in progress.

** The magnetic meridian is the straight line joining the North
and South Magnetic Poles and passing through the spot in question.

The observations made in the "Absolute Hut", carried out at frequent
intervals and on each occasion occupying two men for several hours
together, are necessary to obtain standard values as a check upon the
graphic record of the self-recording instruments which run day and night
in the "Magnetograph House".

But this is another story. Three hours, sitting writing figures in a
temperature of -15 degrees F., is no joke. The magnetician is not so
badly off, because he is moving about, though he often has to stop and
warm his fingers, handling the cold metal.

The Magnetograph House had by far the most formidable name. The Hut,
though it symbolized our all in all, sounded very insignificant unless
it were repeated with just the right intonation. The Absolute Hut had
a superadded dignity. The Hangar, in passing, scarcely seemed to have a
right to a capital H. The Transit House, on the and other hand, was the
only dangerous rival to the first mentioned. But what's in a name?

If the Magnetograph House had been advertised, it would have been
described as "two minutes from the Hut." This can easily be understood,
for the magnetician after leaving home is speedily blown over a few
hillocks and sastrugi, and, coming to an ice-flat about one hundred and
fifty yards wide, swiftly slides over it, alighting at the snow-packed
door of his house. The outside porch is just roomy enough for a man to
slip off burberrys and crampons. The latter are full of steel spikes,
and being capable of upsetting magnetic equilibrium, are left outside.
Walking in soft finnesko, the magnetician opens an inner door, to be at
once accosted by darkness, made more intense after the white glare of
the snow. His eyes grow accustomed to the blackness, and he gropes his
way to a large box almost concealing the feeble glimmer of a lamp. The
lamp is the source of the light, projected on to small mirrors attached
to the magnetic needles of three variometers. A ray of light is
reflected from the mirrors for several feet on to a slit, past which
revolves sensitized photographic paper folded on a drum moving by
clockwork. The slightest movements of the suspended needles are greatly
magnified, and, when the paper is removed and developed in a dark-room,
a series of intricate curves denoting declination, horizontal