The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-04-06
From tho New York World.l
THE CRACK OF DOOM.

Tho Dissolution allie Planet zee MhuJit
-lr@t;ssor Iruhs's Theory IN Rcgurd
to Ac Eady Az Winys-- Tile Destrmc-
tion cf CurJon by tie .lloNushs = Tile
Coming Mcw Zoic (yclc.
"Therc arc chemical changes uow
active on the carth's surface whose con-
unuancc must inevitably bring about
the final extinction Of man, aud ulti-.
mately that of all other life ON our
planet. omparativcly
aud gcologically speaking, the end is
near"
This startling announcement. made
by Professor Wurz, is, according to
some authorities, based on strict dcduc-.
ton from physical law. Carbonic acid
forms one thousanth part Of the atmos--
phcrc OF our globe, and is the funda-
mental nutrimcnt of vital existence,
furnishing, as it does, the carbon to
grow plapts 1t is evident that. compar-
ell with other constituents Of the at
mosphrrc, this gas exists to bua Il very
limhrd extent in the form In which
alone. i, can support vegetable life, and
the only means by which it is restored
to the air are the combustion and decay
OF organic bodies, and the respiration of
animals Ii the gas were used only by
pants, these means ui it's restoration to
the air would be sufficient to conmtcrbal
ance It's consumption, and for this
reason: The approximate number of
living species Of plants is 100000 the
individuals OF each species outnumbcr
ing 'hosc of each species of animals -
The mAmbrr of species IN the animal
kingdom Is. Approximately. radiatc,, 10.
600 m"'luSkS, 2U,0J0; arliculatcs,
100000 veriebratcs. 2O,00O--- max IN.
in all 35J.oUO 1t is thus seen that.
animal. being SO much in excess Of
plants, they would throw out more uas
than would he sufficient to support The
vegetables, tifking bulk by bulk. Plants
in drcayin.. would rcs,"rc carbon to the
air. and, as nearly all thar animals take
from the air they restore to it, an
equilibrium would be kept up But
there are other iuStrumrntali,ics which
are INCREASINGLY disturbing this cqu.lih
rnm and Withdrawing the gas from
the atmosphere What are those
in,trnmc tah,ies which are Thus untir-
i 'gly rendering; the globe unfit to
support organic life
Within the sea are living beings
preparing destruction to all life The
devil fish. OF which Victor Hugo has
given >ncn romantic and horrible de-
scrip'ion, is as nau.ht when compared
with the mute. Notorious elan, and the
delicious but deadly oyster, who, like
the heartleSs monster that he is. lies in
his bed and bidcs his time, watching in
gI,Im rcpusc his evenin. prey. Babbngc
undertook to show that the destruction
of one animal by another produced
more happiness than the world would
know, ii no such destruction went on.
which was IL scientific way OF saving
that il no animal ate. none would 1.-Two,
and that animals like TO live. 1t took
many pages of the l;ri'lgcwatcr trca,iscs
20 prove this astoundiu, fact but what
SOlacc is that to the eaten athnuyh it
gives moral supper; to the eater? We
feel Justified in eating oysters, but ah !!
to think that all tho while they are
nlbbllng at our vitais, while pretending
merely to be assimilnting intusoria. Yet
such is the horrible fact. Disguise it
as we may shut our eyes to it !; tLrn
our eyes and refuse to sec tit is still
there. The oysters arc after us.
The ocean covers ab0nt three fOurths
of the carths SURFACE, or $4,000 900
miles. but it is not nearly SO deep Mar
imc animals with calcareous shells or
skeletons sccreic carbonatcs from tho
ocean water, the carhonic acids ci these
carbonates having originally come from
the atmosphere. When we consider
the almost infinite number of these fish
with calcareous shells or skeletons -
those large fish who will take in carbon
ii they can get tive must admit with
professor Wnrtz, that they are likely to
cause the great machine to run down."
and let "ailinity obtain it's final victory
oyer its mysterious antagonist vital
ify."
Water, at ordinary temperatures,
readily absOrbs carbOnic aciG, and under
the usual pressure of the atmosphere, it
takes up it's own bulk OF it, When the
gas has passed from the water, and
become Il constituent ofthc shells of fish.
cs it is permanently locked there, and
ever afterwards is unavailable for
purposes of organic life. Thus, tho
water of the ocean is forced to draw
from the air diatcly above it in
order to maintain its regular and natural
proportion ofcm bon. This it is constant
ly doing to replace every atom of gas
which becomes shell, the ocean extracts
one atom from the air, which is thus
steadily rendered les, and less fit for
the growth OF plants, and consequently
less and less fit for supporting animal
life.
Mollusks were the very first beings
who set about to take away our carbon.
The most ancient forms of animal Tito
found in tho lowest fossiliferous races