The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-08-11
RIVERS IN THE PLANET MARS.
Wherein They Differ From Those to Be
Found on This Earth.

Wherein They Differ From Those to Be
Found This Earth.
The first sight of Mars through an
observatory telescope is almost terri
flying, according to the Chicago
Herald, even for person Of good
nerves. 1t is as if one saw the whole
earth. with it's icy poles as a solid
globe. floating overhead One dis
tinguishes clearly the dark blue seas
and the brilliant beaming many-
hued dry land and on this the dry
beds of a multitude Of lakes bays
CULTS streams and canals. these latter
either parallel to each other or cross
ing one another at right angles. AS
you continue to look, you note the
variations of color and of light and
shades; and, further. that the outlines
on one edge of the disk pass out of
sight while on the other the land
scape expands; you see that Mars re-
wolves on its axis and that the ends
OF the axis are frozen poles as with
us. There is further resemblance in
the inclination in the axis which pro-
vide that on this planet also the sea,
sons follow each other in regular sue
cesslon. The ice crust at the poles
dlmlnishes in summer and Wester-
mann's Manot s. Hefte claims that this
affords demonstration not onlv that
Mars is influenced by the SUMS rays
precisely as we are. but also that the
air and water are Identical with ours.
IN fact the meteorology of Mars is now
being reduced to science. Judg-
Ing the two planets by superficial
characteristics. however. one must
admit. "a condition implying higher
degree OF development in Mars The
comments OF the earth. seen from a.
distance. present very torn appear
ance' and occupy scarcely third of
its surface while Mars is girdled on
both sides of the equator by one con-
tlnuous 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
its atmosphere is less cloudy and vap-
or laden than ours. Peculiarly
characteristic is the arrangement in
which the geological nature of Mars
has laid 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 the source
to the mouth. These streams from
seventy to 100 kilometers apart have
their banks so we'll defined as to sug-
gest the idea that they are subject to
intelligent regulation. 1t is hardly
! possible to conceive that two parallel
canals, intersected at right angles by
a third. as in Ophir land can be the
work of the elementary force of ma
ture. The question suggests itself
again by the two canals which flow
from ocean to ocean through the is
land Hellas. crossing each other at
| right angles il the center. Not less
questionable is the origin of the great
blue lake Of the sun in the center of
keppler land, with it's three rectiai-
near canals connecting it with tn e
ocean.
| But what most excites our astonish-
ment in connection with these canals
is that almost every one of them is
double, j. e.. it has parallel canal
| alongside of it but visible at intervals
only. This has thoroughly perplexed
all investigators. The earth has no.
thing analogous to aid US to So
luton.
Apart from the scientific, interest
which attaches to these observations,
| it is an immense gain to our intellec-
tual culture to overthrow the pride
born Of ignorance which in earlier
centuries prompted man to regard
this earth as the, one inhabited
sphere of the universe. Equal rights
for all planets appears to be the law
OF nature. which certainly has not
expended all her force on this dark
clod of ourS. t...