THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE POLES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13908, 6 December 1910, Page 8

THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE POLES.

TO THB EDITOK O* "TUB PBESS." Sir, —As one who takes interest in scientific phenomena, I, you will allow mo to make a few "**f;". marks regarding the Rev. P. W. dough's "Astronomical Notes" for cember, which appear in your 30th ult. Mr Fairclough therein a statement closely connected with | : f t t| theory I have held for over. twenJt?,X v ; years, and which I still believe to »<„.j sound and quite in accordance with tw latest scientific discoveries. That tbeorjf.7 ■% is that tho air is not only much-rtf*.--.'* at tho Poles than at the Equator. W.W also at tho Poles one -would only hart f ; | to travel quite a short distance fo®*:. * tbe earth upwards to rise above "**"?! atmosphere altogether. The c**!* '_*-. ment which leads to this supposition 14----need not stop to explain now. M,?,, the Rev. P. W. Fairclough says, "!*».£_; a clock, with all possible adjustment* *. be set to keep exact timo at the tor. Tlien carry it towards, the P°*** \'■ It will begin to gain slowly and refit*-* I ;.' larly sis you travel, till at tho *<***■■ itself it would gain 3. minutes a day- - Mr Fairclough argues that this is dtw - to the extra pull of gravity making *M -' pendulum go faster. This may be ».' - But my theory is that the pendulws ; ■ moves faster a/_ the air becomes rtWT,-~:-; and that if the pendulum were swa*jj?if\" ing in a vacuum it would swing st same rate at the Pole as at the J&ltt*"? 4 ; tor. At any rate, it would be an in"■' - teresting experiment for some of $UC , Polar explorers to test tho accuracy'f"; otherwise of this theory.—Yours, .<*&**» C. P. W T . I/ONGDIIJ*