The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-13
=. p,l.,ed sixty Years Afterwards

A. Halnkeu DiAtI
-. p,oa nfot Ns HsS . ISrE H''0''ea'
AF'p8 A'G S,tIsiy, Apnli' 1881
pi %au have asked me to tell you nc SO y,
i lS.hs PIsntamour Comet. II n y NOV
S S vSsrs since the name Of n. llama n.,,
NM Srst became known ~ l ~ i SO do
n,s5ictlon that the earth wa )" NJ N,
P.s SnSs Nv n wandering comet VI Ia'
suv ;I, =, ;bst prediction you, Of cou lrs2
result o. ~. .', n,S,n facts They have passet
ny s. pI, II literature with which tn I
s s1,, sbSlves Of every library are loaded
3eoK sns a,,so n NAV thus seem trite anC
nnne e IiS,:n 10 the story Of the veteran
R S5S6ta at Gettysburg or Five FORKS
VINO ,Sas1h ne most thorough and min
r ts5isiories Of those battles are easily ac
oaaS,;5s, i fully comprehend that y9III
~ rs1uested me to rehearse tue fanili'
1rtsIs Of the comet, because am one O.
,bs few actual witnesses Of the great CO.
Iamity who still survive. Il am SsElu,
Ious and dull, you will consider it, II you
N no, but he manner Of an old man who
sSt once proud of the honor Of address
mo Won. and fearful that he may weary
youf pstience with the reiteration Of lscs
already familiar. A.. ..,,,,,,,oo1
When N. Plantamour first announccu
that a comet was on its way 10 destroy
ibe earth his prophecy was received with
universal Incredulity. Indeed, had 1t not
been for The fact that the topic was one
which pleased the fancy Of the "llght.ar'
tclsi writer's Of the press, little attention
Sould have been paid to i. The age
nrilel itself upon its knowledge Of sci.
pnso and there was such general belief
in The safety Of all things connected with
tnatbsmalics, that the public declined to
consider seriously the proposition that an
astronomical body, moving in m orbit
CAPABLE OF accurate calculation, could 50
aF forget its duty as to depart from that
Dath IN which It had previously travelled.
Moreover, comets had ceased 10 be a mar.
vel and a bugbear. Scientific men had
asserted that all comets were composed
Of infinitely attenuated gases, and that
should one come in collision with the
earth no precepdble result would follow,
In point Of fact, an airy contempt for
comets had become the mark ola truly
scientific mind, and oil persons who de-
sired reputation for astronomical knowl-
edge affected to sneer OF them rs the
harmless, though demonstrative Trains
Of the celestial armament. While, there.
fore, the humorous and satiriCal writers
ridiCuled Plantamour and his comet, and
thus brought the fact Of that philoso.
piers prophesy to acknowledge Of near
" everybody, an occasional sCieti6c man
thought it his duty to publish on paper
both the prophesy and is author. No
such comet did OF could exist was the
ground taken by the scientific writers,
and no possible comet could work any in.
Jury to the earth, even were the two to
come In contact. Moreover several well.
known astronomers denied that NJ. Plan.
tamOur had any existence, and asserted
that the entire story was the invention OF
areckleSs newspaper Bohemian. Up to
the first OF June, 1872, the foregoing
statement is fair description oil the re:
suit produced by the prediction Of the
learned Swiss. No one telt any uneasi
ness on the subject Of the coming comet
aud lew believed that the story had any
foundation in truth.
Early in June, however, one Of those
respectable old gentlemen, who write
important letters, signed IA Constant
Reader" "a Father Of a Family" etc.
to the daily papers, saw in an obscure re,
port Of the Smithsonian Institute, a men.
ton Of the result Of u speCtroscoplc exam
nation Of the comet Of tho year 1861
which, the report alleged, was again visi.
DE The old gentleman who was, per.
haps, secretly nervous in regard to the
Pla1tanonr prOphesy, Instantly wrote q
letter TO the Herald calling attention ia
this report, and asking if the comet there.
10 mentioned was the one referred to BY
rIantamour The Herald at once took
The matter up editorially, and discussed il
10 an article Of over a column in length
piIolusely strewn with references to Rom.
uloas and Remus, the siege OF Troy, the
englOllily OF Grant for reelection, anG
0Iher kindred matters. The result was
mat Professor Hardness of the Smithso
man Institute felt called upon to rive
some soa. explanation. The great comet o.
lGOl was certainly visible through The
telescope, be admitted and would proba,
NY pass quite near the earth. He wa.
however, colfdant that it would mo-
come within the sphere Of the earth's at
uaSuon, and thatno danger whatever was
70 20 expected from it. He was unable
m@y whether OF not it possessed a soIid
nucleus, but he was Of the opinion, iron,
Close study Of its Spectroscope, that h
was wholly composed of flaming olefian,
gas Professor Harknesss letter 10 The
June. VI 'ne o'n "
~. From this date real excitement in re-
Sata 10 the comet became manifest. Thc
public having learned that a comet act.
uaiIy was approaching the earth and ina,
ai nu ., lsa 1t might be composed Of moth
, ,hs more Wcighty than gas, it was never
neless a celestial tireship that mirh,
pEoye q most undesirable neighbor, i'm
IISSInlaSlely began to repent of Rs belief II
A. riantamour. Still the press, with tht
S"oSpuon o. the Herald, which, having /
SSTa sensation, naturally made the mos ID
" p u, persisted in It's refusal 10 believe II
ssauIamolts existence, and treated III,
appSSfahce Of the comet Of 1861 as mer,
coincidence. The Tribune showed mo,
co1cIlslvely that British free. traders w ,0S
AZ, ~ 'ae potion Of this attempt 10 disturb
STe R uGllc mind and unsettle the business
y. wan street The Times saw in IN,
puULlcalion Of the Plautamour nronhsc,
H nuSiter tecklessness Of the disatietted Rs
s SuUl'Ca1s who opposed Grants re.eiec
Tua, ana the World, while disbelievIn,
'msslofy, preached from it n Solemn Lee
s.a On The perils into which the conrSr S
aaa been brought by the adyocstS SUo ~ !
Bb'U.eclVe tariff. The question Of N
AuAmours existence beinp thus S,.oS
.a,S notice, it could not remain LONG I'm
, %Susd, and within a fortnight aitsFF I IN
aP So,,,, Of Professor Harkness's Letter
9TS ~, was sent TO the LonSo