Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-07-23
SOMETHING ABOUT COMETS
NO DANGER OF A CoLLIsION-HIsTo-
RY OF THE VIsITANTs OF THE PRES
ENT CENTURY.
Special Correspondence of Pitts. Commsrcia1

Special Correspondence of Pitts. Commercial.
WASHINGTON, d. c., July 13, 1874.
Having completed their well devil
sed and elaborate plans for the obserya-
tlon of the transit of Venus in Decem-
Der next, and having dispatched par
ties to various points in the northern
ana southern parts of the Eastern
Hemisphere where alone this astro-
nomIcal event of the century will be
visible, Rear Admiral Davis and his
corps of able astronomers still left with
him at the Naval Observatory are va
rylng their regular nightly SURVEYS of
the starry canopy of the heavens. with
giimpSes at the latest celestial stranger,
the Coggia comet. The scientific data
collected is of no interest to the reader.
but the subject generally possesses con.
siderable attraction lust at this mo-
ment. The astronomers of the Naval
observatory seem to have great con-
tempt Tor the comhative or butting Ca
pa0IiltleS of comets. The comet of
IIIO dashed off towards the sun, (com-
cts, 1t appears, have IA fondness for the
SUM, but en- route got tangled up with
the satellites of Jupiter, and had four
months controversy before it became
fairly extricated. Jupiter rolled on in
its wide orbit, followed by its satellites,
entirely undisturbed by the rencontre.
rms same capriciOus visitant came
within short journey q 400, 900 miles)
OF the earth but the latter held her own.
Yet had the quantity of the comet
been equal to the earth, the latter
would have been attracted out of its or
bit. The disconcerting result of this
thing would have been, that Julius
CaeSar's calender, revised by the thir-
teenth Pope, Gregory, then Just com
ing into general use among the nations
of Christendom, would have been
knocked completely out of time, and
some new Julius Caesar or Pope Grego-
ry WoOld have been required to set the
year 10 rights. From the above facts
we conclude that the Second Adyen-
fists will have to look out for some de-
vice OF heavens ;.rtillery other than a
bomb-like comet with a frlsky tail to
demolish this kindly mundane sphere.
The most remarkable comets of the
present century were those of 1906,
1911, 1913, 1858, 1860, 1861, 1862 and
1861. The comet of 1911 according to
all the light of Astronomical science and
history was the most remarkable of
those named. When visible it appear
ed with dazzling brilliancy for a week
and then launched out in space. taking
the wide sweep of an orbit of 3O65
years.
The comet of the winter of 1S43 is |
said to have been the brightest of the
century. 1t was this that stirred the
n 70 i'm
with ascension robes and await i'm the
frosty winter night the grand smash |
up OF the earth and second coming of
Christ. AS every one knows the earth
still whlris in its appointed space.
Donatl's comet which created such a |
commotion in 1858 had a tail 5S, ,OOO, 900
miles long, and f1ourished at distance
of 24O, 1000 miles from the earth du-
ring part of the months of August and
September.
1n ancient times comets were the IA
vorite subjects of human superstition.
AS the American mind iu more senses
than one fears neither man nor devil.
d fine chance for an awe-struck people
was wasted on the comets of 1860, 1861,
1862 and 1864. In former days comets
wars, famines, or some
other disturbance. 1t is not remem-
bered that there was much fear and
trembling even ifthe comet of 1860 did
witness the first step to the ATTEMPTED
disruption OF the American Union, or
that of 1861 the marshalling of Ameri-
can citizens for the defense of the Con-
stitution against treason, or that ofl
1867, the gloom of a doubtful conflict.
or that OF 1864, the march of the Union
to triumph after Triumph. 1t is a CO.
incidence at least, not being supersti-
tiously inclinced, that there Should
have been four comets during the pro.
gress of the war.
Speaking about COggia's comet. the
present object of curiosity in the dome !,
above, it may be said that is now at its
brightest, being only the trifiing dis
tance of g., 900, 900 miles from the earth.
On the 2Dth of the present month IL
VIII be half that distance but not as
bright. The comet moves along lei
surely at the rate OF 1,000,O0O miles a
day.
From the sources of information at l
the observatory the following other in
teresting Facts were obtaineti: The real
dianeters of the comets of the Nine
teenth century, satisfactorily measured
were that of 1911, AS miles; 1906. $500
miies; 1853, $500 miles; 1913, 5000
miles.
The length of cometary tails which |
have famed the sk los d,r;n, ,ha -