The New York herald., 1872-08-11

neglected TO lnnuence the lmaeiuasaons ~
predicted wonder The civlizedpre received the
startling news with derisye tncrednlty and though
here and there some fancfu journalist has since
occasionally amused himself by spinning on curious
coniectures as TO the consequences OF tne supposeu
tne Ses anS ~ the the glowing
horror and alarm OF mankind, the increase IN the
number of great crimes and excesses which is
always excited by grand calamites, and the final
crash OF the two meeting bodies, II has been very
clear that these have been merely an effort OF tho
People have obstinatey refused TO sink into a
panic, and this latest cry OF ''hOra n0utssiDsa"
has been a miserable fxzle.
WHAT MEN OF SCIENCE SAY.
duty In the premises at once examined, and as
SSss Ssn 70 he the world thrilling
at the instigation Of that gentleman First Of all
Plantamour H' Plantamour was reported to be q
gentleman who held land holds) the post OF Pro-
lessor OF astronomy in Geneva university, and
who until the present year had anguished In CON-
parattve obscurity. His prediction was merely
general one, nor has he yet vouchsafed to give us
formed. Practically 1t simply amounted to this
that at four p ~, on the 18th OF August OF this
year or at any rate at some period between the th
and 18th OF August, huge comet would strike the
earth. The effect OF the collision was left to the
imagination, and the Information we were advised
mosr. or course the scienttc world S indianantiy
refused to blindy accept this dctum OF third rate
savant, and he has been very properly and univer-
the fears and superstition Of the vuar.
DONATI ON THE PREDICTION.
rHra rTrnaps IN, ane pest ana most conciuslve ex,
was that given BY Signor D0nati, who discovered
the great comet, In 1868, that bears his name, and
specially. He showed that unless PlantamOur had
some exceptional and peculiar springs OF informa-
ton other than those open to men Of science in
general there was no comet which could be pos
slbly predicted as certain to make its appearance
on The 18th, though there was one small comet
tBela's) which might possibly become visible some
time during the present year. But even Biela's
comet was not very hopefully looked for
by It to oSs
seen since 1852. When It was last observed it ex-
hibited Indications that plainly suggested the pos
sibility of its total destruction. These points, to-
gether with the probable effect OF q collision be-
tween the earth and comet, are SO interestingly
monograph on the subject, published in the Malone
Of the 4th March last, s repubshcd at the close OF
this article.
There, OF course, now remains but very little
doubt indeed that the scientific world In general
is right, and that NJ Plantamour has made q blum
der. II his comet were indeed going to strike the
earth on the 18th we ought to have seen 1t weeks
ago, but as yet no observatory has reported the
appearance OF comet anywhere in the heavens,
and the strange manner In which that gentleman
has subsided into silence is another encouraging
Se that though hay
not specifically said so, the comet he referred to
IN his prediction is almost certainly Bielas for in
connection with that comet, some calculations Of
his are given in o few works on astronomy as au-
thOritative. and this same comet, which Is also
sometimes called Gambart's, was predicted to
1892. In view of this, therefore, and Of the
interesting uncertainty, that, as Sign0r Donati
further details OF its history may be given here.
BIELA'S COMET.
It was first definitely discovered on the evening
Of the 9th OF February, 1926, in the constellation
Aries, by M. Biela OF JOsephstadt, in Bohemia. 1t
was very small, and can indeed never be seen ex-
cept with the telescope, unless 1t approaches 80
near to the earth as to make q collision-more or
less probability. II presented in 1926 the appear
ance OF small round nebulosty with feeble con-
densatiOn Of light toward the centre. The same
comet also recognized on the 9th Of the follow
ing month, by M. Gambart, at Marseilles. 1t was
tail or nucleus. The period of its revolu-
ton was definitely determined at about six
and three-quarter years and 1t was gen
the same as one that had been previously
observed in the years l772 and 1905. Two years
aterward in 1925 DR.. Olbers startled the world by
directing attention to the very close approach of the
orbits of the earth and this comet at the descend
ing mode OF the latter The following extract from
which this view was based and its effect upon the
public mind:-
oLBERs' SCARE IN 1892
"In 1905 and 1926 the radius vector of the comet
at the MODAL passage was greater than the earth's
and, consequently it passed outside our orbit. But
moment would be nearer the sun than the earth,
and would, therefore, pass inside our annual path,
but at distance from 1t OF only 00OO3s, OF less than
five terrestrial scm-diameters Now, on the sth
December, 1906, when the comet of Blela was near
the earth> DR.. Olbers found the apparent diameter
subtended an angle OF 40 min, whence he concluded
that the real semi-dameter OF the nebulosity
was at least 5.25 radu Of the earth, and it
comet in s were as great "a as in
1905 portion Of the earth's orbit would be
within the nebulosity Of the comet at the
arc, or arc OF true anomaly be-
tween the descending node and perihelion
would require twentynine days to traverse and
as the calculations had fixed the arrival at perihe
hon about midnight on the 27th OF November, it
was thus inferred that the passage through the
descending node would take place on the evening
OF the 29th OF October. The e0centric longitude OF
the point OF the comets orbit, which lies nearest
that OF the earth is 6s deg. 10 min, and the earth
could not reach this point until the morning OF the
SOth OF November, or one month after the comets
passage by it. These results showed, OF course
that there was no ground for alarm, at least in
1852, as the two bodies would pass through the
dangerous neighborhood so long after each other.
II the perihelion passage had occurred at eight p.
M. on the 2sth Of December, an extremely near ap-
proach, if not a collision, OF the earth and comet
must have taken place on the last day OF November
GENERAL ALARM.
Though astronomers were satisfied the comet
would not approach within many millions OF miles
from the earth, it was not So with the general
public Considerable alarm was excited on the
continent as soon as OlDers' results were known,
and the comet OF 1882 was even anticipated the
argued that If retardation Of about one
month In the arrival at perihelion should take
place, the most disastrous consequences must
iollow-a line of reasoning which, though possibly
correct In itssI was altogether inadmissabe
under the circumstances. The periodic time cor
comet at its visit IN 1926 was known, without
greater than day. and the effect o. planet
AIRY attraction had also been deterplped With all
halion passage, November ~ could not, therefore,
be well subject to larger error than one day at
the utmost. AL fear Of collision or dangerous
proximity was evidently groundess.b
THE ESCAPE FROM COLLISION.
Ae the astronomers predicted and as, OF course,
all of US now know perfectly well, the world cs-
tained in 1882 was on the 2sd OF August, from the
Colegio Romano. at Rome. 1t was also seen by Sir
September, but It was then SO small and its light
SO feeble that 1t taxed the powers OF his twenty
feet rejecting telescope to enable him 10 dstin-
ruish n. towards the end Of October it became