Phantom of the Poles

The Phantom of the Poles is a book written by William Reed, and published in 1906. It attempts to explain mysterious phenomena, reported by polar explorers, by postulating that the Earth is in fact hollow, with holes at its poles.

Additional recommended knowledge

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

Recognize and detect the effects of electrostatic charges on your balance

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Phenomena to be explained by the Hollow Earth theory

In the General Summary chapter of The Phantom of the Poles, Reed posed several questions that he claimed were explained by the Hollow Earth theory^[1]:

1. Why is the earth flattened at the poles?
2. Why have the poles never been reached?
3. Why does the sun not appear for so long in winter near the supposed poles?
4. Assuming that the earth is hollow, the interior should be warmer.
5. We must now resort to the compass. Does it refuse to work when drawing near the supposed poles?
6. Meteors are constantly falling near the supposed poles. Why?
7. The next query is concerning the great quantities of dust constantly found in the Arctic Ocean. What causes this dust?
8. What produces the Aurora Borealis?
9. Icebergs are next in order. Where are they formed? And how??
10. What causes tidal waves?
11. What causes colored snow in the Arctic region?
12. Why are the nights so long in the polar regions?
13. What causes the great ice-pressure in the Arctic Ocean during still tide and calm weather?
14. Why is the ice filled with rock, gravel, and sand?

Failure of Reed's theory

On April 6, 1909, Peary and Henson reached the region of the North Pole, invalidating the theory that the poles cannot be reached. The permanent base at the South Pole also demonstrates that there is no large hole in the Earth's crust at this point.

References

1. ^ General Summary chapter of The Phantom of the Poles at sacred-texts.com, retrieved November 16, 2006