The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-10-14
Causes Of the Present Figure OF the
Earth.

Earth.
The COmptes Rendus of the French
Academy contains a remarkable paper
by NJ. Faye on the physical forces which
have produced the present figure OF the
earth. After remarking on the use OF
the pendulum in determining the figure
of the earth from series of measurements
of the intensity and direction OF the
gravitation force at different parts of the
earth's surface, he draws attention to the
very curious fact that while the direction
and intensity of gravity are affected per-
ceptibly by the presence of hills such as
Schichallion and Arthur's Seat, or even
by masses as small as the great pyramid
of Gizeh, gigantic mountains such as the
Himalayas, and great elevated plateaux
and table-lands, do not affect the
pendulum indications in any sensible
manner, except in certain cases where
upon elevated continents there appears
to be averitable defect of attraction instead
of the excess which might be expected.
Indeed, the observations are sufficiently
striking to seem to point to the supposl-
ton that not only under every great
every large continent, there we're enor-
traction at the surface of all the great
oceans appear too great to agree with the
distribution presumed by Clairant's
purposes. Sir G. Airy's suggestion that
the base of the Himalaya range reaches
down into the denser liquid interior, and
there displaces certain amount OF that
liquid, so that the exterior attraction is
thereby lessened, is one which, inherently
improbable, fails to have any application
in explaining why the attraction above
the seas should be greater than over the
continents. NJ. Faye propounds the fol-
lowing solution to the difficulty: Under
the oceans the globe cools more rapidly
and to greater depth than beneath the
surface of the continents. At depth OF
1000 meters Q3, 900 feeD the ocean will
still have temperature not remote from
0 degree c., while at similar depth
beneath the earth's crust the temperature
would be not far from $50 degrees G.
(allowing 1OS feet in depth down for an in
crease of one degree in the internal tenn
perature). IF the earth had but one
uniform rate of cooling all over it, 1t
would be reasonable to assume that the
solidifed crust would have the same
thickness and the same average density
all over it. 1t is therefore argued that
below the primitive oceans the earth S
crust assumed definite solid thickness
before the continents, and that In con-
tracting, these thicker portions exercised
pressure upon the fluid nucleus tending to
elevate still further the continents. This
hypothesis, NJ Faye thinks, will, more
over, explain the unequal distribution OF
land and sea around the two poles, the
general rise and fall of continents being
determined by the excess of density OF
the crust below the oceans, and by the
line or points of least resistance to In
ternal pressure being at the middle con-
tinents or at the margin of oceans.
A Satisfactory Candidate for Life In
surance.
Josh Billings says "I kun to the
| conclusion lately that life was SO onsar-
| tin that the only wa for me tn stand a
| fair chance with other folks was tu git
| my life insured, and SO kalled on the
| Agent of the Garden Angel Life Insur-
<ance Co, ana answered the following
| questions, which was put tn me over the
top ov pair ov goold specks, by a Silk
little fat old feller, with a little round
grey head, and as pretty little belly on
him as emmy man ever owned: Ques:
tions-1st. Are you mail or femail? II
so, pleze state how long you have been
so. I'd. Are you subject to fits, and il
so, do yu have more than one at time!
3d. Did yu ever have emmy ancestors,
and if SO, how much? 4th. Du yu eve1
have emmy mite mares? 5th. Are yu
married and single, or are yu bachelor:
9th. Do yu believe in o future state
If yu do, state it. 7th. Have yu eyel
committed suicide, and if SO, how did il
seem to affect yu? After answering the
above questions, like man, in the CON
tirmotif, the silk little fat old feller with
goold specks on ced I was insured fol
life, and proberly would remain SO for a
term ov years. I thanked him, and
smiled one ov my most pensive smiles. ,
POSSESSION given to-day, OF sooner
if desired is the way they rent houses
in Kansas City.