Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-09-02
MARS APPROACH.
..r, r. p9aTEyD DISASTER AND IS IT IN
ANY WAY
p,,~s f,r .hs Stirring Incidents Of The Present
- - Some Very Curious Coilciderces.
T.r-1.s Of Oar Solar Noishbogs and
OR Social Changes.

Dr /. y. Broughton, IT., writing for
- New York TeICVuGa says;
Nv+.i,r I'M the eastern horizon each
80 rs the sun sinks ia the West,
800 and luminous orb may be seen
s..eIi moon, aud in the duSky at
horn IFS rays are 50 changed that
srfrelrently 70 has been mistaken
,s tal. of Ere, the red light being
-,,b ike q lantern hanging in the dis
No. liz is the planet Mars making
of IT'S periodic visits near our earth,
s~I sy the relations OF the sun, the
.se earth and Mars, the full disc OF the
-oIof war is presented 20 Us Ike the
loon when 10 is In the full.
Vsrv littIe knowledge of astronomy is
.,,sssarv 90 understand the relation OF
t.is rreuet 10 our earth and the reasons
s-- -ta changes i'm it's apparent size
rba- viewed from mother earth. The
,,.ff.v 0l motion OF the planets around
.r- .ro is I'M proportion 90 their dis
60 from the sun. Although there is
tsrsvad 90 be a small pllnet closer 20
.ts.. r0 the nearest that we recognize is
~ uNc.ent importance 20 name Is the
,-4 of messengers, Mercury, which
9.,ps Q revolution around The celestial
,r-sr in about lightweight days.
Next 90 Mercury is Venus, whose
-sv,.rtioa is 224e days. The planet
,- which wa an have a vital interest Is
next % Venus The earth makes the
j-rrrev around the sun in sos days,
iva hours, and forty-dye minutes, for
sirlt seconds, and one revolution is
Cra wear. Mars lies just outside of the
esrth's circie and completes MS circuit
Ground the sun In one year, ten and
orp.balf months. JUpeter is next In
tbs group and occupies nearly twelve
Years In the circuit. Saturn takes
tventy-uine and q half years, Uranus
mr. Herschel, as the older astronomers
called him, eighty-ioUr years, twenty
seven days, and Neptune, the most dis
amt yet discovered, consumes 100 years
I'M bis passage from given pOiat In his
orbit around the sun and back TO the
same p.1ce
MARS IS PERIGEE.
It's evident that each planet whose
or5it lies outside OF that of the earth
must at some period of its jOurueying
reach a point where the earth is eX-
sctIy between 10 and the sun, and when
II is remembered that the planets Of our
solar system do not emit light, but
simply reflect the rays Of light thrown
uuou them by tine sun, the position Of
.ae earth ~ that time Is such that the
pIaret Is IN the same relation % the
earth that the moon is 90 its full, the
whole surface presented 20 us being
shown upon by the sun. Mars In this
position is said to be ia its perigee; or
nearest 10 the earth.
The approach OF Mars to our earth
was always viewed by the ola astrono-
uers as q period to be dreaded. They
believed that wars, famines, volcanic
eruptions aud earthquakes would be
the result, and certainly there were
nany curious condolences 10 give col
oring 20 their fears. That this position
does affect our atmosphere cannot be
disputed; whether, though, by IN inter
ference with the supply Of vital fluid
from the sun, the rObbing Of us 0y the
attractive power Of the visitor OF our
magnetism, or simply by disturbing the
equilibrium of our gases and O changing
of the relations Of our elements which
form our atmosphere, is not known.
That some disturbance occurs is fact
IN OPPOSITION TO THE SUN.
In the case Of Mars, il is an easy mat
ter 10 refer TO the period when be ap-
DrOaches nearest TO our earth, anu,
though he does so once In every year,
yet the greatest occurrences are az the
time when our earth lies between the
sun and Mars, which is once in about
fifteen years. Mars is then said TO be
20 perigee and Gt the same time In OPP
position 20 the sun, as the old astTon-
omers indicated IL, the earth in those
days being considered the centre Of our
planetary system.
The planet Mars is at the present
time Ia this unfavorabIe position, and
whether his presence is the Cause of
she labor strikes ia Pennsylvania, Wes-
tern New York and Tennessee or not, /
70 is az least strange that the two should
occur together. Mars passes on and
leaves Us for while In a few weeks
from now, and should the troubles DE
adjusted within that time aud the ex-
element gradually SubSide, we can
thank the god OF war for his departure
and wish him good by with sincere feel I
iugs of happiness.
The last time Mars paid the earth
similar visit was TO 1877. 10 does not
require a very good memory to recall
the stirring incidents Of that memorable
year in the history OF labor troubles.
Pennsylvania has been much stirred by
the Homestead troubles, but the Car
regie strike is nothing compared 20 the
Pttsburg riots of that year Business
was Stagnated, and the whole country
wa, aroused by the scenes which trans
plred 10 1877. The moons OF Mars were
discovered at that time.
THE PERIOD OF THE WAR.
From 1877 it requires but slight
thought 90 carry every citizen back an
oiner fifteen years. War and strife
aar6e1ed our country in 1S61-69, and
Rom She peri.S OF that period we Sre
only now recovering. That visit Of
Mars was intensified by another in
llelce which we viii refer 10 further
90.
lu lei1-S The war with Mexico in this
country and exciting political times Ia
Europe, where every Government felt
tle Influence of some disturbing ele-
meDt L90is Philippe met his down
TAI. lI France, the Pope was forced TO
seek safety In fjgh. from Rome, all
were q strange series of condolences
fulteu years previous to that time
n u ~