The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-08-11
DAILY INTELLIGENCER.
THE coMPesITIsx OF eonEas.


For tbirty-fise years Professor Da
bleaa, the ~eil known French ssvant
aud astronomer. has made speciality in
tbs study of comets, and his lectures
on astronomy bsveslsays b~en listened
20 With tie greatest admiration By the
astronomical class OF the Polytechnic
Instisate at Paris. 10 his last lecture
on comets. reported in the J1sRTsad
FstytsciHdQ,se. be boldly declares that
all ideas snd theories heretofore adj
vancsd by scientists are erroDeous;
that the tables prepared citing the APP
proach Of such and such comet are Of
little or no value; that the world never
has viewed nor ever will view the same
comet over sgsis, in fact. that each
comet that makes IT'S sppesrsnce il an
entirely new, and DISTINCT body. which
runs its race and is lost forever throagn
con 5nstion. .e,s.t..s
These celestial forms that We occa-
sionally see, he adds, ARE merely
masses Of metallic matter thrown out
BY the sun, . few of which come within
range Of our visioD-either naked OF By
means Of the sstfonomicai glasss sThe
substance 10 1se6fit xiwxyseE q mstslIic
nature, heavy. ard of : brilIiant snriHce
like unto the Roman stsel nifror
These peculiar bodies. sdiffessnt from
anything else in the heavens, form On
esbit OF their own, guided, of course,
by the unknown hand. and giving forth
[srefection OF vast magnitade : eansed
by the following In the sane orbit ola
lesser but brilliant body. Constantly
ttbfowiDg it's lighto on the bright me-
tallic susfsess causing that body 20
throw forth q luminous track, soni-
monty called the. comets tail. be
further says, in pzoofs Tt il plainly 70
be seen that the tail ia no material sub-
Stance, but merelysthc reflections OF
hight, for the reason that you can read-
lily see through and beyond the light,
the same as you can see and reed print
through the rays Of the sun coming
tthrongh . small crevice in the .wsll
Te, illustrate. and give = practical ted
ofhis theory. he exhibited polished
| steA ball some two feet in diameter,
the room being dsrkened to represent
| night, and q strong electric. hight sta.
toned thirty net away, band confined
| tithin b closed receptacle, merely o al.
flowing the escape Of the powerful light
through small slit. TINS light was
thrown on the steel sphere 5 and nearly
'tthe same phenomenon .vss produced.
on small scale, ss that produced by
the body il the heavens. IF it were
possible be adds, to bring this me
tallic ballto the same intense heat ss
that caused by the sun in throwing oui
from its disturbed system the come;
meteorites, small as it is, it would de-
stroy everything within aOradlns oi
two hundred feet, and in ascompara-
lively short time would consume itseli
and gradually disappear. Thus It Ii
with the heavenly bodies that have
caused 80 much discussion and such an.
tagonistic attitudes throughout the
scientific world. But / say. as l said
before, we never see tho same comet
twice; once it is lost, IL is lost forever
New meteorites. thrown out by the
sun. il Of the proper metallic substancs
and luster. form so.called new comets
this motion has been going on since
the sun was o sun, and will continue 81
until the sun ceases to exist. ~,
Out of the billions of masses thrown
out by that immense body, and By
bodies Of greater magnitude, only I
few come within range Of our vision
and thsee terrific masses, for nstura
reasons. or conforming TO an 'all.wis,
nature, or power that controls, nature
are kept at safe and proper distanc'
from our planet. Mg
-~sIf it should happen that al sny tim
in the distant future these laws Of ma
ture should deviate from their course
aud one of the comets should find itsel
| y cLnflict with our world. the exist
fpcs Of oil on it and In it would ter
inmate within q few hours. But from
the long luminous streak that follow
in the wake Of the nucleus--caused. q
/ have stated, by reflection. I've ness
hSve no fear, - Il is harmless as th'
Trays Of common candida .s'9