The National Academy of Sciences’ Committee to Formulate a Plan for a Systematic Search for the Magnetic North Pole, 1890

[The following narrative is taken from Frederick W. True’s Semi-centennial history of the National Academy of Sciences, A History of the First Half-Century of the National Academy of Sciences 1863-1913, pp. 311-312.]

The idea of organizing an expedition to search for the Magnetic North Pole originated with Colonel W.H. Gilder, United States Army. Col. Gilder was amember of the expedition sent out by the American Geographical Society in 1879 to search for the papers of Sir John Franklin. In 1881 he was a volunteer on the ship Rodgers, which was sent out by the Government to search for the Jeannette.

His suggestion of the desirability of sending out an expedition for the purpose of locating the Magnetic North Pole was made in 1890 to Professor T.C. Mendenhall, then Superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, who put him into communication with Professor C.A. Schott. [See Jour. Amer. Geogr. Soc., vol. 24, pp. 215-261] On May 28 of the same year Professor Mendenhall addressed a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury in which he expressed the opinion that any properly-organized expedition for the purpose ought to received the encouragement of the Government, and suggested that the National Academy of Sciences be asked to formulate a plan.

On May 22, 1890, the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, Geo. S. Batcheller, requested the President of the Academy to appoint a committee to report on the subject. The President, Professor Marsh, appointed S.P. Langley (chairman), Henry L. Abbot, W.P. Trowbridge, A.M. Mayer, Chas. A. Schott, John Trowbridge and Charles Carpmael. This committee submitted a preliminary report on November 12, 1890, in which it stated that in its opinion a knowledge of the exact position of the Magnetic North Pole was not so important “as a study of the changes in the magnetic elements to be obtained from a cordon of stations, stretching from Alaska to Newfoundland, supplemented also by stations in Siberia.” It suggested that a cordon of stations should be established near the line of dip of 89 degrees, and that the observations should be taken simultaneously at all the stations.[Rep. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1890, p. 35]

Here the matter seems to have rested until May 2, 1892, when a general discussion took place before the American Geographical Society, Chief Justice Daly of New York presiding. The preliminary report of the Academy was read, together with letters from Professor Mendenhall and Professor Marsh, after which addresses were delivered by Professor Wm. P. Trowbridge, Professor Mayer, General Greeley and Colonel Gilder. Professor Trowbridge read a letter from Professor Schott containing a detailed plan for a survey of the region immediately surrounding the pole.

Although the meeting was an enthusiastic one, the expedition was never organized. It seems to have been intended that Col. Gilder should be the leader, and that Lieut. Schwatka should accompany him. Lieut. Schwatka died on November 2, 1892,[Journ. Amer. Geogr. Soc., vol. 24, p. 618] and this circumstance appears to have interfered with the success of the enterprise.