The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-10-07
A PLANET LIKE OURS.
In All Esson ial Points Mars is startiingly
Like the Earth.

Tn All Essential Points Mars IL Startlingly
Like the Earth.
The first sight of Mars through an
observatory telescope is almost terrify-
ing, even for person of good nerves.
1t is as if one saw the whole earth, with
its icy poles, as solid globe, floating
overhead. One distinguishes clearly
the dark blue seas and the brilliant
beaming, many hued dry land--and on
this the dry beds Of o multitude Of
lakes, bays, Eulfs, streams and canals,
these latter either parallel to ench other
or crossing one another at right angles.
AS You continue to look you note the
variations of color and light shade and
further that the outlines on ono edge Of
the disc pass out Of sight, while on tho
other the landscape expands you SEQ
that Mars revolvos on its axis and the
enAs of the axis are tho frozen poles, as
wish us. There is further resemblance
in the inclination of the axis, which pro-
viies that on this planet also the sea-
aons follow each other in regular sue
cession. The ice crust at the poles
,liraini shes in summer. affording demon
stration not only that Mars is influenced
by the suns rays precisely as we are,
hut also that the air and water are iden-
tical with ours In fact, the meteorol-
ogy of Mars is now being reduced to o
science.
Judging the two planets by superb
cisl charactoristics, however, ono must
alnit condition implying higher de-
gree of development in Mars. Tho
continents of the earth, seen from o dis
tance, present very torn appearance,
and occupy scarcely third of its sur
face, while Mars is girdled on both sides
Of the equator by one continuous main-
land, intersected by a network of canals
and rivers, the land occupying approxi-
nlately throe-fourths of the whole area
OF the planet and the water only one
fourth, as CONSEQUENCE of which it may
be chat its atmosphere is less clouded
and vapor la,lca than ours. Peculiarly
characteristics the arrangement in which
tine geological nature of Mars has laid
out the streams canals p.
All our streams, without exceptions,
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
source to mouth. These streams, from
20 to 100 kilometres apart, have their
banks so well defined as to suggest the
idea that they are subject to intelligent
regulation. 1t is hardly possible to
conceive that two parallel canals, inter-
sected at right angles by third, as in
Orphir land can be the work OF ele-
mentary forces of nature. The ques-
tion suggests itself again by the two
canals which flow from ocean to ocean
through the Island Hcllas, crossing each
other at right angles in the center. Not
less questionable is the origin Of the
great blue Lake Of the Sun in the center
OF Keppler land, with its three retilinear
canals connecting it with the ocean.
Ever and ever the question occurs
Is it possible that the crust of planet
whose density is only -tenths less
than that of the earth con be so yielding
that the streams at their origin encoun-
TOR no impeachment to their direct course2
Or have they really been regulated by
the inhabitants Of Mars-an engineering
feat presenting, perhaps, few serious dif.
ficulties
But what most excites our astonish-
ment in connection with these canals is
that almost every one of them is double,
i. g., it has its parallel canal along side
OF it, but visible at intervals only.
This has thoroughly perplexed all in.
vestigators. The earth has nothing an.
aloSous to aid us to solution. On this
account the return of Mars is looked to
with considerable interest. The i'm
provement in optical instruments within
the past decade may probably help to
solve the riddle, or what is perhaps still
more probable, may present more rid
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