New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-28
A ScientiAc SensatiO0.
from the Baltimore American


We have all heard of the great year.
which is supposed to be equal to twenty-siz
thousand, or, more accurately. twenty five
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight OF
our years. We are told that it has it,
seasOns-spring, summer, autumn and win
Aer-and that ever since the deluge the
-deoizens of those portions of the earth lying
between the polar circles have been enjoy.
ing the summer Of the great year. This
astronomical period is measured by the pre-.
eession of the equinoxes. 1t may be neces.
eQuin0xes 10 continual shifting of the
equinoctial points from east to west. If,
for the sake Of illustration, . particular
point IN the heavens where the sun
crosses the equator this year be
noted, next year the sun will cross q
little to the westward Of that point, and 80
on every year, until q complete circle has
been described by this shifting pointer,
rather, till an entire revolution has been
made, which will be in twenty-fi thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight years. But
there are said to be 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 equi-
noxes. This shifting of the points Of con-
tact between the apparent path Of the sun
and the equator is an effect of the spherOi-
dial figure of the earth, and is caused by the
attraction of the sun and moon upon the
excess of matter about the equatorial re-
gion.
Without entering into any calculation of
the scientific problem, it will be sufficient to
say that Alphonse Adhemer, an eminent
French mathematician, has demonstrated
the fact that during half the "great year"
the sun shines on the northern polar regions
seven days longer than on the correspond
ing section of the south polar zone. That
northern regions have seven days more sun
shine than the southern. This destroys
what might be called the isotAermal equi-
ibrium. 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 direc-
ton Of the antarctic circle. When the
has been completed this cap will have
reached the SEVENTEEN degree Of south lati-
tude, 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 to the other side of this
imaginary orbit, or, rather, its projected
axis will have tOppled over, and the sun
" III Su1U0 VI Iu0 oVOtu ROAhT ICkkOuO cCSCu
days longer than on the northern. The
effect will be to 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 going on and the ice
accumulating in the south polar regions,
the earth's centre of gravity had shifted
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 surface 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- |
derance of water in the southern hemisphere,
which, according to N. Adhemer, has been
increasing ever since the last deluge estab- |
lished temporary equilibrium. As soon as |
the ice cap is broken the waters will rush |
back to the northern hemisphere and will |
overwhelm islands and continents in their |
flow. New oceans will be formed in the |
northern hemisphere, and new continents |
will rise in the southern. The most comfort
ing part of this theory is that, according to
n. Adhemer, We still have six thousand |
three hundred years of grace before the
deluge Overtakes US, in which we can get |
ready our ''arks" and make preparation for
saving fragment Of the race from destruc.
kiOn.