An Expedition Without End: Measure of the Earth by Larrie D. Ferreiro (newspaper article)

2011·0.27 MB·English

by  Amir D. Aczel

An
Expedition
Without End
MeasureoftheEarth
ByLarrieD.Ferreiro
(BasicBooks,353pages,$28)
TheancientHebrewsneeded40yearstotravelfrom
EgypttothePromisedLand.Butwhowouldbelieve
thatinthe18thcentury—whentraderoutesacross
theAtlantichadbeenestablishedfortwocenturiesand
colonialroadsstretchedwellintotheSouthAmerican
continent—agroupofscientiststravelingfromFranceto
theareaofpresent-dayEcuadorwouldrequirealmost40
yearsforallthememberstocompletethetrip?
Yetthisiswhathappenedtosomemembersofwhat
LarrieD.Ferreirodescribesas“theworld’sfirstinter-
nationalscientificexpedition.”Thegroup,whose
adventuresaredeftlytoldin“MeasureoftheEarth,”left
Francein1735onamissionorganizedbytheFrench
AcademyofSciences.ThemembersoftheGeodesic
Mission(laterjoinedbySpaniardstravelingseparately)
werechargedbyLouisXVwithbringingbackfromSouth
Americaonesinglenumberconsideredsoimportantthat
FraTnhcieswnausmebaegrerwatositnhveeswtidmitlhlioofnosnoefdferganrcesetoofolbattiatiundeit.
measuredattheequator.Itheldthekeytothepuzzleof
twhaesschaallpeed.ofThoautrfpolranme,t,inotrur“nt,hewafsoremssoefnttihaelEtaortahn,”acacsuirtate
navigationoftheseas,askillessentialtoaspiringimperial
powers.
Earlierdatahad
impliedthatthe
Earthmightbe
shapedlikeanegg.
ButNewton’s
recentlypublished
theoryofmechanics
indicatedthata
spinningEarthwould
lookmorelikean
apple,wideratthe
equatorandflatterat
thepoles.Sincethe
Earth’srotationismost
pronouncedatthe
equator,thatpartofthe
globebulgesthemost—for
thesamereasonthatifyouswing
aroundaweighttiedtoarubberband,
thebandwillexpand.Thusadegreeoflatitudethereis
smaller,inactualnorth-to-southdistance,thanadegree
closertooneofthepoles.(IftheEarthwereaperfect
sphere,adegreeoflatitudewouldbeeverywhereequal.)
Toestablishthissimplefact,however,requiredtaking
thousandsofpainstakingterrestrialandastronomical
measurementsfromaseriesofsiteslocateddirectlyat
theequator.Mr.Ferreiroisathisbestdescribingthe
actualefforttodoso,withitsendlessadventuresand
calamities.HavingarrivedinSouthAmerica,thescientists
sotfaorpteerdatoinontsh.eiArwSapayntioshQumietom,bwehricohftwhaesetxopebdeittihoenirbase
describedinhisjournalthechallengeoffightingoff
mosquitoes:“Noexpedientwasofanyuseagainsttheir
numbers;thesmokeofthetreesweburntallnightto
dispersethemseemedtoaugmentratherthandiminish
theirnumbers;ourfaceswereswollenandourbodies
ablazeandcoveredinwelts.”Somememberscontracted
malaria.Fortunately,thegroupwastravelingthroughthe
veryregionthatishometothefabledcinchonatree—the
“fevertree,”asthenativescalledit—whosebarkisthe
sourceofquinine,usedasatreatment.
Thedifficultieswerejustbeginning.The200-milearc
thatthescientistshadchosentosurveytraveledacrossa
lineofvolcanoesintheAndes,eachofwhichtheyhadto
climb.Themencampedformonthsatanaltitudeof
15,000feet,battlingsubzerotemperaturesandcoping
withaltitudesicknesswhilewaitingfortheskiestoclear
sothattheycouldseetheterrainclearlyenoughtomake
asinglemeasurementoutofthemanyrequired.
Battlingsubzerotemperatures,
swarmingmosquitoesandangry
Inquisitors,alltofindasinglenumber.
Theexpeditionwasbesetbymoneyproblems,too.Its
unscrupulousleader,theastronomerLouisGodin,
squanderedfundsonpersonalpleasures—includinga
diamondringforhiscourtesan.Hewaseventually
replaced,andtheworkcontinued.Asmonthsandyears
passed,expensespiledup:forlodging,suppliesand
slaves.SlaverywasawayoflifeintheAmericas:The
scientistsusedslavestocarryheavysurveying
equipment,suchasironquadrants,upmountainpathstoo
difficultformules.
Manyresidentcolonials,notunderstandingthe
missionorevenwhatsciencewas,tooktheforeignersfor
smugglers.IntheSouthAmericaofthattime,all
smugglerswerebelievedtobeJews,andsincepracticing
Judaismwaspunishablebydeath,thelocalheadofthe
Inquisitiontookgreatinterestinthetravelers.Theyshook
himoffthetrailbyinvitinghimfordinnerandtelling
him:“Wewouldserveonlypork,withallitssauces.”
Afterninelongyearsofmeasuringthegroundandthe
ttcduemyuioLiciiLCb.liiexiierriDersoimeueoaesic
,Mwiesrseicohna(rlgaetedrbjyoiLnoeudisbyXVSpwaintiharbdrsintgrianvgelbiangcksefpraormatSeolyu)th
Americaonesinglenumberconsideredsoimportantthat
FraTnhcieswnausmebaegrerwatositnhveeswtidmitlhlioofnosnoefdferganrcesetoofolbattiatiundeit.
measuredattheequator.Itheldthekeytothepuzzleof
theshapeofourplanet,or“theformoftheEarth,”asit
wascalled.Thatform,inturn,wasessentialtoanaccurate
navigationoftheseas,askillessentialtoaspiringimperial
powers.
Earlierdatahad
impliedthatthe
Earthmightbe
shaped'likeanegg.
ButNewton’s
recentlypublished
theoryofmechanics
indicatedthata
spinningEarthwould
lookmorelikean
apple,wideratthe
equatorandflatterat
thepoles.Sincethe
Earth’srotationismost
pronouncedatthe
equator,thatpartofthe
globebulgesthemost—for
thesamereasonthatifyouswing
aroundaweighttiedtoarubberband,
thebandwillexpand.Thusadegreeoflatitudethereis
smaller,inactualnorth-to-southdistance,thanadegree
closertooneofthepoles.(IftheEarthwereaperfect
sphere,adegreeoflatitudewouldbeeverywhereequal.)
Toestablishthissimplefact,however,requiredtaking
thousandsofpainstakingterrestrialandastronomical
measurementsfromaseriesofsiteslocateddirectlyat
theequator.Mr.Ferreiroisathisbestdescribingthe
actualefforttodoso,withitsendlessadventuresand
calamities.HavingarrivedinSouthAmerica,thescientists
startedontheirwaytoQuito,whichwastobetheirbase
ofoperations.ASpanishmemberoftheexpedition
describedinhisjournalthechallengeoffightingoff
mosquitoes:“Noexpedientwasofanyuseagainsttheir
numbers;thesmokeofthetreesweburntallnightto
dispersethemseemedtoaugmentratherthandiminish
theirnumbers;ourfaceswereswollenandourbodies
ablazeandcoveredinwelts.”Somememberscontracted
malaria.Fortunately,thegroupwastravelingthroughthe
veryregionthatishometothefabledcinchonatree—the
“fevertree,”asthenativescalledit—whosebarkisthe
sourceofquinine,usedasatreatment.
Thedifficultieswerejustbeginning.The200-milearc
thatthescientistshadchosentosurveytraveledacrossa
lineofvolcanoesintheAndes,eachofwhichtheyhadto
climb.Themencampedformonthsatanaltitudeof
15,000feet,battlingsubzerotemperaturesandcoping
withaltitudesicknesswhilewaitingfortheskiestoclear
sothattheycouldseetheterrainclearlyenoughtomake
asinglemeasurementoutofthemanyrequired.
Battlingsubzerotemperatures,
swarmingmosquitoesandangry
Inquisitors,alltofindasinglenumber.
Theexpeditionwasbesetbymoneyproblems,too.Its
unscrupulousleader,theastronomerLouisGodin,
squanderedfundsonpersonalpleasures—includinga
diamondringforhiscourtesan.Hewaseventually
replaced,andtheworkcontinued.Asmonthsandyears
passed,expensespiledup:forlodging,suppliesand
slaves.SlaverywasawayoflifeintheAmericas:The
scientistsusedslavestocarryheavysurveying
equipment,suchasironquadrants,upmountainpathstoo
difficultformules.
Manyresidentcolonials,notunderstandingthe
missionorevenwhatsciencewas,tooktheforeignersfor
smugglers.IntheSouthAmericaofthattime,all
smugglerswerebelievedtobeJews,andsincepracticing
Judaismwaspunishablebydeath,thelocalheadofthe
Inquisitiontookgreatinterestinthetravelers.Theyshook
himoffthetrailbyinvitinghimfordinnerandtelling
him:“Wewouldserveonlypork,withallitssauces.”
Afterninelongyearsofmeasuringthegroundandthe
stars,thescientistsfinallytriumphedin1743.Theynow
possessedthemagicnumber:68.70miles(usingourown
units)foronedegreeoflatitudeontheequator,as
choommpearaenddwpiretshe6n9t.t0h7eimrilfeisndiinngPsa.riBsu.tIttwheasWatrimoefttohereturn
AustrianSuccessionhaddrawnEnglandandSpaininto
viciousnavalhostilities,makingoceantravelperilous.So
themendispersed,eachtofindhisownwayhome.
ThefirstscientisttoarriveinParis,PierreBouguer,
receivedfromtheacademytheaccoladesthatwerethe
entireteam’sdue.Another,CharlesMariedeLa
Condamine,whohadrafteddowndangerousrapidsand
negotiatedtheunchartedAmazonbeforecrossingthe
Atlantic,returnedalittlelaterandmadehisnameby
publishinghisadventuresin1751.
Butoneman,theteam’sdoctor,JosephdeJussieu,
didn’thavethehearttoleavebehindthemanypeoplehe
hadcomeacrossonhisway,inparticularthoseworking
atasilverminethatusedmercuryinseparatingore,who
neededhismedicalattention.Hefinallyreturnedto
France36yearsafterthegroup’sdeparture.Another
memberoftheexpedition,Jean-BaptisteGodindes
Odonais,tookevenlongertoreturnhome.Marriedtoa
localwoman,Isabel,herefusedtoleaveherbehindafter
theyhadbecomeseparatedandPortugueseauthorities
barredhisre-entrythroughtheirterritorytopickherup.
Thecouplewaitedforeachotherfor21yearsinthe
Amazon,IsabeldozensofmilesupstreamfromJean-
Baptiste.TheyfinallymadeittoFrancetogetherin1773.
TheGeodesicMissionremainsoneofthegreatest
adventuresinhistory,evenifthescienceatitscoreseems
ofonlypassinginteresttoday.Mr.Ferreiro’ssuperbbook
makeseverymosquitobite,porkdinnerandsleepless
nightseemworthit.
Mr.Aczel’s“AStrangeWilderness:TheLivesofthe
GreatMathematicians”willbepublishedinOctober.
V
:
A16 Monday,June27,2011
REVIEW& OUT!
Money-Market
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