Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
MYSTERIES OF MARS.
Flammarion's Unsuccessful Attempt
to Explain Its Phenomena
CANALS CONSTANTLY CHANGING.
Great Lakes Divided and subdiyidsd BY
Unaccountable Lines.
THE PROPER LINE OF INVESTIGATION
WRITTEN FOR THE prsPArcH.1

| Flammarion, the eminent French astrono
mer and writer, contributes some interest
| ing observations on new discoveries on thu
planet Mars Anything relating to thi,
member of our planetary family is interest
ing to us, for the reason, or rather for the
| supposed reason, that what we see there il
very like what we see on the earth.
| That is, in certain lines of physical condi
tions, there seem to be parallels and yet, on
our celestial neighbors, transpire certain
| phenomena that are to us so entirely unex'
plainable, that while we observe, we under.
stand as little, as horse may understand 8
glacial boulder that he observes in his pas
ture field.
Continents repose on the Marsian hemis-
pheres and they are illuminated by the
same sun that gives light to our earth. Seas
and seasons are there also, polar districts,
which in winter are covered with SHOWS,
which extend considerable distance to-
ward the equator, but which recede as the
summer advances. Fogs and clouds, vernal
spring, glowing summer, and hazy autumn,
oil these come and go in the same continu-
GUS round and impelled by about the same
general causes that produce such phenomena
on the earth.
A Region of tho Unknowable.
And further, all resemblance ceases
What we see more than has been mentioned
is now strange, mysterious, capricious and
phantasmic as are incoherent dreams; unac-
countable and utterly unexplainable net
amorphoses. Strange, indeed, to US is what
- ho,,y 1ao IL 10
prehend what is there, when we understand
so little of what is here?
With other astronomers NJ. Flammarion
has given much attention to the peculiar,
straight, canal-like lines which cross and
inter-cross the Marsian continents, as if
bringing the lakes, seas and ocean into inter-
communication. But what is most perpleI-
ing is the fact that within few years
these peculiar lines, or canals, or whatever
they are, have taken duplicate forms, and
the lakes and seas also show singular divid-
ing lines. Thus, what is known on the map
of Mars as Lake Soliel, body 634 miles by
522, in general outline somewhat like sn
elongated circle, was last year seen with a
well defined line dividing it into two
parts. The perple1ity of the case. is
enhanced when we consider, that, be the
line what it may, its width is evidently not
less than so miles. What is also puzzling,
Ia the way these lines cross and intersect
each other at all kinds of angles, while the
lakes and seas do not remain the same in
outline, nor remain in existence, but may
change from round to oval, or vice versa, or
disappear and reappear, in a way to us most
ine1plicable. A lake known as Trthonius
is now divided. and a continent which once
projected from the southeast has changed
to the southwest. The great Chrisorrhoas
L.. IL r Oh
Lnnd, as far as the Acidalium Sea. Some
of these canals submerge themselves, if
such an Interpretation be allowable, and
then emerge again; one has been 1861
miles wide and then shrunk to 81 Il miles.
Canals Three Thousand Miles Long.
Their length is in some instances amaz-
ing, some of them covering more than one
fourth Of a meridian line, or over $3.50
miles, After going into considerable detail
on the changing aspects presented BY these
supposed canals, as also on the duplication
and metamorphoses of lakes and oceans, the
distinguished scientist advances and con-
siders series OF hypotheses, only to
abandon them as utterly Inadequate to any
service as aids in the unraveling of these
mysteries. In the mathematical depart
ment of the subject he is on more substan-
tial footing, as he has here to do with
science that SCOTS at anything like mex
actness or accepting conclusions first and
arranging factors afterward, and where hap
hazard and guess work return like BOOM
erang to plague the inventor.
The inclination of the axis of Mars differs
but little from that of the earth, the former
being 24o and 52', the latter about 1870.
But the diurnal rotation of the planet un-
der consideration is accomplished in "a
hours. 81 minutes and 23 seconds, and the
year consists of 668 days, Our earth is dis
tant from the sun nearly 81, 1000 900 miles,
and makes its orbital journey in 3G5I days,
while Mars is distant from the great solar
parent nearly 140, 900, 600 miles and traverses
over its orbit in the number of DAYS already
stated. When the planet is in its closest
proximity to US, 1t will still appear 63
times smaller than the moon, so that tele-
scope having a magnifying power of 63
would make Mars appear to US
as cur satellite appears to the unaided eye.
But magnifying power of $50 reveals the
planet to us with a diameter ten times
larger than that of the moon, and with this
power many of its Typographical features
come within the range of vision.
Some Comparative Figures.
If we apply TO the diameter of our earth,
a scale of 100, Mars would be represented
by So, and our moon bv only q. In the same
order the respective diameters would be ex-
pressed at 5000 miles, 4,2561z miles and
2, 1897 miles, As regards the potency Of
gravity, Mars falls away below our earth. |
If we rate our globe at 100, our mysterious
neighbor is only II, in composition OF ma |
terial II and in weight of substances on the
surface 376.
While the consensus of investigation into !
the physical constitution of this interesting |
planet sustains the conclusion that 1t Is the |
seat of unusual activity, we may as well be |
candid and confess that we know but little |
beyond this not very profitable fact. We /
have not emerged from childhood In the
grasp of such subjects.
How, is it possible to grapple with such
as are manifest on Mars, when
we are still so much at sea with constantly |
occurring phenomena on the earth? Like the
lurrying and impetuous boy at school, We |
ire inclined to bestow TOO little care on the |
preliminary work--on the foundation. We |
Yant to hurry up the intellectual edif1ce; VI
ire eager to fill the chambers with paintings
md statuary: impatient to see the fine fresco
m high ceilings, and so the walls are too
,1ten laid on sand. Dirt and CRIME must be
,ncountcred in digging to bedrock, but on
What else can solid and unyiclding walls and
permanent structure be warranted?
1t evokes q most pathetic feeling, as one
ollows the colossal mentality Of Flanl-
marion in his intellectual flights and sees
i'm pause, weary and baff1ed and still per-
ist with a kingly determination to conquer. |
earned, or, if they have learned. have
earned too late, that only two legitimate,I
venues of approach bear on anything andJ
heSe are-analySiS and SyntleSis.