The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-12-23
SYMMES' HOLE In THE EARTH.
The Revival of nm Old and Somewhat
Startling Theory---In the Hollow of the
Earth.

The Revival of nm Old and Somewhat
Startling Theory---In the Hollow of the
Earth.
Americus Symmes, Esq, of Louis
vile, lectured at Riverside, Ohio, re-
Gently, explaining theory which his
father, Captain John Symmes, pro-
mulgated fifty years ago. The term
"Symmes' Hole" was for many years in
the mouths of the people, but is at
present seldom heard, and scarcely ever
understood.
The lecturer said that his father, Capt.
John Cleves Symmes, retired from the
army after the war of 1916, and in 1918
became convinced in his own mind that
the earth was hollow and habitable on its
interior surface. Capt. Symmes devo-
ted the remainder of his life to the
study of scientific matters, with especial
reference to their bearing upon his
theory. He petitioned Congress to
grant him means to make an expedition
TO the north, expecting to penetrate the
girdle of everlasting ice which surrounds
the pole, to sail into the interior of the
earth, and to take possession of the
glorious country to lie found there, in
the name of the United States. He was
full of patriotic desire that his own be-
loved country should have the glory
and profit of the grand discoveries,
which he never doubted would some day
be made. He was SO inspired with this
love of country that when Russia tender
ed him the command of an expedition
he declined, because he felt that it
would be successful, and the glory there
of rebound to that country and be de-
MED to the United States. Thus he
even sacrificed the fondest hopes of his
life upon the shrine of his patriotism,
and died, in 1929, broken hearted. He
died as he had lived, certain that his
theory was correct and would ultimately
be demonstrated.
Capt. Symmes held that the depres-
sion in the outward surface of the earth
began at some point between the sixty
eighth and eightieth degrees of latitude,
aud that the transition space, or verge,
as he termed it, occupied about 1,8OO
miles, after which the convexity would
cease, and the surface would become
concave, opening toward the interior.
He maintained that the crust of the
earth was about 1000 miles thick, leav-
ing an interior surface of about 5000
miles. The distance from one rim of
the depression of the outward surface to
the other he claimed to be about 1000
miles, and the depression in the shape
of a funnel until the narrowest point
should be reached, whence the surface
widened out into the interior concavity.
Light and heat being essential to this
new world, Capt. Symmes relied upon
the rays of the sun being cast directly
into the opening certain distance, and
then being refracted and reflected until
they should yield light and heat to the
whole interior but should there not be
sufficient sunlight and heat, the lecturer
sufficient quantity of inherent heat to exc
out the requirements of nature.
Mr.. Symmes cited several facts from
the experience of Arctic explorers, all
going, as he thought, to prove the cor
rectness of his fathers theory. Dr..
Hayes, Capt. Hall, and others had gone
far enough north to see nimbus
clouds hanging over open watar III the
distance, indicating warmth. Wood
drifting from the north had been picked
up with cuts in it made with an ak,
showing that this interior region was in
habited with race who understood the
use of iron. The lecturer compared
Capt. Hall to Moses, as being permitted
to look into the uppermost land, but not
to enter and enjoy it. He spoke with
profound sorrow of the fact that the
Polaris turned back when within one
days sail of the open water, which would
have inevitably conducted her into the
interior of the earth, whereby his fathers
theory would have been demonstrated,
and the United States have acquired
dominion over the new world of Sym
mesz mia, as he termed it.
At this point the lecturer appeared so
overcome with the intensity of his re-
gret that so fine an opportunity for
proving the correctness of his fathers
theory should have been lost. that he
was obliged to terminate his lecture, be
ing almost prostrated with sudden
dizziness.