SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1885. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 



The map and geographical article by Lieut. 

 Greely, which appear in this issue, may fairly 

 be said to contain the most important addi- 

 tions to the geography of the polar regions 

 which have been made in some years. The 

 importance of the discoveries of the Greely 

 party lies not merely in their extending the 

 area of mapped coast, but also in the distinc- 

 tive, and to some extent unexpected, character 

 of the physical features of the region now first 

 pointed out. The continuation of North Green- 

 land in the direction and manner determined 

 by Lockwood and Brainard was not unforeseen, 

 or at least is what might have been reasonably 

 predicted. The information as to the narrow- 

 ness of Grinnell Land and the trend of its 

 western shores is hardly what any one would 

 have anticipated ; and the discover\ T adds 

 piquancy to the ordinaiy interest of new ex- 

 ploration. In this connection, the information 

 reported by Dr. Boas is of peculiar interest. 

 It will be singular, indeed, if it finally appears 

 that the channel of Smith Sound, and its con- 

 tinuations, are projected like a ' covered way ' 

 into the realm of ice, as if for the especial 

 benefit of explorers. The absence of any con- 

 siderable body of land north-west from Grinnell 

 Land must have an important bearing on* the 

 question of the ocean-currents of the arctic re- 

 gion. We commend the map to the considera- 

 tion of a well-known geographical amateur, 

 who, if telegraphic despatches are to be trusted, 

 immediately after the receipt of the first ' cable- 

 gram ' of Greely 's explorations, made haste to 

 assure the British public that there was no 

 reason to suppose that Greely* s party had been 

 farther north-east than Beaumont Island, and 

 that their own supposition that the}' had made 

 progress was doubtless an entire misconcep- 

 tion ! The adverse critics of arctic work 

 should bear in mind that the entire geo- 



Xo. 108. —1885. 



graphical and scientific work was accom- 

 plished without disease, disaster, or even 

 serious frost-bite. 



A recent extension of the work undertaken 

 by the secondary meteorological services of our 

 country is the establishment of local signals, 

 indicating the coming changes of weather as 

 telegraphed from the signal -office in Washing- 

 ton. This has been attempted by four of the 

 local services. Ohio led the way a year or 

 more ago by arranging with several railroad - 

 lines for the display of colored signals on the 

 sides of the baggage-cars, and this system has 

 been extended into Canada and Pennsylva- 

 nia. Louisiana had at last accounts sixty- 

 seven stations at which flags were hoisted to 

 forewarn the planters of probable frosts. Ala- 

 bama has a system of three flags in nine com- 

 binations, in operation at about thirty stations. 

 The system is approved, and is extending 

 month by month. Several towns in New 

 England are adopting the Ohio system, intro- 

 duced here through the New-England meteor- 

 ological societ} 7 . Besides all these, there is a 

 considerable number of volunteer-stations at 

 which the 'cold- wave ' flag is displayed. 



The latest suggestion for local signals comes 

 from Vermont, where it is proposed to spread 

 the indications by factory-whistles. The point 

 is made that the out-of-town farmers, who 

 have especial need of the weather warnings, 

 have the smallest opportunity of learning them 

 soon enough, either from newspapers, post- 

 office bulletins, or local flags. Blasts from 

 powerful steam- whistles could, on the other 

 hand, be heard five or more miles around ; and 

 the} T would carry the news to nearly every part 

 of a manufacturing state. All the Vermont 

 boards of town selectmen are to be petitioned 

 to consider the matter, and we shall be glad 

 later in the season to announce good progress 

 in the work. 



