pole as distinguished from the 

 magnetic pole, and this appears to be the first and most general stumbling block 

 of the ignorant) is simply the point where that imaginary line known as the earth's 

 axis — that is, the line on which the earth revolves in its daily motion — intersects 

 the earth's surface. 



Some of the recent sober discussions as to the size of the North Pole, whether 

 it was as big as a quarter, or a hat, or a township, have been intensely ludicrous. 



Precisely speaking, the North Pole is simply a mathematical point, and there- 

 fore, in accordance with the mathematical definition of a point, it has neither length, 

 breadth, nor thickness. 



If the question is asked, how closely can the Pole be determined (this is the 

 point which has muddled some of the ignorant wiseacres), the answer will be: 



