Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-05-23

II
lBY c. HILTON scEIBsfRl
1t is asserted by investigators, and
seems reasonably probable that as summe
and winter succeed each other in the ever
continuing circuit of the earth around til
sun, so there Is long year consisting q
about q 500 years, which measures of b.
halves a long winter and long summer f
the northern and southern hemisphelCs al
ternately, of IL, 7j0 years each.
THE FOUNDATION OF THIS THEORY.
1t has long been observed that the northerl
hemlspheres was receiving more than its du,
proportion of heat, light and vivifyin,
power from the great central source of al
life, the sun. Wood and grain, the vine and
the banana are found at least 800 miles far
ther north from the equator on an average
than the same varieties are found south from
the equator Ii this fact stood alone and nm.
supported 1t would be quite sufficient to
prove that the northt IN hemisphere Is re-
ceivinG more light and heat than the south.
ern but It Is not unsupported. The great
Ice cupola Gaping the sonth pole is about
5000 miles III diameter, and probably SIN or
seven miles in thickness, while the ice cap OF
the northern pole is only about l $50 miles
In diameter, and probably mot exceeding a
mile IN thickness. This again is absolute
proof that the north pole receives more heat
than the south pole.
THE REASONS FOR UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION.
Let US next consider the reasons Tor this
| unequal distribution Of heat. FIRST, the
orbit OF the earth the path IA which 1t
moves around the sun Is not an exact circle,
| but Is eliptical, and the sun is not in the
| centre OF Its orbit but nearer to one end OF
| IT. Now. it will be really seen that if the
| earth moves at a uniform rate OF speed it
| must take longer to pass around the long
end Of this orbit, beng that part of it which
Is iarthest from the sun. than around the
short end of ;he orbit or that part which is
nearest 10 the sun but the earth does not
move at II uniform rate of speed. 1t moves
most rapidly IN passing around that part of
| the orbit which is nearest 10 the sun, and
most slowly in passing around that part OF
| Its orbit which is iIrthest from the sun
Now, 1t so happens that during the present
epoch the north pole Is inclined towards the
sun, while the earth Is passing slowly around
tins long part OF its orbit, and the south pole
Is inclined towards the sun while the earth Is
moving more rapidly around the shorter por-
ton oi ITS orbit. This condition Of things
gives TO the northern hemisphere practically
about four days more OF summer and the
same lumber OF days less OF winter than is
allotted 10 TIE southern hemisphere. Thus
a.
more heat than the southern, and the line
of growth for bananas and the vine, of grain
and wood, Is extended 800 miles farther to
the north than TO the south of the equator
Hence 1t Is that the north pole is almost ac-
cessible while the ice cap OF the southern
pole is Of vastly greater thickness.
MoMESToUs RESULTS
One of the first and most evident results
OF the formation of this immense ice cupola
at the south pole is TO shift the centre OF
the bulk Of the earth to some point TO the
south OF it. For instance, let us suppose
that this vast and disproportionate accumu-
latlon OF ice at the south pole six or seven
miles III thickness, and covering an area 4. 600
miles IN diameter, has carried the centre of
gravity oithe earth two miles to the south
ward OF the plane OF the equator. This is in
tended simply as an approximation as to dis
tance, but this condition OF things exists be-
yopd question This would increase the
depth OF water in the southern oceans IL. 900
feet and would decrease the depth of water in
the nothern oceans O,0UO feet IN order to
keep their surfaces equi-dIstant from the |
earths centre OF gravity or upon n water |
level but to increase the depth OF the ocean |
in the southern hemisphere by an additional |
10000 feet would be to submerge nearly all |
the lands in the southern hemisphere, and to |
increase the depth of the ocean by 1t, 900 |
feet north Of the equator would result in |
draining of vast continents IN the southern |
hemisphere. This is the exact condition of |
things which the earth to-day presents for
example, about three -fourths of South
America, about one-third Of Africa about
one-half OF the East India islands and Aus.
tralla are IN the southern hemisphere, while
one-fourth of South America, the West India
island, all of North America, Greenland, all
OF Europe, twO-thirds OF Africa. and every
foot OF the vast continent of Asia together
with one-half of the East Indies are in the
northern Eem-=phefe. II IS safe TO estImat-
that there is four times as much dry land in
the northern as in the southern hemisphere,
and it is an acknowledged fact that the oceans
of the northern hemisphere are shallower
than those OF the southern, presenting vast
plateaus like that upon which the Atlantic
cable was laid, thus showing that what we
might here expect when II shifting Of the
earth > centre OF gravity to the southwarl of
its centre of bulk has actually taken place
COnfirmatory of this theory il may be Oh
served that all the continents are rounded
like the broad end of a kite at their north
ern extrelnities as they naturally would he
IN shallow water, while their southern cx-
tfemltles consist OF great points or promon-
tories like the small end OF the kite rs they
run into the deeper waters Of the southern
oceans. This Is particularly noticeable in
the forms OF North and South America.
Africa and the southern eNtremities nf Asia
Are these conditions permanent, or are
they changing; This question is easily an
swered. This ellipticd path IN which the
earth reyOlyes about the sun has so to speak,
a revolution OF its own, and swings around
the sun 50 as to make complete revolution
once IN about p 500 years. 50 that if the
al oft he lr4 lrlT /
which is iarthest from the sun could be
marked IN space to-day that same point III
this longest part OF the orbit would in 10, 40
years be upon the opposite side of the sun,
and IN n 500 years 1t would be back again
to that same spot marked IN space.
Now, remember that the north pole con-
tinually points in the same direction. nearly
towards the north star II follows that if the
north pOie Is towards the sun nuw while the
earth Is moving slowly around the long part
OF its orbit, in ten or eleven thousand years
from now the south pole will be towards the
sun while the earth Is moving quickly along
the shorter part Of its orbit. At that time.
as II matter OF course. the south pole will be
inclined towards the sun while the earth is
moving around the long pant of its orbit, aud
turned away irom the sun only while the
earth Is moving more quickly around the
short part of lis orbit. Then the southern
hemisphere Will be receiving the greatest
amount Of heat and the northern subjected
to the greater cold. As this change comes
about slowly with this great revolution, so to
speak, OF the orbit itself, the Zee Will be
melted oil the south pole and will accumu-
late at the north pole the centre of gravity
of the earth will be moved gradually to the
north the oceans will follow the centre of
gravity and. as consequence. the northern
continents will be submerged, and the great