The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-23

after such an event, near the pole. and that
which had been near the poles would be sit
uated near the equator"
Startling as was this conclusion of the
eminent savaut, a yet more extraordinary
possibility was foreseen by him as the result
Of such Il collision. ''Some comets passing
near the earth, " ne observes, might so alter
its movements as to cause it TO become a
comet itself"
In that event. with this globs Of ours of
its track and flying wildly through space,
this eminent scientist states that Instead OF
having an even and uniform temperature
suitable to man and the animals, the earth
would be Exposed 10 the greatest vicissi-
tudes sometimes soorohed at its perihelion,
sometimes frozen by the cold of the remot-
est regions OF the heavens, and it would be
perpetually passing from one extreme to
another, unless some comet should again
come near enough TO change its course and
re-establish it in its original uniformity"
Other possibilities were foreseen by Maui
pertuis as the result OF a comet striking the
earth or coming close thereto. Such body
might, he says, divert the earth from its
present orbit, and subject it to its own at.
traction in a word, make satellite Of our
globe, which, henceforth compelled to follow
the movements OF the comet, would be ex-
posed to the same vioissitudes as on the pre-
ceding hypothesis" A comet, he saws
could in like manner deprive us of our moon,
steal off with that old friend while we were
looking at 1t aud unable 30 retain possession
of our property, and that forevermore the
earth would be doomed TO moonless nights,
But the severest accident of all which
Maupertuis foresaw was a direct collision
between the earth and the comet. The
earth, he saws, would be broken into a
Thousand pieces, and in all probability both
bodies would be destroyed. But from the
fragments" concludes this Commentator.
gravity would speedily form a new planet
or several new planets"
1t will be noticed that :his eminent
thinker followed his theories to their logical
conclusions and wrote about the results
with the utmost complacency. He re-
garded the most disastrous accidents and
formidable catastrophes simply as matters
for calculation and opportunities for the
furtherance of scientific knowledge.
1t might be supposed from what has been
shown of the writings Of Maupertuis, that
when he had blown the earth into a thou
sand atoms as a result of its contact with a
comet. no greater disaster could be foretold.
But such is not the CASE. Maupertuis was
equal to the emergency. After demolishing
both bodies he says: "The approach of a
comet might be attended with results yet
more fatal. have not yet spoken Of the
tails Of comets.n
IueTSupOu ne prOCoeub TO an examination
OF the nature of the comets tail, and, by
the way, the tail of Biela's comet, now be-
lieved to be approaching, has been esti-
mated at 800 900, 900 miles in length. Ac-
cording to this scientific writer the tail Of a
comet is formed Of immense torrents of ex-
halations and vapors driven forth from the
body OF the comet by the heat Of the sun.
The strongest proof Of this is, he says, the
fact that these APPENDICES make their APP
mas NFNINy wnyhA he
preached to a moderate distance from the
sun, increasing as the comet draws near the
sunsend diminishing as it gets further away.
"a comet, he says, accompanied by a
tail, might pass 30 near the earth that we
should find ourselves drownedtin that tor
rent which It draws along with 1t, or In the
atmosphere or the same nature which sur
rounds It."
After estimating the heat Of such body
based on the calculations of Newton. this
conclusion is reached: what, then, could
have been the heat which still remained in
the comet. when, coming from the sun. it
crossed the orbit Of tho earth2 Had ID
passed nearer 1t would have reduced the
earth TO ashes or vitriied it, and II only its
tail had reached us the earth would have
been inundated by a river of fire aud all its
inhabitants killed-soaided 20 death like a
colony Of ants in boiling weter.n
In view OF these alarming conclusions OF
Maupertuis 1t Is comforting TO know that
AraGo. working upon the law of probabih-
ties in regard to such contingency, came
to the conclusion that the odds were 2Sl,-
100000 20 / against 1t.
The comet may now be seen with the
naked eye, IL will be found near the CEN
ter Of the heavens, and a reddish tinge
will distinguish it from the surrounding
stars.