Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XXV. “We Were the First“
TheTrade-windsbringaconstantsuccessionofcloudsormistsinwhichimmensequantitiesofelectricitynotcompletelyexhaustedbystorms,arestored.Hencethereexistsaformidableaccumulationofelectricfluidatthepoles,anditflowstowardsthelandinapermanentstream.
Fromthiscausecomethenorthernandsouthernauroras,whoseluminoussplendoursshineabovethehorizon,especiallyduringthelongpolarnight,andarevisibleeveninthetemperatezoneswhentheyattaintheirmaximumofculmination.
Thesecontinuouscurrentsatthepoles,whichbewilderourcompasses,mustpossessanextraordinaryinfluence.Anditwouldsufficethatablockofironshouldbesubjectedtotheiractionforittobechangedintoamagnetofpowerproportionedtotheintensityofthecurrent,tothenumberofturnsoftheelectrichelix,andtothesquarerootofthediameteroftheblockofmagnetizediron.Thus,then,thebulkofthesphinxwhichupreareditsmysticformuponthisouteredgeofthesouthernlandsmightbecalculatedbythousandsofcubicyards.
Now,inorderthatthecurrentshouldcirculatearounditandmakeamagnetofitbyinduction,whatwasrequired?Nothingbutametalliclode,whoseinnumerablewindingsthroughthebowelsofthesoilshouldbeconnectedsubterraneouslyatthebaseoftheblock.
Itseemedtomealsothattheplaceofthisblockoughttobeinthemagneticaxis,asasortofgiganticcalamite,fromwhencetheimponderablefluidwhosecurrentsmadeaninexhaustibleaccumulatorsetupattheconfinesoftheworldshouldissue.
