Iron County register., 1892-07-07
TIE PLANET MARS.
In All Essential Points 1t is Startlingly
Like the Earth.

L
| Like the Earth.
The first sight of Mars through an
| observatory telescope is almost terri
| flying. even for person of good nerves.
| 1t is as if one saw the whole earth. with
| its icy poles, solid globe. floating
| overhead One distinguishes clearly the
| dark blue seas and the brilliant. beam
| ing, many-hued dry land, and on this
| the dry beds of n multitude of lakes,
bays, CULTS, streams and canals, these
latter being either parallel to each other
or crossing one another at right angles.
AS you continue to look you note the
variat tions of color and of light and
shade and further that the outlines on
the edge of the disk pass out Of sight,
while on the other the landscape ex-
pands; you see that Mars revolves on its
axis. and that the ends of the axis are
the frozen poles. as with us. There is a
further resent blance in the inclination
of the axis, which provides that on thi'
planet also the seasons follow each
other in regular succession. The ice
crust at the poles diminishes in summer,
affording demonstration not only that
Mars is influenced by the suns rays pre-
cisely as we are, but also that the air
and water are identical with ours.
In fact, the meteorologv of Mars is
now being reduced to a scIenc,.
Judging the two planets by superb
cial characteristics. however. one must
admit condition implying a higher
degree of development in Mars. The
continents of the earth, seen from
distance. present very torn appear
ance, and occupy scarcely a third of it's
surface. while Mars is girdled on both
sides of the equator by the continuous
mainland intersected by a network of
canals and rivers. the land occupying
approximately three-fOurths OF the
whole area of the planet and the water
only one-fourth. as a consequence of
which it may be that it's atmosphere is
less clouded and vapOr-laden than ours
Peculiarly characteristic is the arrange
ment in which the geological nature of
Mars has laid out the streams (canals?)
All our streams. without exception.
are tortuous and all increase in width
as they near the ocean. On Mars. on
the contrary, the streams flow in
straight lines and are of uniform width
from source to mouth. These streams.
from seventy to one hundred kilometers
as to suggest the idea that they are
subject to intelligent regulation. 1t is
hardly possible to conceive that two
parallel canals intersected at right
angels by third, as in Opher land. can
be the work of elementary forces of
nature. The question suggests itself
again by the two canals which flow
from ocean to ocean through the island
HOllas, crossing each other at right
angles in the center. Not less gues-
tiona bic is the origin of the great blue
Lake of the Sun in the center of KEEP
pier land with it's three rectilinear
canals connecting it with the ocean.
Ever and ever the question REQUIRED:
Is it possible that the crust of 4 planet
whose density is only seventeen tbs less
than that of the earth can be so yield
ing that the streams at their origin en-
counter no impediment to their direct
course? Or have they really been regu-
lated by the inha bitants of Mars-an
engineering feat presenting, perhaps,
few difficulties?
But what most excites our astonish-
ment in Connection with these canals is
that almost every one of them is double
i. e., it has its p arallel canal along
side of it, but visible at intervals only.
This has the roughly perplexed all in
vestigators. The earth has nothing
analogous to aid us to a solution. On
this account the return of Mars
is looked forward to with
considerable interest. The improve
ments in optical instruments within.the
past decade may proba bly, help to solve
the riddle, or what is perhaps still more
probable, may present more riddles for
solution.
The occasion of Mars next return will
be the first time for fifteen years that
we shall have an opportunity of exam
lining his south polar region. A part
from the scientific interest which at
taches TO these observations. it is an i'm
mense gain to our intellectual culture
to overthrow the pride, born of igno-
rance, which in earlier centuries prompt
ed man to regard this earth as the one
inha abited sphere Of the universe. Equal
rights for all planets appears to be the
law of ma ture. which certainly has not
exper-led all her forces on this dark
clod of ours.-German Paper.