San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-07-13
THE EARTH DRYING UP.


Supply.
Is It fact that the element which
we call water is fast disappearing from
the face of the earth, and that the
whole globe In slowly but surely being
converted into desert?
To some this may appear to be o
startling proposition, but that the
theory Is tenable there can be no
doubt. because IL has been advocated,
believed in and discussed by some Of
the most brilliant thinkers Of the past
three centuries, including such men as
Newton, Hamilton, Humboldt and De
Verne. We are well aware that man
Is prone to expressions Of dissatisfae-
ton. A week Of rain and cloudy
weather suggests q repetition Of the
Noachian deluge, and ten days Of dry,
hot winds cause us to shake our heads
and give vent to ominous mutterings
concerning "siroccos," whitening
blasts" and deserts" The stream Of
life never runs entirely smooth, even
to the most thoughtless, and, In the
majority of instances, the more
thoughtful the man the more likely he
is to express discomfort. Knowing
himself to be the lordly reasoning
creature" the representative Of the
only race or species Of beings endowed
with intellectual faculties, he is not
slow in thinking out" and assigning
causes for both flood and drought, as
well as for all other phenomena which
occur in, on or above the earth.
The above thoughts have been sug-
gested by accounts and opinions on the
prevailing worldwide drought. Arid
conditions have characterized the mete-
orology of every country on the globe
to a greater or lesser degree since 1886.
In European countries, in Asia and Aus
tralia, as well as In the greater portion
OF the United States, all OF the smaller
streams have disappeared and the larger
ones are rapidly dwindling to mere
rivulets. The waters Of the great lakes
of America, as well as Of the so-called
seas" Of Europe and Asia, are fast re-
ceding from the banks which formerly
circumscribed their boundaries. Be-
tween the years 1889 and 1891, accord
ing to the report of government In
spectors, the water level Of Lakes Mich
igan, Huron and Erie were reduced two
feet, causing the marginal line to re-
cede hundreds of feet along some Of the
shelving banks. During the three years
which have elapsed since the date last
above given the retrocession has been
comparatively much greater. This be-
ing the case we have no reason to
doubt the report which was lately
made to the effect that there are dozens
of piers and warehouses which were
used fifty years ago In loading shallow
draught lake vessels which have long
since been abandoned because they now
stand high and dry far from the waters
edge.
The marked diminution in the
worlds water supply was never par
ticularly noted until within the last
twenty-five years, although the noted
philosophers of two and three CEN
turtles ago gave it as their opinion that
the earth would, in the ages to come,
be as arid as the moon is now believed
to be. What is becoming Of the wa
ter? is question that has never been
satisfactorily answered. Some author
tiles believe that 1t has gone to help
form hydrated mineral The late R.
A. Proctor believed that as the earth
cools, its interior opens into enormous
assures which suck in immense guam
titles of water. One authority is of the
opinion that it is accommodating at the
poles in the form of ice and perpetual
snow, while another, somewhat vision
airy, thinks that Gin all probability it
ia being dissipated into space through
the medium of our atmosphere.
There is only one thing that is GER
tain in regard to the matter: 1t is OBJ
vious that 1t is disappearing and that
- q result arid regions are rapidly en-
lsrging wherever they are not held in
check by artificial mesns-St Louis
RRoubiio