The Volcano lubricator. (Volcano, W. Va.) 1871-1879, 1874-01-27
Volcano LUBRICAToR.
A CRACKED SATELLITE.
The Moon in Process ofDisruption
A Cheerful Outlook for Us.

The story Of a cracked and disinte
grating moon, which is made public
through the we'll known observatory
ut tlarseilles, has points which, fully
assured rs to their authenticity, will
arouse good deal Of discussion among
astronomers. The story is Of Luigui
Cacciatore, young man with an idea,
and a fortune Of 5000, a student at
the observatory Of Marscilles. This
Young man was so devoted to his idea
that he heaPed his little fortune upon
1t and with a telescope and other in
struments set sail alone for the solitude
OF southern seas. Before embarrassing
he handed to his old instructor 4 roll
OF manuscript, upon which was in
scrloed the idea which the youth pur-
sued, and his reasons for entertaining
1t at the expense orhis time and for
tune. He believed, speaking unscien-
titically that the moon WAS Altogether
more-cracked than astronomers ina
gined and he went to the south seas
alone; that being there in that region
where passed the deepest shadow, he
might see the sunlight pceping through
the cracked moon at the time Of the
next eclipse. He went away to the
south, even to pitcairn's Island, cree t.
ed his rude observatory, gained an old
sailor 10 assist him, and they two with
eyes front and instruments pointed,
awaited the shadow. 1t came.
Straight through the huge rugged rocks
the ragged sunlight shone as one sees
CLEAN through crack in a door. A
CRY of JOY came from beneath the teles-
cope. The sailor turned photographer
caught three negatives of the penetrat
ing sunbeam. The youth with his idea
possessed now proof to him sufficient
that his belief was not a vision but 4
scientific reality, and he writes to his
Old instructor in France, with all the
enthusiasm OF a boy who has storncd
snow fort and with all the exclama-
non points of successful lover. Tie
Young man saw enough during his
lonely vigil on Pitcairn's Island to
make him declare "that our lovely sa-
1eliite is not only 4 shell that is crush
ca IN upon some portion its periphe-
~, and she'll that is now crumblinp
to ruin with a constant, a savage and
frighsful velocity"
The old professor at Marseillcs,
commenting upon the youths observa-
tions and records which accompanied
this letter says he has pushed his dis
coVery very near to the point of de-
monstration, and then the old gentle
man takes hand in running things
with cracked moon as follows:
"If the crumbliug be connected with
and dependent upon any such intense
internal volcanic action as Luigui
seems to suspect, the final disruption
would be so violent as to project some
portions ofthe moon sheer out Of their
orbit and down upon US with consc-
quences Of the most serious character.
Such an impact if it were of suffi-
cient force, might in turn dislodge
the earth from its orbit, send it gazing
on 4 spiral into the sun, or flung on a
hyperbole out into freezing space.
Or the same resistless force might in
falling, crush in the surface Of our own
planet, break through its crust and de-
luge us with escaping gases from our
own subterranean labratory."
Is not that a beautiful paragraph?
The reader may think that the moon
is not the only cracked thing in exis.
tence, but restrain the thought, for the
above occurs just over that signature
OF WON. De Pontecoulant, of the oh.
servatory OF Marseilles.
The great iron bridge of the Chicago
Alton & St. Louis railroad company,