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National Geographic : 1904 Jun
Contents
LAND IN VICINITY OF NORTH POLE experienced in the past two years worse than anything that has been known in sixty years; but probably the Philip pines has experienced its worst luck in the two years' visitation of locusts, which have destroyed everything in their path. Yet, in spite of this, as I say, the revenues have increased, and last year, for the first time since Amer ican occupation, a balance of trade in favor of the islands to the extent of $150,ooois shown. The following table shows the increase of the total imports and exports each year : 1899........................ $25,479,922 1900oo...... ................. 40,352,504 1901.. ....... . ......... 53,494,354 1902......... .. .. ........... 56,069,521 1903............ ... ..... ... 66,093,662 I am officially informed that no seri ous inequalities have been found in the tariff. To be concluded in July number SOME INDICATIONS OF LAND IN THE VICINITY OF THE NORTH POLE* BY R. A. HARRIS, U. S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY IT is a well established fact that there are two important surface currents (or drifts) in the Arctic Ocean. One of these flows easterly along the northern coast of Alaska, through the Arctic Archipelago. finally reaching the Atlantic Ocean through Davis and Hudson Straits. The other starts in the neighborhood of Herald Island, north westerly from Bering Strait, and thence flows northwesterly, passing to the north of New Siberia; thence to the north of Franz Josef Land and the Spitz bergen Islands, and through Denmark Strait to and around Cape Farewell. Therefore these currents are near to gether when north of Bering Strait and again when in the vicinity of southern Greenland. Some evidence of the American cur rent may be cited. The ships Advance and Rescue, of the first Grinnell Expe dition, were for a while carried north- erly in Wellington Channel by the drift ing ice; but when near the northern end of the channel the current reversed, and hereafter they were carried south erly and easterly through Barrow Strait, Lancaster Sound, Baffin Bay, Davis Strait to latitude 650 30' N., where they got themselves free from the ice. The amount of southeasterly drifting meas ures about I,ooo nautical miles, and required a little more than six months, extending from November, 1850, to June, 1851. This gives an average rate of 5 miles per day. In May, 1854, the British ships In trepid and Resolute were abandoned off the western end of Barrow Strait. The Resolute was picked up off Cape Mercy, in the south end of Davis Strait, in Sep tember, 1855. During these 16 months i,1oo miles were covered, making an average rate of 23 miles per day. Strong easterly currents are encoun- *Read before the Philosophical Society of Washington, April 9, 1904. Communicated to the National Geographic Magazine by O. H. Tittmann, Superintendent of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. 255
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