Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-11-07
STRAY THOUGHTS.

The celebrated witty divine. sydney
smith tells Of man who "spoke disres-
pectfully Of the equator" No less
grievous is the fault of this generation
Of latter day discoveries and travellers
who lay bare earth's secret rlaces aud
explore her profoundes. natural mysteries.
But we of to-day are all OF like ilk in
this particular. Time was when a man
about to go from Edinburgh to London
was publicly prayed for in various Scot |
fish kinks and Divine Providence INVOKED
that his paths in strange lands might be
those OF peace. But how changed in
mind is the reckless New Yorker or
Philadelphian OF to-day as he puts two
clean shirts and bottle Of lime juice in
his valise and serenely glides across the
great Atlantic. And talking Of that same
ocean, once the dread Of stout-hearted
mariners and in all ages the emblem of
eternity and omnipotence. Whether
smiling sun-tipped waves ripping lazily
on the sandy beach or roaring in dread
thunder as II dashes its pillows mountain
high on a rock bound coast the same IL
Irritable, unfathomless and uncompre-
hensible power is now likely TO
be diverted from its ancient bed
and made as servilely submissive to
man as ever man was to conqueror
Not content with claiming heavens light
ming and making it do duty in ocean
depths. it's now proposed to lay violent
hands on old &oean's hoary name ,and
cause the blue waters of the Mediterra-
mean sea to flood the southern plains of
Northern Africa, making what is now
the barren desert of Sahara fertile
tract. The sanguine Frenchman believes
that by cutting canal through Algeria he
can evidently have second France in
point OF fertility and warmth. The com
: mercial Englishman also has scheme
: to tep the desert on the West Coast at I
g point due east of the Canary Islands
n and build himself water way to thu
% ivory plains of Timbuctoo. An Englisl
n expedition will sail in few days t
Id survey for the proposed canal route, ant
" as soon as the French get affairs at HON
er Strengthened up, and few more goi
Ut millions in the national budget-whicl
'er at the preseat rate won't take long-the
ed too will get out u preparatory party
40 avant couriers. 1t Is asserted on goo
&c authority that the Sahara Desert is lowe
ne than the Mediterranean. Should thi
- provo true. the work Of changing tina
re vast desert to plain Of verdure wi
Is be commenced before many months
In An Eastern newspaper gravely a.
TO vances the theory that the sudde
on displacement OF so much weight upon Il
oe- earth "a surface will seriously interfere wi
icy the relative gravity Of our planet al
the possibly throw US off our balanc
10 Should this untoward event take pla
wy it's possible that the earth's orbit wou
''"- be changed, the whole solar system
Or thrown into disorder and this munda
sou sphere go oareering through trackle
we spacs after the fashion of vagabo
'dy comets and hayward Pleads. But it
'w- to DO sincely hoped that no such d
afy astrous results will ensue and that
project, If feasible, will be successful
carried out. Should such catastrop
~, be imminent an injunction in an Afrit
49, court might have a salutary effect a
~, avert the impending danger. In
-. last few decades of years the re
~ less Anglo-Saxon has made gr'
60 havoc with many OF natures {
ments and now proposes to change
- natural confguration of the earth. I
Suez Isthmus is already cut through @
-. the waters Of the Bosphorous aud
Indian Ocean eommingle; the Oar
10. Isthmus will soon be rent and the
a. lantic and Pacific given a new void
- place; the English Channel is to be t
nelled and England submarinely uni
TO Continental Europe, and now col
the Mediterranean scheme and the T
New buctoo Canal. Projects that once "
long regarded but as the insane vagaries
put unbalanced minds have become set
'mo- and enjoyable facts. and It's possible
the the work of the past is but the forerun
ated Of greater triumphs over Natures fol
in the near future.