Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-11-22
THE CANALS OF MARS.
SCHlAPAReLIIS' DISCOVERY CON-
FlRMED BY OTHERS.

Supposed Artificial Water Course. Dis
covered in Mar. by the Director of the
Milan neutrality-suspicious. of u
Startling Character.
The discovery of a network OF so-called
canals upon the planet Mars by Schiaparelli
several years ago has been confirmed this
year by observers both in England and Italy.
In 1871, Mars, being on the same side Of the
sun Us the earth was, and in that part of its
orbit which brought it unusually close 10 the
earth, shOne with great SplendOr in the mid
night sky. 1t was under these favorable cir
cumstanccS that Professor Hall, with the
hu-r telescope that had just been set up at
Washington, caught sight of two small moons
revolving Close around Mars, and moving SO
swiftly that they might almost he compared
to little golden shutties playing back and
forth on either side of the ruddy planets
disk The fame of this discovery was 81
great and the delight Of the astronomers,
who found here Ia new and totally uneN-
I,ect,rl test OF the laws Of planetary motion.
50 uubuundcl, that another discovery made
at the same time, received comparatively lit
tie attention This other discovery, was the
work of the keen eyed director of the Milan
observatory, NJ Schiaparrlli He found
that the equatorial regions of Mars were in
tersccted by long narrow lines which rtScm-
bled in color those spots that are believed to
be seas, and which began and ended in these
MartIm seas, thus indicating Il close connec-
ton between Chcm.
The shape of the supposed water courses
suggested the name canals" which was ap-
piled to them Some astronomers of rcputa-
ton argued that they really were canals CON
structed by the suppoSitItlous inhabitants of
Mars; and TO the objection that the canals
were too large 10 admit Of the suppoSition that
they could he artificial workS-some being
sixty miles or more broad-thcy replied that
since the force of gravity upon Mars is very
much less than upon the earth, the inhabit-
ants of that planet might attain proper
tionately greater stature and muscular
power and agility that wOnli enable them to
undertake works utterly beyond the capacity
of terrestrial men This sort of speculation
tended TO bring Schiaparelli1s really brilliant
discovery into derlSion, particularly among
thOse whose teleSL opes did not reveal the
phenomena he had detected. But Schiaparelli
insisted that he had seen what he had seen
and his discovery was defended by his well
established reputation as an observer.
In 1879 Mars being once more favOrably
situated, he saw his canals again, and dis
covered number of new ones, and in the
fall and winter of lSSl-2 he repeated his oh
ServatiOns. On these last two occasions be
made still more surprising discovery
namely, that the canals, or many of then,
were double. Right alongside those whichhe
had seen before, and following the same SIN
uoSities, he detected new canals He made a
map of Mars on MercatOr's projection, and in
this map the whole surface of the planet, e1-
cept in the polar regions, is seen covered with
a network of dark stri pes running in pairs,
intersecting the continents in every direction
and invariably ending III the surrounding
seas.
The manner in which the doubling of the
canals was effected was not the least aston
ishing part of the discovery. They were not
all seen double at once. Schiapareli himself
suggested that the phenomenon depended in
some way upon the seasons Of the planet.
One after another the canals would double
up No less than seventeen successively e1-
hibited this appearance in the course of a
single month. The new canal would appear
at first as faint streak, barely discernible
alongside the old one. II would then rapidly
course of a few days it was as broad and dis
tinct as the original canal.
This strange doubling of the so-called
canals made the whole phenomenon appear
TO those who were originally inclined TO
doubt its reality as the result of mere imagi-
nation or self-deception on the part of the oh
server Schaparelli himself relates that he
was so astounded by what he saw that at
q. L.. l.. l., k.,
Illusion, caused by fatigue of the eye and
some new kind of strahismus" But he con
vinced himself by the most painStaking OBJ
srvations that there was no deception about
his discovery. As things stand, he said, 1T
would be premature 10 put forth conjectures
about the nature Of these canals, As 10 their
existence, | need not say that l have taken
every necessary precaution to avoid even the
suspicion of illusion, and | am absolutely
certain of what have seen"
Yet, notwithstanding N. SchiapareIli's rs
surance that the world of Mars really
possesses these curious markings, the fact has
hitherto rested principally upon his Observa-
tions alone To be sure, a few Of his canals
had been detected several years before his
original observation, notably by Dawes, but
nobody besides Schiaparelh had beheld the
phenomenon on any such scale as was eXhib-
tied in his map. But now confirmation Of
his discoveries comes from two most trust
worthy sources. During the opposition Of
Mars this year Mr. Denning, of Bristol and
NM. Thollon and Perrotin Of Nice, under
took careful telescope studies of the planets
surface Mr.. Denning was able 10 detect the
existence Of Schiaparelh's canals, although
uhey were very faint lines as he saw them,
and he did not perceive them double. Never
theless he saw enough to convince him that
there was no deception in the Italian astron-
omer's observations.
NM. Perrotln and Thollon, in the purer
skies of Nice, We're able to accomplish much
more. They plainly saw the double canals Of
Schiapareli, and also detected the curious
and rapid changes in the appearance Of these
objects that so astonished their original dis
coverer. Schiaparelh himself at about the
same time rediscovered the double canals
New York Sun.