Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-19
A Scientific Prediction.

From an article by Professor Merrimam on
"rhe Polar Glaciers" we take the follow.
ing. Let no one be alarmed, however.
Real estate will be worth Just as much.
Owing to its eccentric movement around
the sun, our northern summer is some eight
days longer than our winter, while in the
South Of course the winter is eight days
longer than summer. This sixteen days
makes much difference, which is emphasized
by the additional fact that during the long
southern winter the earth is the farthest from
the sun.
Thus year after year, for a long period,
there has been steady accumulation of ice
material about the south pole, adding weight
to that hemisphere. Then as this weight of
ice increased the earth's ceuter of gravity
has gradually moved to the SOUTH and the
waters fluent and obedent to gravitation
have slowly gathered into southern seas, COW
ering the lowlands of the south. At the
same time this transfer OF weight from the
north has drawn the water away from the
arctic regions and left the sea bars and shoals
to project aud become habitable.
But this state of things is not always to
the longest summer.
The earth, in addition to its diurnal and
annual revolutions, has a slow wabbling of
its axis in the heavens. 1t is precisely as
one touches the rim Of top iE rapid motion,
the upper end Of the stem describing a small
circle. So the mighty sun lays hold of the
protuberant rim Of the great terrestrial top,
and it begins to oscllate in the long period
Of 81 900 years. That is to say, on De-
ccmber q, 1913, the earth made its nearest
approach to the sun, and it will approach
equally near 10 10000 years from that time,
or in the year IL, 74S, on the DIST OF July.
In the period comprising the first case our
northern winters are short and mild and our
summers long and sunny. During the period
Of which the year /, 74S will be tho middle
our winters will be severer and our summers
short. The northern hemisphere is now los
ing its great summer. In about 10 900
years it will be 10 the midst of its great aud
terrible winter Then the southern hem.
sphere will be full Of sunlight and prolonged
warmth.
Let us see what would result from this.
The melting Of a mile in thickness of the ice
cupola Of the south pole would raise the sea
level at the north pole 300 feet, at London
$50 feet, and at New York 200 feet II
the whole ice-cupola were removed, aud an
equal quantity deposited at the north pole,
there would be deepening Of the sea at the
arctic circle of | 800 feet; at New York Of
considerably more than 900 feet.
Thus it is seen that as certainly as terres-
trial revolutions continue, in the course of
10000 years there must come an entire 70.
versal of polar conditions. The southern
waters must be drained of to make the
oceans of an opposite hemisphere. New
lands, enriched with the sediment Of hun
dred centuries, will rise up TO extend the
borders of the old south continent, aud
islands joining together will expand into
mainands. At the same timo the northern
continents must be in great part submerged
and their SUBMITS and ranges become the
bleak islands and the bold headlands Of a
tempestuous ocean. Central Asia, with its
broad table-lands, may still retain the name
of continent, but beyond a few outlying
islands there will be no Europe aud but little
of North America left. The Atlantic wa.
tiers will stand 500 feet over Lake Superior
and will wash the base OF the Rocky Noun.
tains in all their length. A new Gulf Stream
may again, as it must often have done be
fore, flow up the valley Of the Mississippi
returning the deltas to the prairies, aud re
marking tho beds Of the garden of the world
These are no idle or impossible faucios
Not only are they the result of rigorous cal
oulation, but they accord perfectly with thu
unaistAkable evidences which the ocean ha
left all over cur land Of its recent work aud
presence.