320 



THE WORLD'S ADVANCE 



The "Wabble" of the North 

 Pole is Detected and Re- 

 corded by This Instrument. 



DETECTING AND MEASURING THE 

 WABBLE OF THE NORTH POLE 



The majority of us who look upon the 

 North Pole as the unswerving standard 

 of permanency will be astonished to 

 learn that the 

 pole "wabbles'' 

 and is not true 

 to the central 

 point in the 

 heavens towards 

 which it is sup- 

 posed to be 

 fixed. 



The tilt of the 

 earth was be- 

 lieved for many 

 hundreds of 

 years to remain 

 in the same po- 

 sition, unaffected 

 by its daily revo- 

 lution on its axis 

 or its whirl 

 around the sun. 

 But as its diver- 

 gence has be- 

 come a matter of record among some 

 astronomers, the United States Naval 

 Observatory has just finished installing 

 a machine that will detect the polar 

 variations with absolute accuracy. This 

 machine, which is spoken of by the laity 

 as the "Wabbler," has a long scientific 

 name given it by 

 the observatory 

 experts. It is 

 housed in a 

 small building 

 on the grounds, 

 where tests can 

 be taken fre- 

 quently and the 

 conduct of the 

 pole properly 

 watched. 



The variation 

 of the pole from 

 the supposed straight position of its axis" 

 is a spiral course in other words, it 

 "wabbles" about its fixed center to a 

 matter of sixty degrees thirty degrees 

 on each side. It does so just in the same 

 manner as a top that is "dying," as the 

 boys' say, swings around from its upright 



position. This polar activity lasts for a 

 space of seven years. It takes about three 

 and a half years to spin on its outward 

 course, then the same time to return to 

 its point in the center. It has also been 

 remarked by scientists that the occurrence 

 of earthquakes is common when these po- 

 lar variations are greatest. Hence the 

 theory has been advanced that there may 

 be some sort of connection between the 

 "wabbling" of the pole and the earth- 

 quakes which cause such great disaster. 

 The machine at the observatory is in 

 charge of Dr. F. E. Ross, who will study 

 the polar behavior with a critic's stern 

 eye and report to Uncle Sam on its con- 

 duct. 



ENGLAND'S NAVAL INVENTION 

 BOARD 



Following the example of the United 

 States, England has formed a Naval In- 

 vention Board. Among the well-known 

 members of the board are Crookes, 

 Lodge and Parsons, of electrical, wire- 

 less and steam turbine fame, respectively. 



In a Miniature Racing Automobile the Driver, Harry Hartz, 



Drove Over a Seventy-five Mile 



Minutes and 



BOY CHAMPION RACING DRIVER 



Harry Hartz, champion junior racing 

 driver of the world, drove over the 75- 

 mile course of the Junior Grand Prix 

 race at the Exposition Grounds in San 

 Francisco in I hour, 36 minutes, 56^ 



seconds, re- 

 markably fast 

 time consider- 

 ing the youth 

 of the drivers, 

 the small size 

 of the cars and 

 the difficult 

 course. He had 

 already won 

 the Junior 

 Vanderbiltrace 

 a short time 



Course in One Hour, 36 

 i6y 4 Seconds. 



prior to this 



victory, thus he is now undisputed cham- 

 pion. Twelve cars raced in this event for 

 the coveted honor, and many thrilling 

 battles for place were fought as the tiny 

 cars whirled over the track. Young 

 Hartz won both races in his speedy little 

 Mercer automobile. 



