Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-03

Perhaps They Are Signalling Now.
But it may be said, Why do not the in
habitsnts of Mars themselves begin to try
to enter into relations with US? II is by no
means proved that they have not done so.
Look at the maps published by NJ. Schiapa-
relli, of Milan (Of whom the testatrix has
been equally thoughtfuD. You will see
there the geometrical triangulations which
gave rise very naturally to the idea that
they should not be regarded as wholly for
eign to some rational design. Further, men
have sometimes observed luminous points
which appear placed very regularly. 1t is
probably that these points represent noun
tains covered with snow. However, if our
neighbors wanted to address us they could
not do better than to trace lines of this
| kind. The supposition is a bold one, 1
confess; doubtless these cousins of the sky
concern themselves about US no more than
we concern ourselves about them; but, in a
word, if they should do so, they could go
about it in this way.
1t will always be more difficult for us to
send signals to them than to receive signals
from them because of our position in space
and because of our phases. 1t is the noe
turnal terrestrial hemisphere that is turned
toward the planet Mars in the period when
we approach most nearly to it, and it shows
ms In full its lighted hemisphere.
The Delicacy of Our Instruments.
| From here we can perceive upon Mars
tracts of land of the size of Sicily. In fact,
| good instruments admit Of recognizing either
| luminous spots on dark backgrounds, or
dark spots on luminous backgrounds, that
measure one-half second-that is to saw,
one-fiftieth of the diameter of the planet at
| the period of its closest proximity to the
earth, or about 137 kilometers. These same
| instruments enable US to distinguish lumi-
nous lines upon an obscure background, or
| dark lines upon bright background,
measuring only a quarter of second, or
about 6S kilometres in breadth. We make
out these conflgurations whose extent does
not surpass that of Ireland, of Sicily, of
Italy, the Adriatic, or of the Red Sea.
Mr.. Asaph Hall. of the observatory at
Washington, who discovered the moons of
Mars and measured them as well as possible,
| considering their extreme smallness, not ex-
ceeding three or four One-hundredths of q
secOnd-true, these are brilliant detached
points upon the dark background of the sky
himself alluded to the proposal of which
we have been speaking-that is, of attempt
ing communication with the moon by the
aid of geometrical figures and he concluded
with these words: ut is by no means
chimerical project"
If the inhabitants of Mars could observe
us by the aid of methods giving results anal
ogous to ours, we should then have to trace
by electric light geometrical figures OF
rather large extent.
1t Would Require Millions.
1t would not be very, very difficult to try
it. 1t would be throwing some millions into
the sea instead of throwing them into bar
racks. Europe ought to be able to come to
an understanding for such an attempt. But
the result, sublime as it might be in itself, Is
SO contingent and it would be so hampered
by the deplorable conditions of our own at
mosphere-on Mars there is almost always
a if n HroI for,% ,%oc
tic to enter upon the path without a conyen-
lent exit at hand. 1t would be what they of
the seventeenth century called "a philo-
sophie amusement" but to-day life passes
too quickly, and we no longer have the time
to solve the impossible.
Let us not forget, however, that in the his
tory of progress the impossible of yesterday
becomes the reality Of tomorrow. The
method of interastral communication, if
ever one be discovered will probably not
resemble any of those that we can think OF
now.
Nav not interastral magnetism play a
part? All are familiar with the new idea of
the great American inventor. Edison. Ex-
perimenting not long ago with telephone
line of great length supplied with a metallic
circuit, the inventor often noticed strange
sounds In the apparatus that could not have
arisen from anything but terrestrial mag
netiSm. As at this period solar eruptions
were frequent and of great violence he did
not hesitate to corelate the two orders of
facts.
Edison's Big Telephone to the Sun.
Later making magnetic observations near
the ogden mine, his property in New Jer-
sey he verified at various times the sharp
and relatively considerable deviations
which confirmed him in his former opinion.
Moreover, that correlation does exist be-
between the solar phenomena and magnetic
disturbances upon the earth is beyond all
doubt to-day. From the beginning Edison
had resolved to pursue his studies from this
point of view, and he thinks he will attain
his end by following the method in which
the Ogden mine plays the leading part.
This mine is formed of an almost COM
pact mass of magnetic iron, 1000 meters
long by l20 broad, which extends down.
ward to an unknown deDth. a conductor
strung upon poles winds 10 times about the
mine, and the ends of the thread of this
gigantic coil are brought to a telephonic OBJ
servatory placed at one of the extremitleS
of the lode. The great inventor is convinced
that his apparatus will enable him to verify
the formidable movements of which the sun
is the theater, to judge OF their intensity,
and adds the interviewer to whom he gave
these details, to hear the noise which ac-
companies the tremendous solar tempeSts
At first sight such an assertion seems ex-
traordinary 1t is, indeed, well established
that sound cannot be propagated in the en-
tire absence of a material medium, solid
liquid or vaporous, and it is not less well
established that between the earth and the
sun, beyond our atmosphere, such medium
does not exist.
Thirteen Years for Sound to Travel.
Furthermore if sound could be propa-
gated from the sun to the earth, following
known laws it would take at least 1S years
to traverse the distance. We could not then
make comparisons between the sounds per- |
ceived and the sun spots without referring |
to observations made here about 13 years |
ago.
But the sounds heard by Edison through |
his telephone are due, according to all ap- |
d pearances, to terrestrial magnetic disturb |
ances. If we admit that these may be no |
more than the consequences OF phenomena |
OF the same order that take place in the sun
the sound would be transmitted electrically |
in a manner analogous to that that passes |
over our telephone lines, the impossibility |
disappears. We must hope, then, that the |
arrangements at the Ogden mine are pre- /
paring us for important revelations. Let US
pray that it will be so, and also that savant
will arise capable of Interpreting them. The
daily oscillations of the magnetic needle,
magnetic intensity, the declination and the
inclination the number and splendor of the
aurorae borealae, are related to the spots
and the eruptions on the sun. Every great
solar phenome non has its counterpart in
the manifestations of terrestrial magnetism
in spite OF the l49 0C0, 900 kilometres which
separate the earth from the sun.
A Possible Gate to knowledge.
There is suggestion in this that should |
not be overlooked in our reflections. Then |
we know nothing of the nature of astral |
magnetism. By this gate, it may be, we |
enter upon an avenue that is immense and |
fnll of surprises Let not shut our eyes. |
The sphere of our conceptions will increase /
with the progress of science.
Very surely the problem of interastr |