The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-10-31

to vary in density and not actually be lack
ing at any time. However, this theory is
not very well received. Tromholt tells of
a wild theory impaired to him in letter,
in which the author states he thinks that
the aurora is the glow from the interior
molten matter of the globe shining through
the thin crust of the earth at the poles,
this thinness being caused by the diurnal
rotation. Two gigantic volcanoes, one at
either pole, assist the author out of the
worst hole theorist ever got into. Be
fore leave the theory department of my
subject I will speak of that advanced by
the Esquimaux of North Hudson's bay,
among whom my travels were cast, and
which is remarkable more for the fact that
it is physical theory to account for aphy-
sical phenomenon than that it really throws
much light on the subject, and not some
superstitious tradition or wild flight of mi
raculous fancy to account therefor, so COM
mon among savages, and even with some
people whom this word would insult. And
this simple theory is that it is caused by
the wind blowing on the clouds. And
singularly enough, most students of the
northern lights speak of the part played
by the clouds in these displays. Tromholt
writes that he had often an opportunity of
confirming in the most striking manner the
theory held by some saUantS, that the au-
rora borealis affects the state of the clouds
The sky might be ever so clear, but after
an unusually vivid burst of aurora in the
zenith it always became at once covered
with clouds. These dispersed, however,
generally Immediately afterward
Simple as their answers always were, I
was often surprised to find the Esquimaux
making some attempt, in all cases, to ac-
count for natural wonders around them by
theories based on the very little they knew
regarding natural laws, and at the risk of
depression from my main topic for short
time will briefly give another instance of
the same kind. The Netschilluk and Ook-
joolik Esquimaux around King Williams
Land and at the mouth of Backs Great
Fish river have never seen or even heard
of growing timber, and the large drift logs
which are occasionally thrown upon the
beaches of their country, washed there by
currents that must have brought them from
more favored climes, naturally give rise to
speculations regarding their origin. In
stead of ascribing this to miraculous power
OR superstitious origin, as all other savages
would have done, their theory, though not
correct, is ingenious. They suppose these
trees grow from the bottom of the ocean,
making the most rapid progress in the
summer, when all other plant-life around
them is so doing At this time the ice on
the ocean channels and bays is broken up
and drifting around in packs SO as to leave
many areas of open water where the trees
can force themselves nearly to the waters
surface, and when the new ice again forms
in the fall and early winter these topmost
branches are entangled therein as it de-
scends, and when the ice breaks up again
next summer the entrapped tree is pulled
up by the roots and is cast upon the beach,
when its topmost branches are melted out
or broken off in attrition against the shall
low shore. The large number of limbs cut
and ground off by the moving pack as the
drift timber is carried in its icy grasp is
sufficient reason for them to add this idea
to their theory of its origin. The deeper
the water the taller the trees before they
are pulled up, while many escape destruc-
ton by the breaking off of the top branches
year by year. The water-logged trees,
projecting like Mississippi-river snags from
the shallow beaches where the ice-cakes
have left them after many years of imprls-
onment, bear out their theories well, and,
taking it altogether, it cannot be doubted
that it looks more sensible than the average
of our own theories that have crept into
print regarding the aurora borealis, which
brings us back to our main subject.
[ have spoken of the auroral theory,
which is based on the ether of space occur
ring in unequal densities, and, 1 might add,
there is another not far removed from it in
ideas, and about as generally accepted
that is, by the originators. Here we find
the ether replaced by clouds or bands of
ferruginous cosmic matter or ferric dust,
and as those are entered by the earth in its
fight, terrestrial magnetism, acting on this
molecular matter, forces it into the most
fantastic shapes, somewhat similar to iron
dust on a glass plate acted on by different
magnets above or below, and these in turn
rejecting light, produce the varied auroral
displays as they change from one shape to
another One of the best accepted theo-
ries by the students of the subject is that
of Edlund, Swedish electrician, who gives
it as the effects of unipolar induction, an
explanatian of which depends SO upon a
knowledge of some of the lesser known laws
of electro-magnetism, probably uninterest-
ing to rehearse here in detail. 1t assumes
close analogy, or, better speaking, iden-
tity of the aurora and the lightning of
thunder-storms that is, our lightning of
tropical and temperate climes becomes the
northern lights of the polar regions very
sudden relief of electrical tension in the
former zones, very gradually in the north.
Electrical discharges (either auroral on
lightning) are supposed by this idea to take
place much easier and more gradually in
the direction of the dipneedle (about hori-
zontal on the equator and nearly perpen-
dicular at the pole) and therefore in the
equatorial regions, the electrical tension
must become so great that it is suddenly
relieved by spark Qightning), while in
the frigid zone it is constant as fast as
formed, and gives rise in its passage to the
auroral glow. Opposed to this theory is
the fact that lightning are as fire.
quent in some parts of the north temperate
zone, with an inclined dip-needle, as in the
equatorial regions, and even here horizon
tai electrical discharges between clouds
are by lightning and not in the form of an
electric glow or any of the forms of the
aurora. Lightning should be unknown in
the arctic regions, especially near the mag
netic pole, the controlling centre of the
aurora, and yet l have seen quite we'll
marked lightning in thunder-showers on
King Williams Land in the summer
months, and within sight of the magnetic
pole as viewed from their height. Light
ming, however, is quite infrequent in the
polar zones, but not any less so than with
us in the winter months.
But let us leave the domain of theory,
and see what has been found in the realm
of facts regarding this strange and beauti-
full display. It may seem singular to say
that the northern lights have been manu-
factured by man-made to order, so to
speak-but such is really the case, or, at
least, claimed by Professor Lemstrom, in
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