The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-23
THE CRACK OF DOOM.
The Dissolution of the Planet we In
habit-professor Wurtz's Theory in
Regard to the End Of All ThiRSs-The
Destruction of Carbon by the Mollusks
The Coming New Zoic Cycle.
fErom the New York World

''There are chemical changes now active on
the earth's surface whose continuance must in
evitably bring about the final extinc ion of
man, and ultimately that of all other lite on
our planet. Comparatively and geo.
logically speaking, the end is near"
This startling announcement, made by Pro-
fcssOr Wurtz, is, according to some authori-
ties. based on strict deduction from physical
law. Carbonic acid forms one-thousandth part
OF the atmosphere of our globe, and Is the fun
damental nutriment Of vital existence, fur
nshlng, as it does, the carbon to grow plants.
1t is evident that, compared with other con-
stltllents of the atmosphere, this gas exists to
but very limited extent in the form in which
alone it can support vegetable life, and the
only means by which 1t is restored to the air
are the combustion and decay OF organic
bodies, and the respiration of animals. II the
Cas were used only by plants these means of
its restoration to the air would be sufficient to
counterbalance Its consumption, and for this
reason: The approximate number OF living
species of plants Is 100, 0,0OO--the individuals OF
each speces outnumbering those OF each spe-
animal kingdom is. approximately, radiates,
10000; mollusks, 20,000; articulates, 300, 600;
yertebrates, matchmaking In all $50, 600. 1t
is thus seen that, animals being 30 much In ex-
cess of plants, they would throw out more gas
than would be sufficient to support the vege-
tables, taking bulk by bulk. Plants, In decay
ing, would restore carbon to the air, and, as
nearly all that animals take from the air they
restore to 1t, an equilibrium would be kept up.
But there are other instrumentalities which
are increasingly disturbing this equilibrium
and withdrawing the gas from the atmosphere.
What are these instrumentalities which are
thus untiringly rendering the globe unfit to
support organic lille
Within the sea are living beings preparing
destruction to all life. The devll-fish, OF which
Victor Hugo has given such a romantic and
horrible description. Is as naught when com
pared with the mute, ingorlous clam, and the
delicious but deadly oyster, who, like the heart
less monster that he is lies In his bed and
b!des his time, watching In grim repose his
evening prey Babbage undertook to show
that the destruction Of one animal by another
produced more happiness than the world would
know, If no such destruction went on, which
was O scientific way of saying that If no AMI
NAL ate, none would live, and that animals
like to live. 1t took many pages OF the Bridge
water treatises to prove this astounding fact;
btt what solace is that to the eaten-although
it gives moral support to the eater? We feel
Justified in eating oysters, but ah to think
that all the while they ore nibbling at our
yitals, while pretending merely TO be asslmila-
ting infusorla. Yet such is the horrible fact.
Disguise it as we may; shut our eyes to 1t; turn
our backs and refuse to see lit Is still there.
The oysters are after us.
The ocean covers about three-tourths OF the
earths surface, or 100000 miles, but 1t Is
not nearly SO deep. Marine animals with cal
carcous shells or skeletons secrete carbonates
from the ocean water, the carbonic acids Of
these carbonatcs having originally come from
the atmosphere. When We consider the al
most Infinite Number Of these fish with calcare-
ous shells or skelctOns-thosc large fish who
will take In carbon if they can sctit--wc must
admit with Professor WHrtZ, that they are
likely to cause the great machine to run
down. and let ''aflinity obtain Its final victory
over its mysterious antagonist, vitality"
Wafer, ut ordinary temperatures, readily
absorbs carb0nic acid, IN |, under the usual
pressnrc OF the atmosphere, 1t TAX S up Its own
bulk of it. When the gas has passed from the
water, and become u constituent OF the shells
of fishes. it is permanently locked there, and
ever afterwards is unavailable for purposes OF
organic lite. Thus, the water OF tue ocean Is
forced to draw from the air Immediately above
II in order to maintain its regular and natural
proportion of carbon. This 1t Is constantly do
ing; to replace every atom OF the gas Which BE-
comes shell, the ocean extracts one atom from
the air, which Is thus steadily rendered less
and less fit for the growth 70 plants, and con-
sequently less and less fit for supporting ami
nal life.
MolIusks were the very first beings who set
about to take away our carbon: The most an
Client forms of animal life found in the lowest
fnssiliferous races are mollusks, represented
bv the Iingula and the abolGs. Fishes were
in the early times weak and pusillanlmouss
race. destitute of backbone-they merely had
back k-cartilage; but, as time went on, they, TOO,
learned @ the advantage of carbon, aud soon
became stiff.nccked and oyerbearlng, multi
nlyinr. as they did, to an alarming extent. 1t
Il heaIrtrending to think Of, but 1t Is neverthe-
less fact, that the first fish who had gone SO
far ns to be true verterbrates, and have firm
and earbonaceous backbones, appear In our
own State in the coralline formation OF the up
ner lIelderberg; nor can the Catskill group be
held entirely gliltless, for they soon followed;
Evil is tar more contagious than good. And
tLe oysters rot bigger and fatter, and more OF
them and the fish became more otficious, and
rev under the superfcies Of the sea; and,
since that time, they have been taking away
our carbon, stealthlly and noiselessy, 1t is
true. but not, therefore, less fatally.
THEN plants followed in the conspiracy. In
the old times carbon was as plentiful as heart
could wish. In the carbonferious age, the