The Ziegler Polar Expedition 



253 



camp. With the»assistance of Mr Hay- 

 ford and other officers of the Coast Sur- 

 vey, Mr Peters is now making prepara- 

 tion for that work. 



Tides. — It is recommended that sys- 

 tematic tidal observations be made at 

 the base camp, a continuous record 

 being maintained through a complete 

 lunation and so much longer as may be 

 necessary to eliminate any irregularities 

 occasioned by storms. For this work 

 Mr Peters is receiving instructions from 

 Dr Harris, of the IL S. Coast Survey. 



Magnetism. — It is recommended that 

 systematic observations of the usual 

 magnetic elements be made at the base 

 camp. It is important that the declina- 

 tion be observed, if possible, at some 

 point where a previous record has been 

 made, and alsothat the magnetic station 

 of the present expedition be definitely 

 marked and recorded, so that at any 

 future time it may be possible to reoc- 

 cupy the station. The determination 

 of declination will have immediate im- 

 portance in connection with the main 

 purpose of the expedition, because if 

 the Pole is approached the compass will 

 afford the most trustworty means for 

 orientation and for the determination of 

 the proper route to be followed in re- 

 turning. Conversely, the traverse of 

 the journey on the ice, taken in con- 

 nection with astronomical observations, 

 will throw light on the position and cur- 

 vature of the magnetic meridians in the 

 polar region — a field of inquiry which 

 has heretofore been occupied only in a 

 theoretic way. 



Aurora. — In connection with system- 

 atic magnetic work, it is desirable to 

 make systematic observation of auroras, 

 recording phenomena with some ful- 

 ness. The question whether the au- 

 rora is ever accompanied by sound is 

 one to which attention may well be 

 given. 



Meteorology. — It is the opinion of Pro- 

 fessor Moore that in the present state 

 of meteorologic investigation t ne regu- 



lar observation at Franz Josef Land of 

 pressure, temperature, and surface wind, 

 while desirable, is less important than 

 tjie determination of the height, drift, 

 and velocity of clouds. Professor Moore 

 has undertaken to prepare instructions 

 for such a determination, 



^Sea-Depth. — In the judgment of Ad- 

 miral Melville, it is very desirable that 

 soundings be made during the north- 

 ward journey, especially as the results 

 of such soundings on the outward jour- 

 ney may aid in the determination of 

 position during the return journey. 

 They will, of course, make contribution 

 to the general bod3' of geographic in- 

 formation, and supplement the impor- 

 tant determinations made by Nansen. 

 Whether it will be practicable to carry 

 on the sledges any apparatus adequate 

 to reach considerable depth is a ques- 

 tion which may advantageously be con- 

 sidered on shipboard. 



Other Observations . — It is not recom- 

 mended that any special preparation be 

 made for observations in geology, zool- 

 ogy, or botany, although the geologist 

 will welcome samples of prevailing 

 rocks, and especially any fossils which 

 may be found, and the zoologist will be 

 glad to have record of birds and mam- 

 mals seen, so far as the members of the 

 party may be able to identify them. 

 Yours very truly, 



G. K. Gilbert, 

 Chairman Research Committee. 



The names of the members of the ex- 

 pedition and their duties follow : 



Commanding officer, Anthony Fiala, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Field Department 



Chief of scientific staff and second in 

 command, William J. Peters, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. 



First assistant scientific staff, Russell 

 W. Porter, Springfield, Mass. 



Meteorologist, Francis Long, Brook- 

 lyn, N. Y. 



