DEPARTMENT OF TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM.* 



L. A. Bauer, Director. 

 GENERAL SUMMARY. 

 OCEAN MAGNETIC WORK. 



The return of the Carnegie to her home port, Weshington, D. C, 

 on June 10, 1918, in order to go out of commission probably during 

 the period of the war, is of special interest to all who have watched 

 the progress of this vessel in the execution of her chief task — a magnetic 

 survey of the oceans. After having been out of commission at Buenos 

 Aires during the period March to November 1917, the Carnegie sailed 

 from that port early in December 1917 on her homeward cruise, 

 making a record western passage, for a sailing vessel, around the 

 Horn to Talcahuano, Chile. She thence proceeded to Callao, Peru, 

 and passing through the Panama Canal sailed for Newport News, 

 Virginia, arriving there June 4, 1918. The scientific work accomplished 

 is set forth on page 234. Table 2, pages 249-255, contains the pre- 

 liminary results of the magnetic observations from December 1917 

 to June 1918. With this table there have appeared now in print aU 

 the results of our ocean magnetic work, 1905-1918, with sufficient 

 accuracy for the practical purposes of mariners' magnetic charts. 



Though the German government, before our entrance into the war, 

 was being suppHed promptly and continuously (the same as were other 

 interested countries) with the magnetic data obtained aboard the 

 Carnegie, no assurance was received from the German authorities that 

 a vessel like the Carnegie, engaged in a world scientific mission for the 

 welfare of all nations, would receive any special protection or assistance 

 from her naval commanders. 



It may be recalled in this connection that during a period of warfare 

 almost a century and a half ago, France and the American Colonies, 

 then (1779) at war with England, issued special instructions (see 

 page 262) to their sea commanders to the effect that, if they fell 

 in with Captain Cook's vessels returning from the South Seas to Eng- 

 land, they were to facilitate their passage and show them every respect. 

 The grounds for such enlightened instructions were that Captain 

 Cook's discoveries were of general utility to all nations and of benefit 

 to mankind in general. No similar instructions, as far as known, were 

 issued by Germany to her naval commanders with regard to the 

 Carnegie in spite of her peaceful and scientific mission for the good of 

 all countries, and although it was well known in Germany that this 

 vessel was returning from another world-cruise begun in 1915. The 

 original plans for the Carnegie contemplated a return of the vessel to 



♦Address, Thirty-sixth Street and Broad Branch Road, Washington, D. C. 



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