Woodstown register., 1884-04-22
SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

Only the surface OF the ocean is known
to US the secrets Of its depths are hidden
from our ken. Thus the greatest part of
the firm crust of ihe earth is withdrawn
from our investigation. Mighty masses
of earth. it is true, rise up out of the ocean,
making the proportion of the firm bottom
of the sea Of arr to the liquid one as 81 to
I46 But the idea that, could we succeed
in draining the ocean dry. those masses
that tower over the level Of the ocean
would serve to fill up the gaps, is long ago
renounced as being incorrect. Humboldt
Fixed the mean height of the continents at
about thousand feet above the level of
the ocean. Bache calculated the mean
depth of the Pacific at I4,roo feet. Dem
ham found soundings in,the South Atlantic
Ocean, but at 46 900 feet while Parker failed
to find bottom at 10000. Brooke let down
4 plumb line measuring 42,24o feet in the
Indian Ocean. a sea in which the ancient
merchants used to point out spot at The
mouth Of the Hoogly. in the Bay of Ben
gal, which they believed to be unfathom
able. and therefore called s.the bottoInless
pitt" Let us, however. imagine our sup
position carried into effect, viz, all the
seas drained. all the rivers run dry, we
should be very much at fault, were we to
imagine We had now arrived at the region
Of rigidity, of freezing. For The heat
which increases rapidly inwards, aids us
in coming to the conclusion that at COM
paratively inconsiderable depth, that which
on the surface is firm, will liquefy in the
heat O. the central FIRE; that the hard crust
which surrounds this liquid heart does not
bear lhe same proportion to it as the egg
shell does to the contents of the egg; nay.
IS so fragile that recently the opinion was
expressed, this she'll Of earth was incapable
Of supporting such mighty load as the
| iIimalayas, and that this mountain range
doated in the central liquid ocean like an
iceberg in the waters. And no contempt
! ible one, me'hinks. for this range towers
! FIVE miles above the level of the external
ocean. Judging by this, it is not hard TO
suppose that since even now the liquid so
! far exceeds the solid, the difference al an
early period has been very much greater,
perhaps indeed that the whole earth was
once liquid.
Calculating our motions in reference to
! the cantre of the earth, the nearer we ap-
proaeh the equator, the farther we 60 from
that centre; and. indeed, the mouth OF the
Mississippi is farther removed from the
centre of the earth than lis source Those
who delight in quaint expressions, can
therefore say. il it SO please them. that this
mighty stream flows up NIL. But in order
| TO Judge Of the fall of river, its super
6cies must be fixed at every point of its
geographical latitude according to Its dis
tsnce from the level of the ocean that is,
according to the position which itSwaters,
along with those at its mouth, would take
in state OF repose.
We are compelled from want of space
to defer further discussion Of this Interest,"
ing theme. In this our new department of
the REGISTER we will PRINT anything relat-
ing 10 the natural sciences-snd the field
is so large, and Comparatively new eve n
to scholars, that we can pursue these abb
sorbing subjects in 4 way TO interest The
most casual reader. Facts ar much stranger
than hctor. and we. hope to pleasantly
lead the reader through studies that can be
illustrated by the phases Of Nature every
where presented. Next week we will take
up the subject of ocean tides. also present
other subjects relating to science, in This
column.