The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-08-31
CAN WATER RUN UP hILl2.
OF Course 1t Can, for It Does IN Many
Rivers.

E rs as.
It would be legitimate answer to
this question, perhaps, says the Youths
Companion, to cite, the flow of water
through a siphon, Its capillary action,
as in lamp-wick, or. its upward course
when drunk by an animal. The in
quiry should be made more explicit.
Can a river, in its natural channel,
open to the air, run up hill? Impessi-
BILE as this seems, it is an established
fact. In truth, every river flowing
toward the equator for sufficient dis
tance runs up hill.
The mouth of the Mississippi is three
miles higher than its source. That is,
Minnesota, where the Mississippi rises,
is three miles nearer the center of the
earth than is the Gull of Mexico, In
the reason for such a difference in level
will be found the explanation of the
rivers up hill flow.
AS any school boy will tell US. the
earth is ball f1attened at the poles.
This fattening, while comparatively
insignificant, is still sufficient to make
the polar diameter twenty-eight miles
shorter than the equatorial diameter.
In other words, the north and the
south poles 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 5000 miles; and
the distance from the source to the
mouth of the Mississippi is about tif-
teen hundred miles. or one-fourth of
5000. If, therefore, there is differ
ence in level of fourteen miles between
the north pole and the equator, there
will be adherence in level between
the, source of the Mississippi and it's
mouth of one-fourth of fourteen miles,
or three and one-haH miles.
But the territory watered by the
Mississippi has been elevated some
| what by volcanic or similar forces,
and the actual excess in the height of
the rivers mouth is reduced to the
three miles first mentioned.
How is it possible for the river thus
to run up hill? -,- Y +
/ When, cons ago, the sun had thrown
| the earth from its surface like drop
of water from swiftly turning wheel,
| our globe became huge ball of molten
rock, itself swiftly revolving in space.
AS it gradually cooled it shrank; and
by shrinking its velocity increased,
twirled about a boys finger revolves
more rapidly as the string winds about
| the finger.
When the centrifugal force had SO
| increased as to exceed gravitation, a
huge mass shot off from the earth S
equator, and became the moon. Still,
the centrifugal force retained ample
power to expand the earth's equator,
and to retain it in this form until cold
| and rigid.
Nor has this force yet abated. AS ii
drew toward the equator the earth's
material when plastic, it still continues
to attract in the same direction all the
| fluids upon the earth's surface. In
this way grayitatione is partially over
come, and the Mississippi 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 great
lakes would swell into an island sea,
and the Gulf of Mexico would seek
through them its way to the north
pole. aFs s
If the earth should cease to revolve
| altogether, the oceans of the equator
would forsake their beds and hasten
toward the poles. Probably the en-
tire globe north of the latitude of Bos.
ton would be submerged.
q IS . Z.