The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05
conclusion than that the Arean continents
appear red and yellow because they are so

appear red and yellow because they are so
In fact
SwAsfPS AND CANALS.
Besides the light and dark regions which
are identified respectively as representing
continents and seas, there are certain small
areas, which sometimes are brown or black,
and at other times much lighter. so that OBJ
servers are puzzled as TO whether they are
land or water. The most reasonable notion
seems to be that these areas are huge
swamps, in which the variation in depth Of
| the water produces the diversity Of colors.
| In the continental mass small dark spots
| are found here and there. which are as
sumed to be lakes. These lakes are not per-
manent bodies OF water. like lakes on the
earth; they vary in SIZE from season to sea-
| son, and sometimes they wholly disappear.
| These remarks. however. do not apply to
| one enormous lake or inland sea. called the
Mare Acidalum, IN the n6rthern hemisphere.
All the vast extent of the continent is
| furrowed on every side by network or
| dark lines or stripes. These stripes ira
verse the planet for long distances in reg
ular lines that do not at all resemble the
winding courses of our streams. Some or
the shorter ones are less tnan ooS mics mics
| in length, occupying quarter or even
third Of a circumference of the planet
Some easy to see. while others CAN
scope, resembling the finest threads OF
| spiders web drawn across the disk; In
breadth they vary from eighteen miles 10
The lines or stripes are the famous canals
of Mars, of which SO much has been said
1t is certain that they are fixed and perm
anent CONGREGATIONS the planet. One
of them, called the Nfiosyrtis, has been
under observation for nearly one 81, nun lii;ta
| thirty years. Every canal opens Its ENDS
either into sea or into lake, or INTO
ton of several other canals. None of them
have yet been seen cut off in the middle
of a continent, remaining without begin
| ming and without end The canals may in
angles, but by preference they converge
| toward the small spots which are supposed
in Lacus Phoenicis six in Lunae Lacus,
and six in Ismenus Lacus.
| The typical Marian canal, as described
by Schiaparelli is nearly uniform stripe,
of dark color similar to that of the sea.
| Sometimes. where it opens upon the sea, 1T
estu ni Sc of &c certain terrestrial streams
| The largest example of such gulf in the
| Syrtis Major, formed by the vast mouth OF
one hundred miles in breadth, and its sur
| face is nearly as great as that of the Bay
| of Bengal. In this case the observer with
| the telescope clearly sees the dark surface
| Of the sea continued without apparent
| interruption into that of the canal.
That. the lines called canals are truly
| of the planet is proved by the phenomena
| which are observed during the melting or
| the northern SHOWS. During the progress
| of the inundation the canals OF the sur
| rounding region become hacker and wider,
being flooded with water Finally when the
flood reaches it's height all Of the yellow
| area comprised between the edge of the
snow and the parallel Of sixty degrees
| north latitude is converted into an archl-
| pe.ago Of small islands This state OF
| things continues until the snow. reduced
| to it's minimum area, stops melting Inen
| the breadth of. the canal diminisnes, the
| temporary sea disappears and the yellow
L oron
different phases Of this vast phenomenon
| are repeated at each return of the seasons.
Astronomers were able to observe them In
| presented it's northern pole to terrestrial
| spectators
| FEATURES OF THE CANALS.
| It may be concluded, therefore, that the
| canals are such in fact and not only in
| name. The whole system was formed pre-
| sumably by geological agencies and has
| been slowly elaborated in the course of
| centuries Schiaparelli says that it is not
| necessary to suppose that the canals are
| the work of intelligent beings Notwith-
standing their almost geometrical appear
| ance, it is altogether likely that they were
| produced in the process Of the evolution
| of the planet, just on the earth we have
| the English channel and the channel of
| Mozambique. Perhaps if animals and
|
| mainly upon the water supply conveyed
| over the continental surfaces by these
| canals.
| The canals vary a good deal in their ap-
| pearance from time to time. Sometimes
| their outlines become doubtful and Hide
| fined-maybe because the water Is getting
| low or is even entirely dried up. Then, in
| place of the canals there. remains nothing,
| or in some cases mere strips of yellowish
| color, differing little from the general back
| ground. However, the most surprising phe-
| nomenon pertaining to the canals is their
| habit Of doubling at intervals. This doubling
| occurs mostly at the time of the northern
| inundation. Within few days or even a
| few hours, a given canal will be found
| transformed through all it's length into two
| lines Of uniform bands, more or less par
| allel to one another, which run straight and
| equal with the exact geometrical precision
| Of the two rails OF railroad. Sometimes
| both the lines occupy opposite sides of the
| original canal, being located upon entirely
| new ground. The distance between the two
lines in different cases varies from 80 to 800
it is evident that the doubling is not
fixed formation the surface Of Mars
| and of geographical character like the
canals What it signifies nobody knows; it
| is a f1rst-class mystery. The singular as
| pect of the canals and the geometrical pre-
| cision with which they are drawn, as If
observers to believe that they are the work
of intelligent beings. inhabitants of the
planet Schiaparelli does not combat this
IT but ne as IT IS mot at ali
essary to assume the Intervention OF In
| telligent beings in order to account for the
geometrical appearance Of the canals. The
| geometry of nature constantly appears in
the working Of her laws The perfect
| spheroids Of the heavenly bodies and the
ring Of Saturn were not constructed in a
| turning lathe, and not with compasses has
| Iris described within the clouds her beau
tiful and regular arch. And what shall be
said OF the Infinite variety of those exqui-
site and regular polyhedrons in which the
| world of crystals is so rich? In the or
ganic world, also. geometry presdes over
the distribution of the foliage on certain
plants. and orders the symmetrical, star
like figures Of the flowers of the field; in
some shells it produces conical spiral
that excels the greatest masterpieces or
Gothic architecture The geometric form
is to be regarded as the simple and neces-
sary consequence Of the principles and
laws which govern physical creation.
GHOSTS IN PLENTY.