The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1870-03-18

most infinite number of these fish with
calcareous shells or skeletons-those
large fish who will take in carbon if they
can get tive must admit, with Pro-
fessor Wurtz, that they are likely to
cause the Egreat machine to run down."
and let "affinity obtain its final victory
over it's mysterious antagonist, vitality"
Water, at ordinary temperatures,
readily absorbs carbonic acid, and, un-
der tho usual pressure of the atmosphere
it takes up its own bulk of it. When
the gas has passed from the water, and
become constituent Of the shells of
fishes, it is permanently locked there,
and ever afterwards is unavailable for
purpose of organic life. Thus, the wa
ter of the ocean is forced to draw from
the air Immediately above it, in order to
maintain its regular and natural porpor-
ton of carbon. This it is constantly do
ing; to replace every atom of the gas
which becomes she'll, the ocean extracts
one atom from the air, which is thus
steadily rendered less and less fit for the
growth of plants, and consequently less
and less fit for supporting animal life.
HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING oNf
Mollusks were the very first beings
who set about to take away our carbon.
The most ancient forms of animal Ilte
found in the lowest fossiliferous rocks
are mollusks, represented by the tlnguld
and the obolus. Fishes 10 the early
times were weak and pusillanimous
race, destitute Of backbone-they mere
| ly had back-cartilage but, as time
went on, they, too, learned the advan-
tage of carbon, and soon became stiff
nccked and overbearing, multiplying, as
they did, to all alarming extent. 1t is
hcart-rending to think of, but it is new
crtheless fact, that the first fish that
had gone SC far as to be true vertbrates,
and have form and carbonaceous back
bones appear in our own state in the
coralline formation of the Heidelberg;
nor can the Catskill group be held en-
tireiy guiltless, for they soon foiiowed.--
Evil is far more contagious than good.
And the oysters got bigger and fatter.
and more of them, and the fish became
more officious, and grew and grew UNI
der thesuperfcies of the sea; and, since
that time, they have been taking away
our carbon, stealthily and noisclcssly, it
is true, but not, threfore, less fatally.
HOW TIE VEGETABLES WENT TO WORK.
Then plants followed in the conspira-
CIV. In the old times carbon was as plen-
tiful as heart could wish. In the car
boniferous age, the earth, not content
with its fishes and clans, sent out trees
to rob us. Giant ferns and all imagin-
able shapes and forms of plants grew in
rank luxuriance, and as soon as they
had got all the carbon they wanted the
earth shook its back and laid them away
for coal. This was all very well, if it
had not gone on, for it gave man show,
and when there was just enough carbon
in the air 10 let him live he availed him
self of the opportunity and lived. But the
thing is being carried too far. 1t should
be stopped now but, unfortunately, the
fishes have the best of us. If the worst
comes to the worst, we must set fire to
our coal mines and release the carbon
there stored, for, as Prof. Wurtz says:
"Geologically speaking the end is near"
Let man do his best to ward il off, let
him build his Birminghams, his Pitts
burgs, and his Shefields, and thus en-
deavor to restore the rapidly vanishing
equilibrium, but by SO doing he is only
partially and temporarily winding up
the machine only to SEP it run down
again. Nothing better could be said in
conclusion than in the Professors own
words;
ain the oceanic depths, this precious
constituent of the air is continually UNI
dergoing