Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-09-22


flow OF water through siphon, its
capillary action, as in lamp-wick, or
its upward course when drunk by an
animal. The inquiry should be made
more explicit. Can a river, in its
natural channel, open to the air, run
uphill? Impossible as this seems, it
is an established fact. In fact, every
river flowing toward the equator for
a sufficient distance runs uphill.
The mouth of the Mississippi is
three miles higher than its source.
That is, Minnesota, where the Mis-
sissippi rises, is three miles nearer
the center OF the earth than is the
Gulf of Mexico. In the reason for
such difference in level will be
found the explanation Of the rivers
uphill flow.
AS any schoolboy will tell US, the
earth is ball flattened at the poles.
This flattening, while comparatively
insignificant, is still sufficient to
make the polar diameter twenty-eight
miles shorter than the equatorial di-
ameter. In other words, the north
and the south pole are fourteen miles
nearer the earth's center than Is the
equator.
Now, the distance from the north
pole to the equator, measured along
the earth's surface, is six thousand
miles; and the distance from the
source to the mouth OF the Mississippi
is about fifteen hundred miles, or one
fourth Of six thousand. If, therefore,
there is a difference in level of four
teen miles between the north pole
and the equator, there will be diff
ference in level between the source OF
the Mississippi and its mouth, of one
fourth OF fourteen miles, or three and
one-half miles.
But the territory watered by the
Mississippi has been elevated some
what by volcanic or similar forces,
and the actual excess in height OF
the rivers mouth is reduced to the
three miles first mentioned.
How is it possible for the river
thus to run uphill?
When, cons ago, the sun had
! thrown the earth from its surface
| like drop of water from swiftly
| turning wheel, our globe became a
| huge ball of molten rock, itself swift
| ly revolving in space. AS 1T gradually
cooled, it shrank; and by shrinking
its velocity increased, just as stone
tied to string and twrled about 9
boys finger revolves more rapidly a:
the string winds about the finger.
When the centrifugal force had 81
increased as to exceed gravitation, {
huge mass shot off from the earth:
equator, and became the moon. Still
| the centrifugal force retained ample
power to expand the earths equator
and to retain it in this form unit
cold and rigid.
Nor has this force yet abated. Al
it drew toward the equator tn
earth's material when plastic, it still
continues to attract in the same d1
rection all the fluids upon the earth
surface. In this way gravitation II
partially overcome, and the Missis
sippi River flows steadily up its three
mile hill to the Mexican Gulf.
A second question Is suggested.
What would ensue If the revolution
of the earth should be by some means
gradually retarded? The Mississippi
would become more and more slug
gish; the entire valley and the grea
lakes would swell into an inland sea
and the Gulf of Mexico would see
through them its way to the Nortl
Pole.
If the earth should cease to revolv
altogether, the oceans of the equato
would forsake their beds and haste
toward the poles. Probably the er
tire globe north Of the latitude Q
Boston would be submerged.