The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-02-03


: as respects our solar SYSTEM. Between the or
bits Mars and Jubitcr large planet formerl.
revolyed that in all probability had passet
through the various stages of the planet lif
described by astronomers as the nebuous, TIN
sunlight, and the decedence until it reached
'the death PERIOD when by sudden cxpan
sion of it's internal gases, it exploded, leavin:
4 as momentous celestial warnings the four as
i teroids-Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta-fou
graveyards of race probably superior to ours
| That similar calamity may speedily over
| take our globe is highly probable from the I'M
Iquestionetl fact. confidently asserted with sin
gular unanimity by CREST scientists, that botf
the earth and its inhabitants have passed the
prime, of their developments, and have entered
into either lingering decay or sudden death
The chances seem to me to favor the latter
mode of comparative extinction. What may
not inaptly be termed the cosinical. analosies
also seem to point to, the instantaneous eXtinc-
ton theory. We know little respecting the
O. igin Of uleteors Unless upon the assumption
| that they are fragments OF Whit formerly were
planets like ours that revolved around other
| suns; but we certainly know that millions OF
| millions per day OF those meteors fall into tho
sun and contribute to the solar heat. The
suns corona is. evidently caused by this per-
| petual shower of meteOric matter and when
| we remember that this conora represents an
| encrcling raging flame whose rays are 30O, 600
miles long, and in which She most obdurate
| metals become mere yapors, Imagination stands
aghast while reason confidently asserts that
| such furnace us the suns must speedily con-
sumo all the nleteorc and planetary matter in
our system, and speedily inaugurate the time
have already spoken Of when the sun and plan
cts will revolye III one mass, a cold black ball
| in space
| The scientist was here Interrupted and asked
to explain why he had linked New York with
| Naples in the impending eruption OF Vesll-
vus.
1.-THE explanation seems to me Obvious" he
replied. s'Naples, OF rather Vesuyi,ls, as you
may perceive by looking at this earthquake
map (producing chart Of the world on Mer-
GATORS projection printed OH fine white silk,
and measuring some twelve feet by six, Vesu-
vius is situated in latitude 40 degrees 81 min
utes New York. as you sec, or rather Man
haitian Island, is located on the same parallel,
the City Hall latitude being 40 degrees AZ min
utes So far this situation is not pregnant
| with disaster but let us examine the respec-
| tive meridians. Taking Greenwich as the ORR
| pn of longitude, the situation OF Vesuvins is
| ia degrees 35 minutes east. while that of Mail
haitian Island is IA degrees % minutes west.
| Let us endeavor to realize the positions ny an
| illustration. Representing the parallel OF 4o
! degrees on plans-say the DIAL OF CLOCK
| Naples would occupy the position OF the hour
l1ss w
the position of the XII. In other words, the
|anglc that separates them, or the angls on
which they are projected OH the earth's sphere,
is that of SO degrees-or only one degree snort
| Of right angle
Il. enlist here drew figure Illustrating
Tie { rtgoiag elements. 1t was simply en-
Gle divided into four qttaGrants, in which Ma
lies and New York occupied the positions al
| ready indie ted Oh the clock dial while 4 spot
in TIE Pacific Ocean occupied the other end OF
| Naples diameter, or IN, on the dial; and q
| spot in Northern China was opposite New
| York, or ut VI, OIL the clock dial. BY an elab-
| CRATE cal ,ulaton in transcendental Mathemat-
! les. VI. iieia;lit apparently demonstrated that
| in case of amy terrible convulsioh by Fesuvills,
ew York wtu'l be certain to experience Sc
| rio1s volcanic liphcaval. "Not only So The
peculiar. geologic formation OF the island and
! The Palisades along tie Hudson were conyinc-
ing evidences that such an uphsayal had been
experienced iii thu past The gneiss ard wllin-
stone rocks, as AIr. Babbage and DR.. Buckland
long ago observed, are more liable to earth
quake viSitationS than any other description of
rocks And hence Sir Charles Lyeli stated
that as respected the British Islands, Chiciles-
| ter in Surrey was more liable to earthquakes
than any other place in Great Britain, in con-
sequence of its being on the Continuation of
the Isle-of- Wight forlpation. Professor Wins
ton, of Richmond College, sagacio4ssly con
meets the recent shocks at Richmond and
| Washington with the present threatening dis
! turbances in Vesuvius; and you will remein
Der that the shock experienced all over New
| York in December, 1874. and which so startled
| yonr people, was attended by volcanic throes
in Iceland. There can be no exaggerating the
| fact that Manhattan Island owes its existence
to some terrible igneous npheaval; and if the
forthcoming eruption OF VesuvIus be the most
| terrible i'll its consequences ever known, as
| Drnf!jnt IT. will Nav Yor!, nv thts l.lw. of ro
ciprocity and correlation forces, will be shaken
| TO it's foundations. The preceding phenomena
! will probably be terrible. Unscasonably-
humid, unhealthy weather will be followed BIZ
| terrific tliunderstorms, during which the sky
/ Will be literally on fire. Beneath, the ground
will tremble and dreadful groaning VIII be
heard, for it will in reality be Il world in labor.
During the fearful pulsating upheayal, gigantic
| assures may be formed in the gness into which
the water surrounding the island will rush.
| Then the marvellous horror of the scene vii! be
I iHdescribab.e. It would be as if the valves of
| a gigantic boiler were suddenly opened. The
| Kissing of steam would rend tile air. A sub
| lime explosion would probably follow, and in
a few seconds all that was left of Manhattan
Island would be under tile nlatlly surging
waves. This is the local aspect of the catas
trophe, but it is by no means certain that the
potentious phenomena We have already spoken
OF may not fOretell the CT. ok of DOOM
1t requires some courage to conjecture what
may befall Our poor Id planet during the hext
four months. 1t is the duty and the privilege
OF science to mark the onlens. We see in the
heavens themselves traces of destructive ele-
mcnts, and many indications of their power.
The fra ,ments of broken planets-the descent
OF meteoslc stones upon our own globe-the
wheeling comets Welding their loose materials
at the solar ftlrnace-the volcanic erllptions OF
Our own satellite-the appearance of new stars
and the disappearance OF others, are al! elo-
| qllent foresladows of that impending convul-
sion to which the system OF the world and the
human race are doomed. Thus placed on
planet which is inevitably to be burnt up. and
under heavens which arc to pass away; thus
treadng, as it were, OH the cemeteries and
dwelling in the mausolenns of former worlds,
let us learn the lesson of resignation to what
ever fate the womb Of the future has in store
for tls.''
NJ. fieralllt was asked concerning The aspect
OF the question in the light of revelation. !
ASA rule, Idespise priestcraft. y he respond
ed, land resent the interference of religion
with science. But if | Eaay BIZ permitted to
say so, it seems to me that Christ's religion and
my science are us one OH the subject OF which
have spoken. In speaking of the signs Of
the last day, the Nazarene declared that it
would be heral,led by false pro phets. WI O, if
| possible, would deceive the very elect 81 ook-
| yn and Beecher. Mcthodism, Spiritualism.
Moody and Sankey, and other blatant lypo-
critics, seem to indicate that the fullness OF
time has come. Besides all this. the Savior