The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-09-19

Shall We arm ourselves against the
comets? Are they and notably that sup
posedly lost one of Biela, most dangerous
% the worlds physical welfare? Are their
ANS nlled with destruction, and is their
oath so near the earth that it superheats
ne AR and thereby induces conclusions
Whlch result in the great forest fires of
me west and such a holocaust of flame
As the great Chicago confiagration?
II we believe in all these things we be-
Ieve with Bacon's great friend, Ignat thus
Donnelly. and find a parallel and a pre-
Hctlon In his "Ragnaroc." The parallel is
between the Chicago fire and the forest
lfes or the same year uS7) and the great
,onf1agrations which have just brought
such disaster in Michigan, Minnesota and
Wisconsin, says the New York Herald.
And again, what is going to happen if
We come nearer to the root of the comet S
tail? Is there more danger in this possi-
olity than in the great tidal wave which
was to enguf New York the other day?
VIII the end of the world be preceded by
combined switching of the tails of many
comets? There would be nothing strange
If it We're, if Mr.. Donnelly's arguments
were accepted.
MIR. Donnelly, toe, instancing the curious
and familiar story of DR.. OXs experiments
ON a village of Hollanders with oxygen,
thinks that that eXtraterrestrial influence
on the atmosphere may be responsible for
failures of crops famines pestilences and
national uprisings well fires. Then
why are not comets responsible for the
fall of dynasties as we'll as the rise of
republics and should not the term be,
born under a lucky comet instead of a
lucky star?
A0nd this is the year for the return of
Biela's comet, and, if Iguatius Donnelly is
right events show it's presence.
PARALLEL EVENTS.
We have just been shocked by the terri
BILE destruction of life and property by the
great forest fires that nave swept a por-
ton of Michigan, Minnesota and Wis
consin.
The accounts of the confla grafton recall
the similar calamity in the Northwest in
the fall of 1871 These and the succession
of similar events which for years past
have marked the history of the West
naturally lead to the query, What is the
cause?
Mr. Donnelly, in his remarkable book,
"Ragnaroc," which was written in sup
port of the authors view that the great
drift which covers the earth is due to
cometic action, advances a theory that is
so strongly put ard has the appearance
of being supported by so many facts that
it is we'll worthy of examination and dis
cusson at this time.
Mr.. Dcnnely expresses the view that
the great forest fires of 1871 in the North
west and the great Chicago fire were due
10 the presence OF Ol bIeld 5
comet, which, in places, hurled its COM
bustible gases and vapors against the
earth.
Biela's comet, the alleged cause of SO
much disaster, was discovered in 1885, and
in 1916 it was split in two distinct comets,
each having a head and tail of its own.
In 1852, 1859 and 1866 the comet should have
returned, but did not. Strange to say, on
Nov. q, 1872 there was a sudden display
of unlocked for meteors, and Prof. Kiln
kerdues, of Berlin after careful observa-
tions, stated that he believed them to come
from Biela's lost comet. The telescope
found the comet where the calculations
located it,
DONNELLY'S ARGUMENT.
In "Ragnaroc'' Mr.. Donnelly begins the
subject of the great fires in 1871 by quot
ing from Humboldts Cosmos as fol-
lows: 1t is probable that he vapor of the
tails Of comets mingled with our atmos-
phere in the years 1919 and 1922
Then, after referring to Biela's comet Mr..
Donnelly says:
Il have argued that the material of a
comet consists of solid nucleus, giving
out fire and gas, enveloped in a great CASE
Gus mass, and tail made up of stones
possibly diminishing in size they recede
from the nucleus, until the after part of
it is composed of fine dust ground from the
pebbles and boulders; while beyond this
there may be still further prolonga ton
into gaseous matter"
After noting the strange action of the
comet Mr.. Donnelly continues: 1T is true
that the earth came near enough in 1877
stones toward itself, and that they fell