The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-05-24
S1ayl7 81 20
Hello, Earth.

Hello, Earth.
Thomas A. Edison has turned Ogden
mountain, in New Jersey, into great
magnet and coiled miles of wire about it.
At the time Of the last opposition of Mars
he noticed an increase of the seismic NUT
terings, which have recently been so vio-
lent. Mr. Edison and Mr.. Preece, of
England arc only two of the scientists
who are now experimenting along these
lines and the whole world is watching the
progress being made. Neither Mr.. Ed
son nor Mr.. precce has been SO bold as to
say that the strange sounds referred to
are messages being sent by the nhabi-
tants of Mars to those Of earth, but they
have not otherwise explained them.
On the other hand there are many
scientists firm in the belief that the next
few years will witness the opening up Of
communication between the people of the
two PLANETS. The conviction has bean
enormously strengthened by the strange
lights seen at the Lick observatory when
Mars was under observation during it's
opposition little over a year age. The
three lights we're arranged in triangle.
Nightly as the great red orb rose from
her ocean bed to the vault Of heaven the
lights flashed out as soon as the darkness
set in and in the immense lens of the
Lick telescope they glowed with steady
and continued cffulgcncc. Was this an
effort of the inhabitants Of Mars to at
tract the attention Of those on earth?
Such has been the opinion Of Flammar-
ion, who had argued i'll favor OF earth
signaling hack with a triangle of lights
thirty miles across. 1t WAS shown that
the conditions of Mars were more nearly
those of earth than of any other planet.
Both of the snow caps could be plainly
seen and may he seen now in any first
class telescope, for Mars is now to he OBJ
served in the morning about 81 degrees
west and IA degrees south from Venus in
the constellation Capricorn. The we'll
defined atmosphere of Mars is also plainly
visible, and astronomers can tell by the
increase or decrease Of its snow caps and
it's position in regard to the sun the prog
ress of it's seasons and whether or not the
Marsians are having a cold winter. The
canal theory of Schiapparelli has like
wise many believers who assert that the
strange straight lines on Mars are canals
built by it's highly civilized Inhabitants.
Mr.. Prccce says he has kept record of
ihe strange, mysterious sounds which
have attracted his attention. These will
require much study to deciphsr if they are
messages from Nars. The Preece discov-
err. ON the other hand puts it in the pow
or of the people of earth to send direct
electrical currents to Mars, whose inhab-
;tnnts arc so much in advance Of ourselves
that they may be able to help US soat in
the work of opening un converse. 4 pan
.toni,nic electrical interchange will be
necessary for some time, but that will he
tho emotions Of the scientific world when
the message is sent out that ccmmunca
t;ou has been established?
There are those who firmly assert that
this is an experience OF the Immediate
future; that electricity ~ the universal
force and the one, whereby the planets
wiIl come into communication with each
other if they ever do. The mystery OF
e,actriei,y Is the strange fluctuations il
rdcroocs. Fit were IN earth property
solely It would he steady, as II would be
verc Il common TO all the universe and
not interfered with. But its strangeggo-
;nps and co,nings, it's apparent relations
- the sun, and jet its known sympathy
with other heavenly bodies. seem 70 show
that somebody somewhere is fooiing Will
tbe DYNAMO and cutting off and turhing On
the current.
Ri