Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-01-08
THE HER AID.
The Downfall of the Moon Stand
from Under

liant, the eminent physicist OF Mar
settles, in the current number OF the
Wiener Taqebrich for WissenschGft-
sCesea. These names should be pro-
pounced carefully The discoveries
are not only startling, but accounted
for with such minute and mathemat-
ical certainty that they cannot fail
to create profound sensation, as
well in the astronomical world as In
the minds of thinking men. The
author of these remarkable observa-
tions is Luige Caociatore, an Italian,
who, after gaining high distinction
as an astronomer, came to Perma
eight years ago to seek an astronom-
ical education from the Professor,
who now preeents bis theory to the
world. Being assured In his own
mind of the correctness7of the follow
ing problems-frst, that the assures
are much deeper in the moons sur
face than they arc reported to be;
second, that they are not caused by
contraction merely, but by internal
volcanic action of great violence /;
third. that this action is still efficient
--he resolved to take tor his poiut
and time of observation al island on
the South Sea, during the eclipse OF
1872, his idea being that it was neo>
essary to stand in the deepest shad'
ow. and precisely in line with the
axis cf the point of his particular OBJ.
servation, at the instant precisely OF
exact conjunction. 1t has been ad-
mitted by astronomers, more espec-
tally by Hansen, that there exists a
crack upon the eastern side of the
moon, at the periphery; and nearly
upon the equator; that it extended
by the base ofMount Heveliut, north
west through the Maria Procellarum,
and nearly, or quite. to the base OF
the great mountain of KEEPER. Tins
crack the young astronomer held
not to be mere superficial assure,
but actually what Tycho maintained
il to be. real cleft in the moons
body. Herschell saw points of light
in the non-ilIuminated portion OF the
moon, intense but varying. Arag
pooh>poohed these, upon the score
Of their being merely secondary re.
lection, but afterward attributed
thom to polarized light.
Fully convinced of the correctness
of his theory, and burning with en-
thusiasm, the intrepid astronomer
sailed for Tahiti, where he arrived
after long and devious voyage. lie
at once secured a passage on trad
ing vessel bound for Pitcairn Island
the scene of Byron's poem of "The
Island" and the spot to which the
mutlneers of the Bounty fled to es-
cape the consequences of their crime.
On this Island, the very atrius um>
her of the path of the eclipse. he
erected his rude observatory, and,
with the assistance of an old de-
scendant of the mutineers, Perez AID
ans, prepared for the eclipse. AT
h. 81 m. the eclipse was distinctly
aunular, and at h. 80 m. it was
again annular. At 6 b. 80 m 40 8. a
brilliant ray shot from the obscure
side OF the moon. The easterly mo-
ton OF the satellite continued, but
tho raw did not disappear. Its base
travelled toward the eastern limit oil
the moon. Without becoming invisi.
bile. at 6 h. 81 m. it was red star
waning in the sunlight; two seconds
later it disappeared. Not thorough
" satisfied with this observation
Luige traversed the Indian and the
Pacific Oceans, and from the Isle de
Bourbon, of date July 10, 1872, lie
writes; Eureka my dear friend
Eureka | have proved it," Hav-
ing learned from his almanac that on
July 9, the sun would be 81 degrees
below the moon, at the hour of con-
junction, and of sunset, be again
made observation with tho closest
scrutiny, and from all the data he
has been able to gather, he gives in
as his opinion that our satellite is
not only shell, and shell full OF
cracks, but a shell that is crushed in
upon some portions Of its periphery
and is now crumbling to ruin, ,oith q
constant, a SaUage, frjghtul reI0clty.
In no other way can he account toI
tho changes in the chasm of the ifs.
sure since the examinations made by
previous astronomers. On the oc.
casion of the great eclipse OF 1875, by
the simple use of the spectroscope,
the whole matter will be explained
without the shadow of doubt.
The evident correctness OF this as
tronomer's theory will doubles set
tho world by the ears specializing up
on the probable fate of the earth
should It's satellite integrate into two
halves or fragmentary particles.
Should the crumbling be connected
with and dependent upon volcanic
action; rs Luige seems to suspect,
the final disruption might be so vio-
lent as to project some portions OF
the moon sheer out of their orbit up
on US, with consequences of the most
serious character. One of the pleas
ing consequences of such catastrO-
phe might be to dislodge our local
habitation, and send it grating on a
spiral into the sun, or to turn us out
IN cladestine manner, as suggested
by Flammarion, in his stories Of in
tinity, to seek q livelihood in space.
We might also expect that the fall
ing portions of the moon would crush
through the crust of the earth and
deluge us with lava and steam, or
sutfOcate US with escaping gases
from our own subterraneau laborato-
ryi We do not desire to alarm any
one needlessly, but at the same time
II would be we'll tor our astronomers
to keep sharp lookout on the move.
ments of our constjtutionalIy shaky
Chicago Inter- Ocean.
A Yankee and His Dog Useless on
the Big Blue.
B. G. earned few hundreds as q
young market gardner on Cape Ann.
He then went West. bought q quar-,