Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-11-25

THE RUTLAND HERALD.
MONDAY. N0vWgDHR -, 1Soo.
A Now. Theory Cencernan9 voaeas
moes and Earthquakes.
1T ALBERT d. HAGER.
"In the beginning God created IL
heavens and the earth, and the earth Va
without form and void" The Bible was
not intended for text book on science,
yet the Arst words Of that book giye, =
q comprehensive sentence, the aotual CON
dition Of the earth ain tho beginning.r r
was not In suitable condition for nanx
even the lowest order Of animals TO In
habit, for ut was without form and void"
in other words, It Va In IN elemental
condition, in state Of gas, or vapor. Not
an atom Of matter has boon annihilatsd
or created since "the beginning But
change Of condition was one OF the In
herent laws Of the element matter Of
which the solar system is composed, and
that law IL still in force. Ahinities ex-
listed between the atoms. and from those
elements which in the beginning were
without form and void, tho sun and tho
planets composing the solar systsm were
formed. Tho afinities or attractive force
that existed in each atom Of this revolv-
Ing mass conferred them into globes; thus
forming the sun and planets, including
the earth on which we live. But IL re-
quired long periods Of time for tho COM
plete solidihcation Of the elements Of
which our earth and the other planets
are composed. The earth was vapory
mass, then plastic and covered with water,
then more solid, and ultimately sufficient
ly developed for the introduction of man.
In these changes how greatly was the
volume or bulk reduced Instead OF fill
ing the entire space embraced in the solar
system the elemental mass has became
conferred into planets, thousands on thous-
ands OF miles from each other.
Now, it is a well established fact, that
where there Is reduction Of bulk,
whether by mechanical action or chemical
union, heat is evolved. A good illustra-
ton of the former is made by taking
smooth cylinder six inches in length and
one-fourth inch in diameter, closed at one
end, and in it have a closely fitting piston
rod that person can work up and down
with the hand. This is called fire gun.
In the end of the piston rod place some
highly infammable substance and sud-
denly compress the air in the cylinder by
forcing down the piston rod and sufficient
heat will be evolved to ignite the sub
stance Before the invention of friction
matches the 'fre gun" was used, and
many fire has been kindled from the bit
Of cotton that had been saturated with
saltpetre and after being dried was placed
in the fire gun and ignited by the heat
evolved by the highly compressed air.
In chemical union, where the bulk is
reduced, heat ia invariably evolved. A
pailful of quick lime land pailful of
water will evolve great heat, but the
compound will not make two pailsful.
Three quarts Of sulphuric acid and one
quart of water will not make gallon OF
The mixture, but a heat greater than that
of boiling water will be produced This
law, requiring the evolution of heat upon
the reduction of bulk, is universal. II is
not strange then, that 50 many evidences
Of heat are witnessed on the earth's sur
face, nor il it strange that the central
part of our earth in now an incandesoent
mass of matter.
In tho outer crust of the earth, where
the atoms are so closely bound together as
10 form solid rock, the attractive force
still exists, and is continually drawing
the atoms more closely together making
smaller
The effect OF this qualification Of the
earth's crust upon theNnatter within it is
similar 10 that OF a wagon wheel when
surrounded with heated tire that is TOO
short. As the tire oools it becomes more
solid aud consequently grows shorter and
hugs more tightly the felloes of the wheel.
In many instances the contracting tire
cripples the felloes and bends the spokes
so as to ruin the wheel If then con-
tracing wagon tire has sufficient strength
to produce these results, infinitely greater
must BIZ the force exerted by the contract
ing crust of the earth, (which has thick
ness of 40 to 80 miles upon the matter
contained within it. The effect produced
by the contracting tire and the earth's
crust are not analogous, for the spokes of
the wagon wheel have ample room i'll
ter inclosed by the slobular crust Of the
earth. Being surrounded at every point
by the contracting crust, the contained
matter mast be subjected to immense
pressure, enough 10 greatly reduce its
bulk
Ii person can press down the piston
Of fire gun and 20 compress the air as to
produce spark OF fire how much greater
will be the heat evolved by the combined
weight and contraction OF band of rock
80 miles in thickness herring down upon
the mass below end within it,
Il is not strange that all contained
within-this crust is in IA state of incan-
iescence, nor need We wonder that a por-
ton of the fused mas should at times find
vent through some opening and be pro.
lected thousands of feet into the air. or
that mountains should be suddenly
formed ont of 1t. At points in the crust
OF the arth where it is the weakest or
where there is fracture. the eruption OF
melted A,atter viii lake pltt.'. Hence it
II that vJloi nic islands are occasionally