The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-18

John Herschel, had recently made some
remarkable astronomical discoveries by means
OF a monster telescope, at the Cape OF Good Hope,
the information Of the Sun being derived from an
advance copy Of the Edinburgh Journal of Science.
This preparatory announcement answered the in
tended purpose, and served attract the attention
OF the public, to whom OF the marvellous details
had as yet been given. Expectation was on tip-toe,
and when few days after, the republication of the
bogus article from the Edinburgh Journal of Science
was commenced, the wonderful story was devoured
with the greatest eagerness. The hoax bore the
following head
ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES
LATELY MADE
BY SIR JOHN HERsCHEL, LID, FRS, &C.,
AT THE
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE"
The hoax was admirably introduced by disser-
taton upon the labors of the Herschels father aud
son. and by an elaborate description of an immense
telescope erected by the latter at the Cape Good
Hope, the marvellous magnifying powers OF which
we're commented upon in such a manner as to pre-
pare the mind Of the reader for what was to
follow. There was also somewhat elaborate |
and gravely written dissertation upon the investga
tons and discoveries of the astronomers with regard
to the moon, which was like the rest Of the hoax |
sufficiently scientific in its style to throw the unwary
off their guard. '.
The supposed wonderful discoveries In the moon
commenced on the night Of January To- 1895, about
half past O'Clock. Basaltc rock of greenish hue
was first seen, and the field OF vision changed |
formations similar to those Of the islands OF Staa
came into vew covered In some places with gor- i
geous red flowers A lunar forest next appeared,
many OF the trees being unlike any ever seen on
earth, with the exception of few which resembled
English yews Then followed various landscapes,
all of which Mr. Locke described with much minute
ness, keeping sufficiently near earth nature not
to excite the suspicious of his readers aud at the
same time stimulating their curiosity by narrating
variety Of wonders such as our earth does
not possess. A few lunar animals were said to have
been on the first night Of their observations,
but the greatest wonders were reserved for subse-
quent inve vestigations. On the night OF January 49,
which the hoaxer described as OF pearly purity
and loveliness," the astronomer and his assistants
dete mined to devote themselves to an investiga-
ton Of comparatively limited OF the moons
surface. The landscape features OF this area were
described by the hosxer with much mnuteness, and
various animals resembling the bison, reindeer,
moose, and the earth but with sufficient variations
to make them remarkable, were reported as having
been seen together with good many which resem-
bled nothing existing anywhere but In the vivid
imagination OF Mr. Locke. The most interesting Of
all the supposed discoveries, however, that Of
creatures resembling human beings There were said
to be about four feet in height, and were covered
except the face with short and glossy coppercolored
hair. They had wings composed OF thin membrane
without hair which lay snugy upon their backs,
from the top Of the shoulders to the calves OF their
legs. Their faces were described as OF yellowish
flesh color, and resembling ourang- g-outangs some
what In expression, but more open aad intelligent,
and with greater expansion OF forehead. The mouth
| was prominent though somewhat relieved by thick
| beard on the lower jaw, and by lips distinctly
| human. These creatures appeared to the astrono-
mers as being engaged in conversation, and their
gesticulations were impassoned and rapid, and all
their actions gave indications OF intelligence. The
domestic habits Of these lunar men were described
with much mnuteness. Another wonder was a
magnificent temple OF polished sapphire, and rooted
with yellow metal, wherein the lunar people wor-
shipped, and this was described In such manner as
to excite curious specuatons as to the nature OF the
religion professed in the moon The imagination Of
the hoaxer expanded he got we'll into his subject
and the latter part OF his dissertation is narrative
| OF wonders which would have found little credence
| had it not been for the ingenious manner in which
| they were introduced. a rr
The full details OF Sir John Herschel's marvellous
discoveries were not completed in the columns OF
the Sun for some time, the nstalments OF the stu
pendous Jest being very adroitly run through several
| numbers TO keep the excitement up, and not being
| completed until some time Ia September. There
| were persons who doubted the whole thing frsm the
start t is true but the OF the people swallowed
the story without question. These were the days of
the old fashioned sailing packets, when communica-
ton with Europe was irregular and uncertain, and
| IL would OF course take considerable
time for scientific men and doubters to discover
|
published supplement, and IL such were the fact,
to ascertain whether IL had given TO the world
| any such marvellous story as was being detailed In
the columns OF the Sum An amusing and some
what acrimonious dispute was carried ON Tor some
| time between the creduous and the skeptical con-
cerning the pretended discoveries but the general
verdict Of the people and the press In favor OF
| accepting them as truth. Some learned professors
In our colleges even went so far as 10 write to the
Edinburgh journal Of Science for fuller details. The
whole story was told with such wonderful minute
ness and such downright candor as TO disarm the
incredulous for the time 1t is true that the hoax,
read at the present day, appears so full OF crudtes
contradictions, and impossiblities that, in the
light OF present knowledge, it would be picked
to pieces by a school boy. Locke indeed, carried
his joke the most extreme limits, and imposed On
the eaTelessness OF the public In the
most reckless way. In one place
he stated that the lens of Sir John Herschels mon
strous telescope would not render perceptible OBJ
ects less than eighteen inches in diameter, and I'M
medately after referred TO the astronomer citing
the shane ana color OF the eyes OF small birds.
Peonle were too completely absorbed In the start
lng nieture as q whole to notice at once such tri-
ning defect in one OF its details The wonderful
man-bats ana the hairy wells by which the eyes OF
the bisons were protected from the glare OF the sun
were too entertaining TO allow the mind to wander
| 10 less interesting absurdities.
SO the hoax was complete success Tor the tims,
ana the few who doubted were TO be found princi.