The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-03-17
THH MOON Hoax.

THE MOON HOAX.
The Grand Fraud on the Scientific
World : Locke'B Story Of Her
sohel's Moon Discoveriea-EoW the
World Doubted ana Believed
In the year 1885 the American
scientific world was coavulsed by
the publication Of what purported to
be the discoveries Of Sir John Her
schel (the younger) at the Cape Of
Good Hope. The account appeared
in Moses Y. Beaeh's New York SKA
and was supposed to have been CON-
municsted to the Edinburgh Journal
Of Science. Of this hoax Richard
Adams Locke, whose death is Just
announced, was the author. So
clearly was the narrative written
that for time the marvellous story
was accepted as genuine. The ar.
article, as originally printed. appear
ed under this formidable title:
"GREAT AsTRoNosucAL DIscovu1Es
LATELY MADE BY SIR JoHN HER-
scHEL, IL. D., F. r. S., AT THE
CAPE OF Coon HoPE."
The article ther goes on to state
that Herschel, by means of a vast
telescope constructed on an entirely
new principal, had, at an elevated
point in South Africa, succeeded Ia
making the most extraordinary dis
coveries In every planet OF the solar
system, but especially had peaetra-
ted all the mysteries of the moon.
Every detail Of the information vas
accounted for with mathematical ae.
curacy and scientific Ingenuity, and
scholars who had devoted their lives
to the special study of astronomy
could bring no conclusive reason for
donbting the truth Of the pretended
discoveries. The account stated
grayely that the elder Herschel had
devoted his life to the perfection offs
telescopic lens which would, By q
combination of ingenious contrivan-
ces, reduce distance to nOthingness.
By means Of its lens and a eOmbi-
nation of achromatic coRtriVanees,
comprehensive only to the initiated,
this wonderful INSTRUMENT magnihed
$4,000 times, bringing the most dis
tant planst-close enough for invss.
tigation. Objects on Saturn not
over eighteen inches In diameter we're
made perfectly plain. Hershel, it
was stated, expressed his ability to
study even the entomology of the
moon. A transit of Mercury was TO
occur in 1885, and the Cape Of Good
Hope was the only spot offering the
needed facilities for its accurat5 OBJ
servation. This explained quite
satisfactory the spot where the al
legged discoveries had been made.
The astronomical expedition, Il
was stated consisting of Sir John
Hershel (the younger DR.. Grant
and Lieutenant Drummond of the
royal engineers F. r. A. S., and q
large corps of skilled mechanics, left
London in September, 1884, and the
results of their labors were thus Civ
en- to the world one year later The
work of the explorers an their arri-
val at the Cape of Good Hope, with
the selection Of on observatory and
the erection of the telescope, are sue
cinctly and minutely described. "Ths
lens, which is inclosed in q frame Of
wood, and braced to its corners By
bars of copper, is suspended upon an
axis between two pillars, which are
nearly 150 feet high. The field Of
view from this colossal telescope had
a dismeeter of so feet"
WHAT WAS SEEN IN TIE MOON.
After many days of preliminary
investigation, in which stars and
comets were reduced to common
place spectacles, the supreme work
the exploration of the moon took
place. at was about 104 o'clock,
on the night of the 10Th of January,
the moon being then advanced with
in four days of her mean hbration,
that the astronomer adjusted his in
strument for the inspection Of her
eastern limb" The whole immense
power of the telescope was applied
10 its focal image-about one-half
,he power of his microscope "Ou
removing the screen of the latter,
he field view was covered through
,ut its entire area with beautiful
distinct. and even vivid representa-
ions of basaltic rock. Its color was
,reenish-brown, and the width Of
be columns as defined by the inter-
tices on the canvas, WAS invariably
wenty-eight inches. No fracture
whatever appeared in the mass first
but in q few seconds, a
shelving pile appeared of five or six
olumns' width, which showed their
igure to be hexagonal, and then ar
iculations, similar to those at the
asaltic formation at Stafa." Here
lowers were discovered such as
loon in our own fields. The earth's
Iiurnal rotation, causing q rapid as
ension Of the moon, seemed to pre-
ent new features to the observers
very instant, and upon the canvas
every moment green fields
uch as the world has, with all the
,ther attributes Of sublunary life.
The trees, said the narrative, were
or time of an unvaried kind, and
mike any have seen, except the
argest kind Of yews in English
-raye-yards, which they in some rs-
poets resemble. After the trees, q
reen plain, forty miles in extent
vas reflected on the canvas. In time
n inland lake appeared, which was
described as most enchanting. The
,eaeh was white as snow and glrs
With castellated rocks Of spparensly
-reen marble, varied at chasms HAen
blocks ofehalk or gypsum,
nd Fsatbered and festooned So the
tosnslssss N E'~FiA P'9'l