Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-10-18
METEORS AND COMETS.
Prof. Foster Advances some New Ideas IN
Regard to Them.

IOdieS in the universe are of the
same nature, composed of the same
and in their growth, gov
erncd by the same laws, their only
difference being in age, size and de-
grees OF maturity The meteor cor
responds with the infancy of the hu-
man kind, the comet is the youthful |
stage, the satellite or moon is com
parable with early manhood, the /
planet with maturity, and the sun
with that age of the individual that
gives him most power among his fell !
low men. Evidences upon this sub !,
ject are here in order. Are suns and .
planets grownup meteOrs?
Prof. Lockyer an orthodox scien
tlst, says: THE existing distinction
between stars, commets and nebuI1
rests on no physical basis. They are
ali meteoric in origin"
y standard cyclopedia, Aldena
Manifold, says; mo new substance
has come to us from without. Iron
is largely predominant in 9rolites.
Seven other metals-copper, tin,
nickel, cobalt, chrome, manganese and
molybdcna, enter into the compost
tion of 9rolites. Soda, potash, mag
nesia, lime, silica, alumina, carbon,
sulphur, phosphorus hydrogen, and
other substances are found in 9roli-
ties. All the 9rolitic substances eX.,
- in the earth"
fhe Wards Science Bulletin says.
"known facts and scientific thought
point to the conclusion that the diff
ference between comets and meteOrs
or shooting stars; is analogous to the
difference between rain and mist.
Prof. Proctor says: 'ln all prOba-
bIlity Jupiter is not constituted diff
ferent from the earth and sun, and
we know that meteOrs contain the
same elements that exist in the sun
and planets We have every reason
to believe that all the planets are
constituted OF the same elements.
The present state of the solar system
is regarded as the result of a process
Of development, and not Of special
creative fats"
| might give numerous other evl-
dencCs, going to prove that the
growth OF worlds is very similar to
the evolutions of animal life. In both
cases, the big fish deyour a large
proportion of the little ones, and our
earth, our sun our solar system, our
cluster Of stars, are all moving INTO
new space, feeding on the attenu-
ated ether of space and the meteors,
arolites and comets that have grown
up iu that otherwise chaotic ether
and space, as a herd Of Buffalo would
move about in droves, feeding on the
pastures of the plains.
Each planet is catching its share Of
these lesser bodies, and we desire to
ascertain whether coal, lime, iron and
other minerals laid down in strata in
the oceans NAV not have come from
the great comets that have struck
our earth, instead OF from vegetation
and the shells of sea animals.
Our standard cyclopedia says: ere
cent Investigations have proven that
new-fallen meteCrites contain six
times their own bulk of gases, of
which 81 per cent. is carbOnic oxide. "
This substance is composed of one
half carbon, and one-half oxygen,
therefore, l6 per cent of the gases
mentioned as belonging to meteorites
! is carbon, in bulk three times asgreat
Is the bulk of the meteOrS,
l have shown that meteors, comets
and planets are composed of similar
materials, and the above quotation
shows that metcorites contain three
times their bulk in carbon in the
"a ;eous form, and therefore we must
conclude that comets contain the
same proportion of carbon.
As | intend to bring proof going to
| show that our own moon was once a
| comet, struck the earth, leaving with
| the latter the moons water and at
| mOSphere, l will here state that the
| same proportion of diffused carbon
accompanying the moon when Il
! comet, would, if condensed into fuel
carbon, and deposited on earth, make
| many times more coal than is now
| known to exist in the carboniferOus
| strata of the earth. Therefore if a
| comet as large as the moon ever did
strike the earth, its carbonic oxide
would account for our coal beds, its
| atmosphere added to ours would 50
! change conditions as to destroy nearly
all animal life, its waters would cause
| a NOah's flood, and our oceans would
lie increased in depth, all Of which,
| geology proves have occurred,
| The astronomers say that the spec.
trum reveals large quantities Of car
BON in the comets. In fact, if it
were not for the carbon, we could not
| see the comets, for carbon is the sub.
stance that furnishes the light.
| Has the earth been struck by great
comets? 1t has been struck by great
meteOrs, and therefore why not by
great comets?
DIR. Dick, the astronomer and phir-
| OSOphcr gives the following: 1.-The
| fall of mcteOIic. stones is much more
frequent than is generally believed.
They are sometimes of great magni-
tudc, the volume of several having
exceeded that OF a body of seventy
miles in diameter. One which passed
within twenty-five miles of US, was
estimated to weigh 500, 900 tons, and
to move with a velocity of twenty
miles a second, fragment of it alone
reaching the earth"
This was monster meteor, and II
will be difficult to draw the line di-
viding meteors and comets. The
cyclopedia states that the tails OF
these meteors have been known To
continue for an hour after the meteor
had disappeared. Copyrighted. W.
L. Foster.
And He smiled n siciSly Smile.
The young father stood over the