Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-25
THE EARTH's BIG HOLE.
The Symmes Theory Anticipated by
Writers Of ROmanCe---A French
mans Clever Story,

The Cincinnati Commercial saws 4:
John Cleve Symme's theory that the
earth is open at the poles and habita-
bic within, though perhaps original
with him as a scientific hypothesis,
has been anticipated in whole or in
part by writers of romance. Leaving
out of the question Holberg's Journey
of Nicholas Klimius into the subter-
ranean world, written early in the last
century, and the Chevalier de Mouhy's
Adventures of an Egyptian into the
interior Of our globe, there is a very
curious relation of a voyage from the
Attic to the Antartic Pole by the
Centre of the World, by an anonymous
author, written in French, and first
published in 1923. Its hero, who
claims to have made the trip in IVA,
did not find as smooth sailing as Cap
tain Symmes expected, but in some
points the narrative is sufficiently
akin to his views as to warrant
the idea that he may possibly have
seen it.
The story is in brief as follows A
veteran traveller, who does not give
his name, was seized with a desire to
see the polar regions, and embarked at
Amsterdam in a whale ship bound for
Greenland. On the tenth day out a
thick fog surrounded the vessel, and a
violent wind arose which carried it
toward Iceland. After an interval Of
calm a still more severe gale drove it
out of its course, and reckoning was
lost. Finally the ship reached a sea
full of floating ice, and an observation
being taken, the position was found to
be 73' and % of north latitude. A
strong though slow current was con-
stantly driving the ship toward the
pole. An old sailor then recollected
that a famous Arctic pilot had told
him that near the North Pole there
was a frightful whirlpool, seventy or
eighty leagues in circumference, be-
lieved to DO the most dangerous in the
world. This story frightened the Off
GERS and crew, but they could not
check or alter their course.
The ship began to whirl about, and
what they had at first taken to be a
white island proved to be a mass of
foam gathered at the vortex of a ter
rible maelstrom. Death seemed to
stare them in the face, and the only
thing they could do to avoid being
washed or swung overheard was to
retire below, closing all the matches
after them. They had been shut up
only ten or twelve minutes, when they
felt themselves descending into a pro-
found abyss with in~conceivable rapid
ity. The roaring of the waters was
incessant and terrible, and SO great
was their alarm hat they only attained
full consciousness by discovering that
the noise had ceased and the ship was
lying still. The pilot ventured to 90
on deck, and was soon followed by the
rest. They found themselves on a
calm sea, but were so hemmed in by
fog that they could see nothing of
their surroundings. Taking an obser-
walton they found that they we're in
se~venty-one degrees, eight minutes of
south latitude.
Their period of unconscious fright
must have been protracted or the ra-
pidity OF the voyage must have been
very great to permit so sudden a tran
sit from one end of the earth's diane
ter to the other to pass unobserved,
but we are chroniclers, not critics.
They had reached the Antarctic wa
ters. A cold northwest wind sprang
up, but a warm rain soon dispelled its
ohilliness. An aurora lighted UP the
sky, but neither sun nor star were
visible. Land came in sight, and
when they anchored they found the
! shore lined with immense rose bushes.
or rather trees. The country rose in
terraces, with high mountains in the
background. Game was plenty, and
clear streams furnished an abundance
of pure water. The south was shut
off by a mist. They found a warm
lake with five cascades, a valley of
white roses, and finally a monument,
composed of a fat rock Of triangular
shape, resting on six columns, and
covered with inscriptions in an un-
known character. There we're other
marvels VIC need not describe. Re-
turning ON board, they discovered
that all was not agreeable in these
regions. Immense flying fish, with
wings like those Of a bat, lowered
arsund the vessel, and three of them
pounced on two unfortunate sailors,
carrying them away, aud tearing them
TO pieces as they flew. Continuing
their voyage, they saw a fog sur.
rounded promontory, a wonderful lei
Of water, several volcanoes. and A
! fearful battle between two white bears