Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-03-24
A Phenomenon.

| "A E0eOOmCuOus
The San Francisco Moyminy Cal,
of March 9Th, has a long account of
a remarkable human phenomenon
discovered in that city. The account
is exceedingly "tishy," but exhibits
an ingenuity which entities it to COLI
slider ton; and, indeed, it describes
a phenomenon that can be imagined
as not at all impossible. We give Il
summary OF the statement for what
it is worth. For some time, accord
ing to the CaN, there has been ru-
mors OF strange abnormal devel-
opment of vision on the part Of n
lad named Johnny Palmer, who re-
sides with his PARENTS in South San
Francisco. The boy is about 8 years
of age, and has been regarded by his
parents hitherto as almost totally
blind. On the evening of the 18th
OF December last, the boy was in bed,
and for some reason the curtains Of
an adjoining window had been re-
moved. His parents were seated in
another room, when suddenly they
heard the child utter cry, and, hast
ened in, beheld him sitting up in bed
gazing intently at the moon, which
was shining full in his face. He I'M
agined it to be about 200 yards dis
tant and could distinguish objects on
it with perfect distinction. These
facts becoming known to the Cali
fornia College of Sciences, a commit.
tee composed of Drs. Bryant, Glad
son, and Gadbury sought the youth
tor the purpose of testing his powers.
They found that nothing had been
overstated, and that this extraordina-
ry vision was possessed by the lad.
lie described what he saw, and his
description before the committc
agreed substantially with that made
on previous occasions to private par
ties. He completely overturned the
theory of the ''inhabitability" of the
moon by declaring that he saw mov-
ing objects upon its surface, and mi
nutely described them. The COM
mittee conclude from what the boy
states that there are living beings on
that luminary but that they greatly
differ in form from any living thing
on this planet. When tull-grown
the 'Lunarian" is shaped somewhat
like chariot wheel, with four spokcs
converging at the center of axle.
They move by rolling round and
lonnd, and travel as swiftly as an
eagle. The children appear to be
shaped like pumpkin or orange,
finally losing their rotundity and as
suming the form of the wheel allud-
ed to. The surface Of the moon is
all hill and hollow; no fire is visible,
nor are there any volcanoes, and no
other species of living thing seems
to exist upon it. The committee
turned the boys attention to the
planet Venus, but he could discover
nothing in that direction. The
learned Swans ut once surmised that
the cause of his failure here was the
fact that the focus of the eye was
fixed at 100000 miles, while the heast
distance of Venus from the earth is
24,00O,O0O miles. 1t was therefore
impossible for him to discover any
thing on the surface of the latter
with distinctEeSs.
The reporter of the Call, after
hearing the facts stated, hunted up
the boy and arranged meeting at
the residence Of j. p. Marrow, of
San Francisco, who has large tcle-
scope finely mounted. The boy took
a glance through this at Mars. and
burst out into scream Of de-
light, describing mountains, seas,
rivers, cities, its inhabitants, and SO
many other wonderful sights that the
reporter is obliged to postpone fur
ther and detailed account until the
next issue Of the CuH The secret
of this extraordinary power is de-
scribed at great length. We make
the following extract:
There are two common impcrfections
of the human organ of sight: one called
myopia, or 'nearsightedness; the other
Prerbyopit, or "far-sightedness. In the
case under examination no glass or COM
binaiion of glasses could be inverted suffi-
GENTLY Concave to remedy the malforma-
ton. BY mathematical problem of
easy solution it vas computed that the
nearest distance from the unaided eve of
the patient AT which 4 distinct image
could be formed upon the retina was 240,-
0OO-a fraction short of the mean distance
of the moon from the earth; and hence
it became perfectly clear that the boy
could see with minute distnctncss what
ever was Transporting on the surface of
the moon.
a public session of the committee
was to have been held on the even
ing Of March llth, at which an adj
mission fee was to be charged, it be-
ing intended to use the proceeds to
deiray the expenses of the boy and
his parents to the Centennial Exhibit
ton in May.-Mfer ocean.