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James Percy Ault

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James Percy Ault(October 29, 1881,Olathe, Kansas– November 29, 1929,Apia,Samoa) was an American geodetic surveyor, geophysicist, geomagnetic researcher, and captain of the research vesselCarnegie.[1]As captain of theCarnegie,he discovered submarine mountain ranges off the western coast of South America and provided empirical confirmation of theChandler wobble.[2]

He died with all his collaborators with the exception of a few sailors who went ashore, in circumstances that remained unexplained when the ship exploded on November 29, 1929 at the port of Apia in the Samoa Islands.[3]A gas tank is said to have exploded. Very seriously injured, he died during transport to the hospital.[4]

Biography

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Ault graduated in 1904 with an A.B. fromBaker University.As an undergraduate at Baker University, he served from January 1901 to June 1904 as an observatory assistant in theUnited States Coast and Geodetic Survey's magnetic observatory inBaldwin, Kansas.[5]William Charles Bauer, a physics and chemistry professor at Baker University, was impressed by Ault's abilities and gave him a recommendation to Louis Agricola Bauer, director of theCarnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and William Charles Bauer's brother.[6][2][7][8]Immediately after completing his undergraduate degree in June 1904, Ault joined the Carnegie Institution of Washington (CIW) as a magnetic observer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. He remained a CIW employee for the rest of his life.[1]In 1905, after preliminary training aboard theBacheon a cruise from Baltimore to Panama,[5]he joined the crew of the research vesselGalileeto do geomagnetic research in the world's oceans. In November 1906 at the conclusion of the cruise of theGalilee,he was assigned to make magnetic observations in northern Mexico until March 1907. On March 27, 1907 inWashington, Kansas,he married Mamie A. Totten. Soon after their marriage, the Aults moved to Washington, D.C. In 1908 he made geomagnetic observations in the Canadian interior during a three-month canoe trip,[1]covering 1,600 miles.[6]

In 1909 he graduated with an A.M. fromColumbia University.After graduation, he joined in 1909 the crew of the research vesselCarnegie,constructed of wood and non-ferrous metals to accommodate magnetic research. Aboard theCarnegiehe was a magnetic observer during Cruise I from 1909 to 1910. During 1911 he did office work at CIW headquarters.[1]In 1912 he was in charge of field parties in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile for the purpose of training magnetic observers under expeditionary field conditions.[5]In 1912 the Aults' first daughter Evelyn was born. He was appointed in 1914 to theCarnegie's captaincy for Cruise III and in later years the captaincy for Cruises IV, VI, and VII.Carnegies Cruise IV included a circumnavigation of Antartica in 1915–1916. The Aults' second daughter Ruth was born in 1919. In 1919 he embarked on Cruise VI. In 1920 the infant Ruth died suddenly from colitis. J. P. Ault nearly resigned to return home to be with his wife, but his colleagues persuaded him to complete Cruise VI. The Aults' third daughter Marjorie was born in 1923.[1]

J. Harland Paul, a surgeon and observer aboard Cruise VII of theCarnegie,wrote a book about the cruise.[9][10]

Ault was elected in 1923 a fellow of theAmerican Physical Society.[11]He was a member of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science,American Geographical Society,theAmerican Geophysical Union,Chevy Chase Citizens Association, theCosmos Club,and theNational Geographic Society.[12]His papers stored at the Carnegie Institution include an extensive correspondence between him and his wife.[1]He is buried in Fort Lincoln Cemetery inBrentwood, Maryland.

Selected publications

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Articles

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Books

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References

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  1. ^abcdefHargrove, Charles (March 2004)."J. P. Ault Biographical Sketch, James Percy Ault Papers".Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C.
  2. ^ab"James" Percy "Ault, Explorer and Adventurer"(PDF).Beginnings of Baker (baker.edu).
  3. ^C. Vallaux,La catastrophe duCarnegieinAnnales de géographieNo. 220, 1930, p. 447-448.
  4. ^Jules Rouch,Époque contemporaine,tome IV deHistoire Universelle des Explorationspubliée sous la direction de L.-H. Parias, Paris, Nouvelle Librairie de France, 1957, p. 66
  5. ^abcHarradon, H. D. (1929)."James Percy Ault, 1881-1929".Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity.34(4): 272–278.Bibcode:1929TeMAE..34..273H.doi:10.1029/TE034i004p00273.
  6. ^abIrvine, Jessica (March 8, 2022)."Inside the last journey of the 'Carnegie'".techcodex.com.
  7. ^Servaes, Courtney (May 2008)."Captain goes down with his ship".The Baker Orange (The Student News Site of Baker University).
  8. ^Snyder, Jennifer (2004)."L. A. Bauer Biographical Sketch, Louis Agricola Bauer Papers".Carnegie Institution of Washington (carnegiescience.edu).
  9. ^Paul, J. Harland (1932).The Last Cruise of the Carnegie.Baltimore: The Williams & Wilkins Company; Foreword by J. A. Fleming{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  10. ^G., J. S. (1933). "Review ofThe Last Cruise of the Carnegieby J. Harland Paul ".Nature.131:114–115.doi:10.1038/131114a0.S2CID4137240.
  11. ^"APS Fellow Archive".American Physical Society.(search on year=1923 and institution=Carnegie Institute)
  12. ^Who's who in the Nation's Capital.Consolidated Publishing Company. 1926.
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