M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1865-08-10

iSlOAo ulcNbio' EOooCFo suVoO lIOpSiSSo
llM high degree above all other
known substances, and though we
Know them to be scarce on the surface
of the earth, We have no assurance
but that they are abundent in nature &.
In vieG OF these facts, is it not
reasonable to suppose that these cubs
stances rapidly increase in quantity
Jas We approach the center Of the
tearth.
But it may be said that this prob
lable or possible increas depends npOn
1.-The idea that the earth was once
mainly in a gaseous and fluid state
! But even shppoeing that such never
Twas the case, and throwing aside all
possible and probable changes which
the earth may have undergone, and
taking only such changes as the
learned geologist, who has carefully
studied the chemical composition,
structure and general position of the
various strata OF rocks, must now
have actually taken place, we would
ask, would il not b. the constant
tendency Of these substances, being 81
much heavier aud more difficult Of
fusion than other substances, to work
away from the surtare toward the CEN
ter? And is it not probable, in view
OF the properties Of these metals, and
the known changes whidh the earth
has undergone during the myriads
and myria1s of ages it mnst have eS
listed, that they dO.actuall! l'rcrease il
Abundance as we approach the center
portions of the earth. Indeed it is a
matter Of wonder that they are to b.
Ionnd at all on the surface, and such
a fact can only bo accounted TO- by
thesupposition that shey exist in great
abundance in nature
1t may be further urged in favor o
this theory that these metals occur in
nature invariably in q metallic state,
and but little alloyd with Othel
metal.
JoHN CALVIN Moss.
LTbe specific gravity OF the earth lie
only about one.third that Of gold, tn,
earth being five and halt Times
heavier than mass OF water OF the
same siz5 would be, and gold NOR,
,han nineteen times heavier than it
Iown Lu.k Of water. Consequently
he earth cannot be n,all y all gold,
though the idea that there ls a grta
deposit Of gold and platinum at The
center may not be improbable. I'll,
,-pcritic gravity oI the earth has beeI.
measured by three different methods.
A commission, OF which DR.. Frank
lin was u memb Der, measured the con
tents OF The mountain SChehaliien, III
Scotland, and lrUu the specific gravity
Of tire rocks oi which it WAS composed
computed its wei hit. Then a bal
was s,s ,ended by th1 side OF tn,
lnuuntaln, and, by observation on the
SARA, the extent to which the bal
vas drawn from vertical position
nv tho attraction of the mountain
| vas ascgrtaiued. From this the re-
alive power Of the mountain and tb,
catth IN attracting the ball, and henc,
he relative weight Of the two, wa'
computed.
A sccoud plan, tried by Cavendish,
was to measure the attractive force u
4 large leaden bali BY means o! I
torsiOn balance.
| A third plan, which was tried by
the Italian astronomers, Plana ant
! Carlui, and which has been recently
repeated by Professor Airy, is to Oh
serve the fleet upon the oscillation
of a pendu um proiuced by varyinI
Its distance from tue center OF th
earth.
Che frsr method gave the specific
gravity OF the earth u
The second o.
The same repeated by BaiIy 5 4
Plana and Carlln's result Was 40
Professor Airy's was 90
The means OF these 10 "a
: EDs.
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