The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-10-14
A Scientific Sensation.
fFEon the Baltimore American.

I &kiu TIC Dd'llkiCIC AIa~ iSaAh
We have all heard of the "great year."
which is supposed to be equal to twenty
six thousand, or, more accurately, twenty
five thousand eight hundred and sixty
eight Of our years. We are told that it
has its seasons-spring, summer, autumn
and winter-nnd that ever since the de-
luse the d%enizens of those portions Of the
earth lying between the polar circles have
been enjoying the summer Of the great
wear. This astronomical period is meas
ured by the procession Of the equinoxes.
It may be necessary to explain that the
procession Of the equinoxes is continual
! shifting Ct the equinoctial points from east
to west. II, for the sake Of illustration, a
particular point in the heavens where the
sun crosses the equator this year be noted,
next year the sun will cross II little to the
westward of that point, and so on every
year, until a complete circle has been de-
scribed by this shifting pointer, rather,
till an entire revolution has been made,
which will he in twenty-five thousand
eight hundred and slxty-eight years. But
there are said to I've some other conditions
entering into the problem which reduce
the period Of revolution TO twenty-one
thousand. This is, of course. an imaginary
method Of representation Of the procession
of" the cGuinoxes. This shifting Of the
points of contact between the apparent
| path Of the sun and the equator is al effect
! of the sphcroidal figure Of the earth, and
is caused by the attraction Of the sun and
moon upon the excess OF matter about the
equatorial region.
Without entering into any elncidation Of
the scientific problem, it will be sufficient
20 sAv that Alphonse Adhemer, an emf
nent French mathematician, has demon
strated the facts that during half the
"crcat wear" the sun shines on the north
ern polar regions seven days longer than
on the corresponding section Of the south
polar zone. That is, for ten thousand five
hundred wears the northern regions have
seven days more sunshine than the south
crn. This destroys what might be called
the isothermal equilibrium. Seven days,
or rather nights, of extra freezing adds to
the cap of ice that covers the south polar
zone, slowly and steadily it is pushing
itself up in the direction of the antarctic
circle. When the period Of ten thousand
five hundred years has been completed
this cap will have reached the SEVENTEEN
degree Of south latitude, and will have
changed TO some extent the shape of the
earth. The centre of gravity will have
shifted some three or four miles TO the
south.
Then comes q change. The earth will
have passed around 10 the other side Of
this imaginary orbit, or, rather, its projec-
ted axis will have toppled over, and the
sun Will shine on the south polar regions
seven days longer than on the northern.
The effect will be 10 melt the cap OF ice,
and, in the course Of centuries, cause q
general breaking up Of that section Of the
ice cap that has pushed itself beyond the
antarctic circle. Then comes the mighty
catastrophe. While the freezing was CO.
ing on and the leo a%ccumulating in the
south polar regions, the carth's centre of
gravity had shifted a few miles along its
axis in the direction of the south pole,
drawing with it the vast body Of water on
the earth's surface. a glance at the map
of the world shows that nearly three
fourths of the water snrface Of the earth
is in the southern hemisphere.
When We remember that the southern
oceans are much deeper than the northern,
we can form some idea of the vast prepon-
deranee of water in the southern hemis-
phcre, which, according to NJ. Adhemcr,
has been increasing ever since the last de-
luge established a temporary equilibrium.
As soon as the ice cap is broken the waters
will rush back to the northern hemisphere
and will overwhclm islands and continents
in their flow. New oceans will be formed
in the northern hemisphere, and new con-
tinents will rise IN the southern. The
most comforting part of this theory is that,
according to NJ. Adhemer, we still have
six thousand three hundred years Of grace
before the deluge overtakes us, in which
VIC can get ready our "arks' and make
preparation for saving q fragment of the
race from destruction.