a 
May 9, 1884. | 
In general, near the magnetic pole, the ship’s 
compass is more or less worthless, its sluggish 
oscillations being easily overcome by the 
most insignificant local attraction, which it 
is almost impossible to avoid on shipboard. 
The farther removed from this great centre of 
magnetic force, necessarily the more reliance 
can be placed on the needle. ‘The simple plan 
of rudely determining the points of the compass 
by a watch or chronometer regulated to mean 
time, conjoined with the motion of the sun in 
azimuth, will be sufficient in a land where the 
‘sun is shining throughout the day, and espe- 
cially when the navigation depends rather on 
the bearings of the ‘leads’ and ice-barriers 
than any determinate direction. The fact that 
a vessel should 
follow a con- 
‘tinuity of land, 
if possible, 
lessens the im- 
portance of the 
compass while 
capes and head- 
lands can be 
kept in view. 
hier See - 
blink’ is a well- 
known yellow 
glare that 
seems to hang 
over pack-ice. 
Any channels 
of natural sky 
seen through 
the glare indi- 
cate open water 
under them ; 
and this is of 
use in approach- 
ing ice. Im fact, the ‘ice-blink’ is more 
marked when at a distance from a pack in 
open water than when in one pack viewing 
another at the same distance. 
Having explained ice-sawing, and hinted at 
a ‘dock,’ I will briefly describe an artificial 
one, and take as a typical example the case of 
the Alert, docked in the ice, Aug. 12, 1875, 
in Smith Sound. A plan of the dock is given 
‘in fig. 10. It was cut in about four hours, 
and could have been done, says the com- 
mander, in half the time, with a better organ- 
ization and more experienced ice-cutting crew. 
It is a necessary operation to prevent being 
crushed between two bodies of ice, when the 
time will allow it, and also when a natural 
dock, formed of irregular blocks or floes, is 
liable to be obliterated by the increasing 
SCIENCE. 
d71 
pressure eroding the fragile edges of the 
blocks. In this latter case a dock cut into 
the solid side of the largest block or floe 
would probably be a safe haven. The use of 
steam has rendered docks much less necessary 
than formerly, as the time occupied in cutting 
one will allow almost any steamer to escape 
any average danger. 
Although, from this rather long list of prob- 
able aretic accidents to which a ship is exposed, 
escape would seem rare, yet, after all, it is 
wonderful to notice the small number of craft 
actually lost in this dangerous species of navi- 
gation, in proportion to the whole number en- 
gaged. Only those that are lost under tragic 
circumstances being brought before the public, 
they are generally supposed to be the greater 
majority of those thus employed. 
FRED’ K SCHWATKA, 
Lieut. U. S. army. 
BESTOWAL OF THE GRAND HONOR- 
ARY WALKER PRIZE ON PROFESSOR 
JAMES HALL. 
SoME years ago Dr. William J. Walker gave to the 
Boston society of natural history a prize-fund, from 
which, in accordance with the terms of the gift, an- 
nual awards are made to successful competitors who 
have written essays on assigned questions. But, be- 
sides these annual awards, a grand honorary prize 
was provided for, to be given every five years, and ~ 
which the society was to grant, on recommendation 
of aspecial committee, ‘for such investigation or dis- 
covery aS may seem to deserve it, provided such in- 
vestigation or discovery shall have been made known 
or published in the United States at least one year 
previous to the time of award.” 
The society, in previous years, has awarded this 
honorary prize, amounting to five hundred or a thou- 
sand dollars, at the option of the society, to Mr. 
Alexander Agassiz and to Professor Joseph Leidy. 
This year the committee, after due consideration of 
the subject, has unanimously concluded to recom- 
mend for this prize, Professor James all of Albany; 
and the award of the highest sum was accordingly 
made by the society, at its meeting of May 7. 
As the founder would appear to have contemplated 
some particular or integral ‘investigation or discov- 
ery,’ ‘we need not,” says the committee, “* take into 
account Professor Hall’s numerous works or publi- 
cations upon North-American geology and paleon- 
tology for the last forty years and more (comprised 
in about twenty-six volumes or parts of volumes, and 
in over two hundred articles or papers, reports, etc.), 
except as they relate to a special line of investigation, 
which Professor Hall early made his own, in which 
he has long been eminent, and which he may be said 
to have essentially completed, although a consider- 
able portion of the results, which have been from 
