Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-08-29

anu llgnl can not nave gone on Tor more
than ten millions of years, and probably
can not support life on the earth rs now
for another ten millions. This theory,
then, does not pro 'ess TO provide for an
indefinite continuance OF the suns
present powers. And we may add, by
the way, that, even it we arc led to con-
template the ultimate extinct on OF
ligh; and heat in the sun. il is no more
than appears to have happened in the
moon, which appears TO b. n dark and
inert mass, the rotation OF viii h has
been perhaps stopped by som, such
tidal action a we know is atwork upon
our planet, nd very slowly, but steadily,
retarding our diurnal rotation. That
the moon does not rotate is NANTES,
from tn, fact that Z always p cscnt:
the same face TO the earth. The first
theory, then, does not profess to show
that the ms waste is repaired from
without.
The second theory is that the waste i
repaired, both in volume and heat BY
the continual impact or striking oil
meteorites upon its surface This theory
is due to Dr. Mayer, of Hcilbronn, and
was published in 1919. II was enthusi-
astically received by Sir William Thorn.
son. of Glasgow, one OF the gre ,tesi
physicists of the day, AMI who is spo
cially known for his successful re
searches I'm electricity. IL lis well known
that il body when moving rapidly C
suddenly stopped in its course heat is
the immed ate result. We may see this
exemplit ell when bullet IS fired again 4
a stone wall; the lead becomes heated.
} his theory supposes that the san is be
ing perpetually hammere like pond
erous anvil by falling mcteors. and that
its heat energy Is maintained as nmq
of iron is kept hot by the vigoro1 blows
of blacksmith. Various calculations
have also been made us to the amount
OF heat generated by the impact OF a
small planet, or o her mass, the weight
o. which can be computed. Blu, surely
if tn re were falling continually on the
sun such mass o. meteors as would
repair the regular waste, the earth
won d meet with a good deal more of
such matter than it does in the periol-
ical ne eoric display in November and
other occasions; and the orbit OF the
Planet Mercury, which Is the nearest
known the suns satellites. would OK
h'bit M traces of this powerful intlu
e,cc. We can, there ore, hardly attach
mich weight to this theory.
We now come to the new theory
started under the powerful name o. DIR.
SemenS. IL seem very probable that
the theory has been suggested by OBJ
servation OF the re gcneritiye gas fur.
mace OF viii h he and hi brother Herr
+. Siemens. the originntors, whe o.
i'm the surplus hat, which has no. been
ut first utilized flr work, is returned
through central regenerati c chamber
TO the gas and air about be burned,
be ore the waste products, with which
it was previously rs 'ociatcd, are sent up
the chimney.
DR.. Siemens starts with the following
assumption that all the space between
the planets, and even between the fixed
stars, is filed with something of much
more substantial ha acter than inn
ponderable ether. Many of our read
crs will know that The phenomena OF
light have beeh for many years eI-
planned by what is termed the undu q
tory theory of light, which prcsup-
poses the presence of a very subtle fluid
terme ether per aiding all space; and
that the vibrations of this ether pro
ducc all the phenomena of light, includ-
ing the var ETY. Of colors in the rainbow,
or as seen in a prism. But DR.. Sic
mems new theory OF the sun demands
the presence of much more substan.
tai medium. We can not hero go
through all the considerations which
have led him to his conclusions, but
may briefly state that he considers that
the materials thrown of from the sun
by its energetic action are through the
presence of this gaseous medium Ids
sociate I or resolved into elementary
substances; aud, when so resolved,
burst into fame under the influence of
the heat; and are turned back 'nto the
compounded state, as hydrogen i con-
verified into water upon earth W TN the
evolution OF flame. Then lie assumes
that the matter so converted is a:.ed
upon by the suns attraction, and re-
drawn into the mass of the sun by its
enormous gravitating power Our
author is careful TO guard his theory
from being looked IL on as one involv-
ing the idea of perpetual notion" but
it certainly presents an appearance of
such principle at first sight.
We can but briefly discuss the great
difficulties that bcset the reception of
this theory. In the first place, it is
needful to rrove that this gas, upon
the existence of which the whole
theory rests has any existence at
all. And there are these two man OBJ
ject ons to its presence. If this vapor
be dense enough to arrest the heat ray
of the sun and to convert them by
dissertation" INFO materials upor
which the SINS attractive power can
have the ordina y in ucnce of gravita-
ton, then the lame, having the nature
of resisting medium, must have the
effect of producing retardat;on OF the
planetary movements; II result which,
if il existed would long since have
been detec' ell. And il IL he not dense
enough 10 produce this re sis ance it Is
difficult TO conceive that it can have
su tcient conference TO enable it to ar.
rest and deal with the heat emanations
of the sun. Again, we observe i'm our
own atmosphere that the smallest trace
OF watery vapor sufficient to intercept
the heat of the sun and, by formation
of c'oud, TO shut the suns rays from
the earth surely, therefore, if the
whole of space is pervaded by n gas
containing the least amount of vapor,
the suns rays while passing through
that vapor for nearly ninety-three mill
ions of miles would be so intercepted
that none of the eject of the ms heat
which we now enjoy could be felt upon
the surface of the earth.
On the whole, then, we find it more
easy to accept the doctrine of the grad
ual dissipation of the soar heat through
the immensely o space and the pro-
gress'vc exhaustion of the sun as CEN
trail power Of light and heat than to
adopt this new theory even though pro
mulgated by so eminent scientist as
DIR. Siemens. Chambers J1Wnai.