The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-04-21
TO OTHER WORLDS
Is Inter- Planetary Communication
Possible +?
Description of a Signal by WhIch
MESSAGES may be Flashed
Across the Abyss
of Space.
By E. ELLSWORTH CAREY.
Writ en- for the ADVERTISED


An attempt to communicate with
another world would probably appear
to many as absurd as did the PROPOSE
ton of Columbus to the people of his
day, that he could circumnavlgate
the globe. Yet it may be no more ditfl,
cult than was the task Columbus SET
about to undertake. One great diff
Guilty is that possibly We have nc
Columbus; but a greater and more
insurmountable obstacle IS that we
have no Isabella. It is an everlast,
ing disgrace to the present age that
scientific investigation is hampered,
hindered and prevented at every step
because a few paltry dollars are not
at the command of Investigators.
Let the inventive and scientific
minds control some of the millions
that are lying useless In vaults and
the problem of human life would
soon cease to mock mankind like the
sphynx of the desert.
Columbus began his undertaking
when nothing was IN his favor.
No long series of previous discoveries
gave him courage to proceed; no dar-
ing navigator had given him an ex-
ample, and no men great in learning
and science rendered him encourage
ment. He moved in a world of dark
ness, without one ray to guide lis
steps; he had no precedent, no ex-
ample, no guide-nothing but his
OVID irresistible will.
Contrast the lot Of Colun. bus with
that of the modern navigator. Stan
ley found Livingstone in darkest
Africa, hui Livingstone vas there
first. The adventurous explorer
pushes towards the pole, but els
path is. plain-it stretches away
ahead, marked by skeletons, wrecks
and cairns. The man who Goes event
ually suspend the plummet of mis- in
strument over the pole, will have,
done no great thing.
An ancient book, in speaking of the
doings of the sons of men, uses these
words:
u-nothing will be restrained from
them which they have imagined TO
do"
Man stops at no obstacle. The in
vestigator of to day has the courage
of past decades. The whole world
pushes him on. We are hungry for
new discoveries. An expectant pub
lie applauds every step. Then think
of poor old Columbus with the whole
known creation pulling at his coat
tails!
The problem of inter-planetary
communication appears difficult only
because we are ignorant. There Is no
Inherent difficulty, no impossible OBJ
stacle that arises from the nature OF
the case. The only difficulty is our
timidity, prejudice and our love for
theories. For an example, it may be
stated that the assertion IS con-
tinually made that the atmosphere
extends only limited distance
from the earth's surface. As matter
OF fact there is not an atom of proof
to show that the air, In an attenuated
state, may not fill all space. Then
concerning grayitation. The sclen-
tific books tell us all about it; when
the truth is known, possibly 1t will
be found that what the savants
don't know about gravitation will
Fill books enough to sink ship.
There are many things concerning
which we are densely ignorant.
Suppose a continuous insulated cop
per wire were wrapped all around
the earth, and the ends connected
with an instrument for measuring
electrical manifestation: does any
one know what would be observed?
Suppose the conductor we're carried
q hundred thousand times around
the globe, and a recording instru-
ment attached: does any one know
what phenomenon would be wit
messed?
Then the instruments used to-day
in scientific research are but rude
prototypes of those which future
generations will construct. Com
pare the immense glass that crowns
Mt. Hamilton with the little tube
through which gazed Tycho Brahe,
and then imagine the instruments
that futurity will produce. Shall we
imagine a paragraph in 6 book on
optics published 800 years hence?
G. 1t is believed that magnifying
glasses for astronomical purposes
were known as early as A. d. 400,
but it was 500 years later before a
three foot glass was attempted. The
discovery of hieroglyphics, similar to
those of Upper Egypt, cut into plain
on the planet Mars was not announced
until glasses fifteen feet in diameter
were made, a. d. 1900. In the year
POOP, the present method of intensity
ing light was discovered, and also the
method of casting concave refiectOrs
of any size. The International OBJ
servatory in Manchuria now contains
a l10-foot reflector, which with other
modern appliances, produces a photo
graph of Sirius on which the natural
geographical divisions, mountains
etc, are clearly visible"