The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-18
Enthqlak es..-Eaec tricai Philosophy
Refutation OF the Esneous Hypothe-
sis In Relation TO the Origin OF Earth.
quakes.

Refufaff0n or the ESneOus HyUothe-
sis I'm Relation to the Origin OF Earth.
quakes.
Editor San Francisco Chronicle:
have already shown that electrical cur
| rents always flow at or rletr the surfaces of
bodies, and that such surface action is the
real cause Of magnetic attraction-gieater
bodies attracting smaller ones, by reason of
| the former possessing greater amount of
superficial electrical activity or magnetic
force. have shown that the earth's surface
is permeated and saturated by a
MIGHTY ELECTRICAL CURRENT
forever flowing over and through the earth's
solid belt from the Arctic to the Antarctic
circles. This perpetual surfaee-now of cleo
tricity not only renders the earth powerful
magnet, but places the attracting point or
centre Of gravity at or near the periphery of
the globe. BY reason Of this
LAW OF MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
bodies fall towards the surface of the earth
or towards the point of electrical activity
with velocity increasing in exact ratio to
the square of their elevation above the panet
Now, if it be true that the point of attrac-
ton Is at or near the surface, all matter in the
interior of the globe would be attracted to-
ward the same point and fall from the centre
toward the surface, or point of magnetic at
traction, with degree of velocity exactly
equal to that of bodies falling on the outside.
If as science clearly proves, the attracting
point is at or near the surface of all magnets,
the attraction from centre to circumference
would take place even if the earth were in
state Of rest, for large bodies always attract
smaller ones for the reasons already given,
and the globe is bigger at the surface than ut
the centre, precisely as cart-wheel is more
expansive at the rim than at the hub. In adj
dition to this law Of attraction toward the
circumference, the earth possesses an euuato-
rial momentive force of one thousand miles
per hour. This is prodigious degree of
yelocity-ten times greater than that vet at
taincd by the swiftest locomotive engine
and If the whole interior of the earth, nearly
eight thousand miles in diameter, bea
SETTLING LIQUID MASS,
constantly seeking vent and liberation, it is
easy to perceive that at the least abrasion or
crack in the earth's crust at the equator, the
red hot fluid would be thrown to an incredi-
BILE distance into space. The tendency of
liquids to be thrown toward the surface by
momentum can be illustrated by any school
boy in swinging pail of water about his
head. As long as the pail is kept revolving
the water will remain secure in the vessel,
but if q puncture be made in the bottom Of
the pail the fluid will spin out with great
force, and this "spinning" out process is
precisely what would transpire at the equa-
tor were The earth liquid mass as claimed
by the igneous school Of philosophers.
THE USsOUSDSEss OF TIE IGNEOUs HYPOTHESIS
is more clearly shown by the now well-ascer
tanned laws of heat, combustion, and radia-
ton, as well as by the correlatiye action con-
>Lantly going forward in and about this
planet Through the careful and laboriors
experiments of Humboldt, Mayer. Lyell, and
others, ii has been aSccrtaincd that us we
penetrate the earth vertically there is an in-
crease of temperature of one degree for about
fifty or sixty feet below the surface. Baron
Won Humboldt estimated that with this in
crcasing scale Of heat at the depth Of ten
miles the earth is
A THOUSAND TIMES HOTTER THAN RED-HoT IRON.
In view of the fact that terrestrial heat
always Iadiates from the centre of bodies,
and, according to all the known phenomena
of fire, Sir Charles Lyell asserts that it is
reasonable to suppose that this increasing
temperature extends to the very heart of the
planet, four thousand miles from the sur
face. and that at the centre the heat would be
MILLIONS OF TIMES HOTTER
than rcd-hot iron Such degree of heat,
saws Sir Charles. would instantly decompose
the planet and resolve it into vapor. In the
curt language Of Mcintosh, "Such propo-
sition needs no rcfutation; it is contutcd by
its own absurdity" Much scientific ink has
been expended by igneouS defenders to
show us how all the heat which escaped by
radiation from the interior is constantly
being stored up in the liquids and solids upon
the cartll's surface. AS we have maintained,
the correlation Of natural forces indicate a
CONSTANT INTERCHANGE OF CONDITIONS
of all substances, and heat and cold are al
ways the observable elects Of active motion
or retarded motion but the ignollS
theorists have made the Garth vast deal too
hot for reasonable explanation by any known
law of nature or by any rule OF common sense.
Modern ingenuity has succeeded in tathom-
ins the deep seas to the profound depth of
about seven miles, and has found that the
water ut the bottom is actually colder than at
the surface. Tell me. We learned tire-wOr-
shippers, if the earth ut the depth Of ten miles
is thousand times hotter than rcd-hot iron,
could any known law of radiation prevent
the waters at the bottom of the deep sen
from being boiling hot at the point Of con-
tact with IN nclndcsccnt mass of incon-
ceivable heat 5000 miles in depth! Would
not such a
PRoDIGIoUs CONCENTRATION OF LIQUID FIRE
by the perpetual force of radiation instantly
lick up the aqueous film called the ocean, and
expand all surrounding substances into i'll
appreciate yapor!
One argument more and / slElll have done
with the igncous philosophy. According to
human experience and to the laws of chen-
| istry, fire cannot exist on this planet without
the presence of oxygen, the natural sup
porter of combustion. There is nothing in
or about a
| VOLCANIC ERUPTION
| to indicate the presence of oxygen. On The
! contrary, the gases evolved by volcano are
non-sllpporterS Of combustion, and are evil
IDENTIFY the resllltants of instantaneous mineral
decomposition. Admitting, however. for the
sake of argument, that the heated interior
does, in some ineXplicable way, receive Il
supply of oxygen; III that case active com
| bustion would set in, cbullltlon would FOL
low, and the whole world would he trans
formed into a seething volcano in Il july.
Jour philosophy Is ipSuIu, ScHtlcIncH'
There is no fire in or about the earth, except
that which is generated by clectro-chemical
action. w. FRANK STEWART.
HYpRoruoBIA-A MAN ATTACKED BY TIE
DREADFUL DISEASE Four MONTHS AFTER liz
WAS BITTEN-ESDURANCE AND COURAGE or
THE suFFERER.-Thc Scranton E,1'tHcnn
SAYS: In our issue of yesterday we stated
| 81 IrI o1,ia loI M