WIRELESS ON MACQUARIE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16296, 1 February 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

WIRELESS ON MACQUARIE

scientific discoveries. Projecting south from Australasia are tw« long world ridges—one south of Tasmania and tho other south from New Zealand. Without doubt they originally formed a land connection with Antarctica, whereby our marsupials may have marched from South America. A small portion of one of these ridges which project above sea level for a matter of 20 miles, constitutes Macquarie Island. It was discovered in 1810 by a Sydney whaler, and remained practically unknown except by whalers until 1911. In October, 1910, while Captain Scott's expedition was preparing for the voyage to Antarctica, it was suggested that the island would be a most useful site for a meteorological station between Antarctica and Australia. But it was not until the following >cfir that tho commonwealth authorities (saye tho Sydney Telegraph) decided to subsidise the Mawson expedition with a view to initiating a meteorological station on this island. Mawson carried a wireless plant to Antarctica, and another to Macquarie Island, where the station was placed in charge of Mr G. I''. Aimworth, an officer of the Melbourne bureau.

Early in December, 1911, tho small party was landed on the rugged and inhospitable island, lhereupon tho Aurora sailed south to establish Mawson at Commonwealth Bay. Macquarie Island formed a convenient relay bctwoen Antarctica and Hobart —being about 600 miles from cach station. It stands out of the raging Antarctic seas like a " tilo on end," 20 miles long, and with an average width of about three miles. Its coasts are formed of steep cliffs, and tho greater part of the island lies between 660 and 1200 ft altitudo. The highest land lies to the south, where Mount Hamilton is 1421 ft high. A small spit of low beach in tho extreme north-east was chosen as the site of the station, and tho wireless antenna surmounted a hill some 350 ft high m the vicinity Sir Douglas Mawson writes : —"The chief vegetation is tussock grass and Kerguelen cabbage, but it abounds in truly wonderful population of birds and animals. At one time it' was a favourite haunt of the valuable fur seal, but for 50 years or more only odd specimens have been seen. Sea elephants, however, are numerous, the bulls being met with up to 20ft in length." Several varieties of penguins are abundant, and it is a favourite breeding place for numerous of the rarer Antarctic gulls. Our winter rains—and many of our summer rains—depend (Mr Hunt, Federal Meteorologist, to whom the Telegraph ia indebted for these facts, explains) on the presence of "Antarctic Lows" or depressions of low pressure. These move along from west to east, covering about 400 miles a day. Meteorologists depend essentially on a knowledge of these lows for a knowledge of the weather controls. Unfortunately, nearly the whole of one of these lows—which may be 1000 miles wide—lies south of our continent; and we are left to explain our weather vagaries from the shape of a few curved lines of preassure (isobars), which show the northern bounds of the Antarctic low. Now, Macquarie Island lies just about as far south of the centre of these wandering lows as Melbourne does to the north. Every day since March 6, 1912, we have been receiving mystic code radios from Macquarie. From these we are able to plot' the iflobario curves almost completely, and thus we obtain a picture of weather conditions much more complete than any obtained heretofore. It is to be regreted thai Macquarie Island lies somewhat east of the continent, so that the value of the reports received is not so great for forecasting as it would be if the station were, say, on St. Paul Island, in the Indian Ocean. But this brings us to another consideration. Some months after the wireless was operating successfully between Macquarie Island and Hobart feeble messages were received from Antarctica, and soon the original intention of the station was made good, and messages to and from Antarctica were exchanged almost daily. The meteorological value of the data from Antarctica is not so much direct, but is allied to that relating the Mauritius station to the weather service of India. Prolonged attempts have been made to forecast the type of monsoon rains in India, and one of the most promising factors has been found in the weather conditions in the far-off station of Mauritius. Lest this may seem too fanciful, let it be stated that one of the most important results of the Scott Antarctica records is that a definite relation has been shown to exist between the Rosa Island records and those of southern Australia. This has not been fully developed yet, but such scientific discoveries fully justify tho small expense entailed in maintaining them. Their value to New Zealand has been recognised by the dominion, which has granted £500 a year for three years, and by the Federal Government, which has set aside £1000 for the ensuing 12 months. Meanwhile, the good ship Aurora is again voyaging south to Ross Island, and there a continuous record will be maintained on the bleak shores of Antarctica. It ia the writer's firm belief that the gigantic " cold storage" of the Polar continent exerts as great an economic effect on the welfare of man in southern regions as does the heated Thibetan massif on those dwelling in monsoon lands.

The personnel on the island at present consists "of Mr Tulloch, officer-in-charge; Mr Henderson, wireless expert; and Mr Ferguson, assistant.