St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-11
A DRY TIME.
When the Earth drinks up Her
OrrGns.

Prof. Cookley, of New York, says: Most
Of the planets have probably cooled down by
radiation tO.a solid undercrnst like the earth.
The sun owing TO its greater mass is still u
fiery globe not vet cooled down so as 10 have
a solid crust. But our moon being a body
Of small mass only about One-eightieth Of the
earth's mass, is supposed to have time to
cool down 10 a solid globe all the way from
its surface to lis center. Its internal heat is
supposed 10 have been all radiated away into
the surrounding cold space. Nov the bot
interior mass OF earth can, OF course, contain
no water and little or none Of the free gases
that constitute an atmosphere. They would
be boiled of, expanded and driven 10 the
surface where are found now the great bulk
Of our oceans aud our atmosphere, but when
the earth shall have parted with its internal
heat. having thrown it into the surrounding
cold space as the moon has done, then the
cold, solid but porous mass within its present
crust, which is now Incapable of absorbing
water or afr, on account OF the present high
temperature, will begin 10 drink up the water
and air just as the psrched soil after a sum-
mer's drought drinks up the rain, and the
ground is dry few minutes after the sho-er.
But you may well ask, could the solid porous
mass within the present crust Of the earth
thus drink up the whole Of the waters OF the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans aud cause aIl the
waters Of our globe TO disappearl Let US ex-
anime this more closely.
While the interior of the earth remains as
hot as II is at present II is no more possible
for the water and air of our globe to peue-
trate TO these fiery regions than il is for 4
drop OF water TO remain on a hot stone.
But the earth is losing its heat day By day
and year by year, radiatiug II out into the
surrounding cold space. / know 1t has been
computed that the earth receives from the
sun annually just as much heat as 1t loses in
a year by radiation into the surrounding
space. Grant that il be so for the present
and for many thousands Of years 10 come.
But the trouble is the sun himself Is cooling
of, and, therefore, viii not be always able 10
send Us as much heats be does at present.
I The time viii, therefore, surely come wh-n
we shall lose more heat by radiation int
space than the SUI will be able to return 10 US.
Then IL will be only a question OF time for
the earth gradually 10 cool down, as the
moon has already done from surface to CEN
ter. When that time comes viii not the dry
but solid aud porons core of our globe drink
upthe oceans and atmosphere, causing then
to disappear, not into large cavernous peck
cts, but into the minute pores Of its sub
stancel
The proposition appears TO be established
by strict Calculation that the interior Of the
earth when cold viii be able to absorb NOR,
than four times, possibly more thar
thirty times, the amount Of water nov
on its surface. Now, it seems certain tina
in the manner first explained the earth vii
con tinue TO lose both its superficial waite
and its atmosphere The earth, the othe
planets and even the sun himself, are re
garded as doomed at some future day to tn
same fate. Melancholy fate some viii say
But why complain Of the general law OF ma
turel Everything in nature has its mornIn,
Of life, its high meridian Of glory an,
strength, lite evening decline and It's mid
night of blaekness and death. In the cas-,
of a worlds that the last term Of seriesl
HOsr nc Lost Hfs Farm.
"rm no tramp, num-" said the fudIvfd