San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-08-25
MYSTERIES OF rAE MOON.
TDesolation In Which Every Form OF AMI
nation Is Extinguished.

1Desolatlon In which Every Form OF AMI.
nation Is Extinguished.
Mountains of most peculiar formation
and appalling in their altitude and rug
gedness, great chasms, sterile plains
and towering cliffs are the surface
characteristics of our lunar satellite.
From all the evidence there is neither
air nor water and the mind almost re-
coils from the contemplation of DESC
lation in which is extinguished every
form of animation. There are DESC
late spots on the earth, but they are
seldom such as not to be relieved by
some form of life, says the Pittsburgh
Dispatch.
Everywhere the lunar surface pre-
sents evidence of eruptive violence on a
scale so colossal that they can afford
no comparison, and yet there is hardly
room for doubt that once this waste OF
death and desolation teemed with ami
nation. The evidence indicates that
this eruptive action came in repetitions,
the singular ring mountains or crater
formations in many instances overlap
ping, showing that action in the one
case took place prior to the other.
There is no doubt as to the similarity
of material on the surface of the earth
and, excepting, of course, the aqueous,
some of the lunar promontories have
an appearance of disintegration and
weather-beaten aspect that undoubt-
eddy prove atmospheric effects and ero-
sive action.
The evidence that there Is no atmos-
phere there analogous to that that sur
rounds the earth is afforded in the oc-
cultation of an orb by the moons disk.
In accordance with law of physics
the planetary rays in conjunction
would show refraction when such orb
came into apparent contact with the
limb of the moon. This would be OBJ
servable not only at the time of con-
tact, but also for some time prior to
such contact. But in all the observa-
ton not a trace, not the minutest indi-
cation of this has ever been noticed.
Neither has there been any change at
such time in the spectrum of the star
light, as would necessarily be the case
if there were any extension of the sid
erial light into lunar atmosphere.
There are lunar mountain ranges
that correspond to those of the earth,
and interspersed with peaks from ten
to twenty Thousand feet high. Single
cones rise from level plain to height
of from five to eight thousand feet.
Deep ravines, broad valleys and mar
row passes are also features of this
strange surface. Pages might be de-
voted to descriptions of the weird
lunar scenes IA they appear to the va
rying angles of reflected sunlight, but
what was it, and why was it that this
celestial desolation was wrought? Let
us endeavor to conceive of our earth
with her oceans all dry, no atmosphere
and no clouds, the imprisoned forces
of the interior all departed, but the
escape represented in a rent and shat
tered stratification; layers represent
ing a score of miles in thickness turned
up on their edges, and the entire sphere
but a mass of confused, broken and
tilted fields of rock, the water all solid
in the monster crevices, and the air all
similarly swallowed up, and chaos
again in her reign of many millions of
years.
We may conceive of the fierce beat
ing of the sun on this dead mass, I'M
tempered by any atmospheric en-
velope and the frigid nights that would
come when the sun sank below the
horizon. Has the earth stored forces
sufficient to do this? From our best
information she has pent:;up energies
If there were a way for their liberia
ton.
Such an exigency may be exceeding
1y remote, but such catastrophy has
undoubtedly befallen the moon. Just
what peculiar conjunction of condi-
tons did it is as yet to us a mystery.
But the idea of having this immense
lunar mausolSsm held ever like
mirror before Our eyes is one of those
things to remind us of the inevitable
transformations that must attend all
life as well as it's environment,
EARLY CIRCULATING LIBRARIES.