Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-07-06
RIVERS ON MARS.
Wherein They Differ from Those
on the Earth.
Interesting Facts Concerning the GeoloE.
ical Nature OF tho Great Planet
Cleaned by Recent Scientific
Observation.

The first sight of Mars through an
observatory telescope is almost terrify-
ing, even for a person of good nerves.
It 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, beam
ing, many-hued dry land-and on this
the dry beds of a multitude of lakes,
bays, CULTS, streams and canals, these
latter either parallel to each other or
crossing one another at right angles.
AS you continue to look, you note the
variations of color and Of light and
shades; and, further, that the outlines
on one edge of the disk pass out Of sight,
while on the other the landscape ex-
pands; you see that Mars revolves ON
its axis and that the ends Of the axis
are the frozen poles, as with us There
Is further resemblance in the inclina-
ton in the axis, which provides that on
this planet also the seasons follow each
other in regular succession. The ice
crust at the poles diminishes in summer,
and Westermann's Manot's-Hefte claims
that this affords demonstration not only
that Mars is Influenced by the suns
rays precisely as we are, but also that
the air and water are identical with
ours. In fact the meteorology of Mars
Is now being reduced to a science.
Judging the two planets by superficial
characteristics, however, one must ad-
NIT condition implying a higher
degree of development in Mars.
The continents of the earth, seen
from distance, present a very torn
appearance, and occupy scarcely a third
Of its surface, while Mars is girded on
both sides of the equator by one con-
tinuous mainland, intersected by a net
work of canals and rivers, the land oc-
cupying approximately three-fourths Of
the whole area of the planet and the
water only one-fourth, as consequence
Of which it may be that its atmosphere
is less clouded and vapor laden than
ours. Peculiarly characteristic is the
arrangement in which the geological
nature Of Mars has laid the streams
(canals?) ALI our streams, without ex-
ception, 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 uni
form width from source to mouth.
These streams, from seventy to one
banks so we'll defined as to suggest the
idea that they are subject to intelligent
regulation. 1t is hardly possible to con-
ceive that two parallel canals, intersect-
ed at right angles by third, as in
Ophir land, can be the work of the ele-
! mentary forces of nature. The que stion
suggests itself again by the two canals
which flow from ocean to ocean
hn fo1o ~
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
rectilinear canals connecting it with the
| ocean.
But what most excites our astonish-
ment In connection with these canals is
that almost every one of them is double,
1. e., it has its parallel canal alongside
| Of it, but visible at intervals only. This
has thoroughly perplexed all investiga-
| tors. The earth has nothing analogous
| to aid us to solution. On this account
the return of Mars is looked forward tc
| with considerable interest. The inn
| provement in optical instruments with
in the past decade may probably help
to solve the riddle, or, what is perhaps
still more probable, may present more
| riddles Of solution. The occasion OF
Mars next return will be the first time
for fifteen years that we shall have ar
opportunity of examining his south
polar region. Apart from the scientific
interest which attaches to these obser
vations, it is an immense gain to our in
tellectual culture to overthrow the
pride, born of ignorance, which il
earlier centuries prompted men to re
gard this earth as the one inhabited
sphere of the universe. Equal right
for all planets appears to be the law o
nature, which certainly has not ex
pended all her forces on this dark clot
| of ours