The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-14
N0AH'S DELUGE.
Not Caused by the Forty Days
and Nights of Rain.
A FEW NEW IDEAS ADVANCED.

in the c. G. an occasional article on storm
phenomena the aXiai and oscllatory motions
OF the earth, etc. IN one Of the articles tho
theory of the French mathematician, NJ. Adj
hemar, was spoken of, which led me to refer
to an article published in Appleton's journal,
a few years ago. and which | found to contain,
seemingly, greater interest TO me on the sub
jact than at the time of publication. In it
you will find more of NJ. Adhemars theory
than IN anything presented to you in the
papers have mentioned and of late arpear-
ance in the {. G..
1 inclose the article for your nse if You
may see fit to use it. 1t appeared as an anony-
nous article, hence | cannot give the authors
name. Very truly, j. l.. PITTENGER.
THE NEXT DEIuGE.
| Nothing is more interesting to the human
mind than facts, except theories, A theory
| that explains different phenomena, however
! imperfect 1t may be, Is sure OF welcome. And
! theory that helps us toward an explanation,
| though ConfeSsedly not the best or final one,
is held to be OF value to science and is digniied
| by scientific men with TIE name of "proyiS-
| ional hypothesis.
Doubtless there is too much especially in
| this country, Of this greedy acceptance OF
| hypothesis. But it is net our purpose at pres
| ent 10 challenge too severely the theory that
! we have on hand. We are. content TO present
| it in outline as an interesting piece of geologi-
| have asked with wonder, "for the buried
elephants III the extreme north. or for the
striation Of the rocks every college boy has
noticed in New England. What power scat
| tered the ponderoUs stones known as 'erratic
| powders all over the northern hemisphere
urging them far up on the sides OF mountain
| ranges that have wholly different formation
| from their own?
"What slow or sudden mysterious power
| submerged without mixture of earth or rock,
or rubbish, the vast antediluvian forests that
| make the seams of our coal beds? In what
balance were the seas weighed when their
mass was poured upon the southern hemis
| phere, and the land arose in the north 2"
To these questions geology has given, as yet
no full or definite answer. A French mathe-
matician, NJ. Alphonse Adhemar, propounds
| what he believes to be the full explanation of
| these and of other great mysteries in the pres
ent condition OF the globe. His view is based
| upon astronomical facts, as follows and, with
| out entering into his subtle process of demon
stration, we may easily understand the argu-
ment: 'The earth has, besides its spinning
motion upon its axis an oscillatory movement
| of the same axis that is precisely similar to
| that OF top, which 'wabbes' while its point
spins upon the same spot OF ground. The top
| 'Wabbles' through a single circuit in second
| or less; the ponderous earth-top requires no
less than twenty-one thousand years for this
swing of its axis. This period is that of the
procession OF the equnoXes. During one-half
of this PERIOD the north pole is more inclined
| toward lilc sun during inc OtHef nail, the
| south pole. At present our own hemisphere
| the northern has the advantage, being more
| turned toward the sun, so that the sun of our
| spring and summer season exceeds by six days
that of our autumn and winter. The reverse
| is the case on the southern hemisphere where
the cold has six days longer sway during each
| year than in the north. And this advantage
rests alternately with either hemisphere for
the vast period of ten thousand five hundred
and ten years"
| ha f ciy pl1
to be small thing; but this factor, when re-
peated through hundred centuries, NJ Adhe-
mar believes to produce a force sufficient to
change the whole face of the globe. Let us go
back i'll imagination four thousand years, when
the average heat of the northern hemisphere,
then most inclined toward tho sun, was APP
preaching its highest degree.
during vast preceding period" says NJ.
Adhemar, "the ice around the north pole had
slowly increased until an immense cap, or
polar glacier, had been formed, extending as
far toward the south as COZ north latitude, while
I the south pole was comparatively free from
ice. With the slow increase of the summer
heat in the northern hemisphere gradual
melting of the northern ice cap took place
Year after year. century after century, the sun
gained slowly upon these frozen mountains ;
the waters released from them by the gradual
thaw ran down to reioin the ocean. AS the
vast cap Of ice was reduced in size the melting
waters moved southwark, q gradual change
in the earth's center of gravity oc-
cured. 1t moved slowly toward the south,
drawing after it the mass Of waters and laying
bare a part of the continent of the northern
hemisphere. The seas gradually Tctreated
from one hemisphere and gradually took pos
session of another. In this slow movement
there was nothing Of the nature OF a catastro-
pho or grand CONFUSION. Each OF the earth S
poles was loaded with vast serried mountains
Of ice, but of unequal dimensions, and the
slow current of the melting mass flowing
southwark produced only gentle changes in
the physical condition of the earth After the
lapse Of seven thousand years, however the
suns heat had sufficiently softencd the north
polar ice TO permit of its entire disruption. A
grand brake-up occurred. The northern seas and
the fragments OF the ice mountains, obeying
the attraction OF gravity, rushed in body to-
ward the south Torn from his bed the ocean
carried with him his mud, with which the
diiuvium of the northern hemisphere was
formed. Gigantic torrents, mingled with Garth,
sand and pebbles, deposited the alluviums of
the great valleys. The crratic powders float
ing upon the fragments Of ice, or hurled south
ward by the main force Of the delHge, were
strewed over the plains or heaped upon the
mountain-sdes Of northern Europe and
America. The animals that the growing Of the
north had permitted to wander into regions
near the pole were overwhelmed by the waters.
With all animal life, the forests were smulta-
neousy overwhelmed. The roaring waters
OF the dcluge-drlt stripped the shores OF
-Asiatic Russia, Nova Zembla, Lapland, Nor
way and Denmark, pouring the floral spoil into
the North sea aud distributing il into the great
coal basins Of Scotland, there to he transformed
by heat and pressure into the coal that is mined
today on the Firth Of Forth, in Durham,
south OF the Cheviots and elsewhere III west
ern Europe. Norway, Sweden and,Dcnmarls
being without deposit basins at the coal pc.
Rod, failed to receive pound OF the vegetable
fuel. When the southwark rush Of The seas
was finished the continents OF the northern
hemisphere had assumed their present out.
lines, emerging from the seas under which the
attraction Of tho great polar mountain of lee
had buried them while the southern hemis-
phere, receiving the mass Of the released seas,
became as it is today, the so-callcd oceanic
hemisphere, containing but a third as much
land surface as the northern or terrestrial
hemisphere
History and tradition, as well a. science
point to the actual occurrence Of such delugC
as the one we have described. This great
catastrophe that occurred four thousand years
ago, and to which tho traditions u many re-
ligions point, wes, according TO NJ. Adhemar
no other than the deluge OF &oah.
4 word may here be required 10 explain the
possibility Of 50 sudden and irresistible o rush
ing Of tie waters to the south upon the disrup
ton Of the northern ice mountain. TO com
pretend the mechanism OF this gigantic pro.
ccs il should be borne in mind that the oceans