The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-17
CLAIMS THE EARTH
IS NOW WABBLING
Our Plaret Becoming Erratic and Uu.
certain, 1t Is Said.
1T IS BEGINNING TO LOSE ITS SPEED
Doieful Prospect for the Human Race
A Million Years Hence Is Outlined
by Washington Astronomer.
Facts Upon Which He Bnsas 'lis
Conclusions.

Washington Letter. Pittsburg Dispatch.
Is this spinning-top called earth
its speed. and showing signs
of Stunning down." by clearly evident
wabbling? is a question that is now
being investigated at the Naval obser-
vatory. Every clear night in some one
of the big and little buildings which
give the heights beyond Rock creek the
of a Moorish city, Professor
George A. Hill, of the observatory
force, is literally immersed to his neck
in desperate endeavor to find out
why the earth does not turn evenly and
steadily on its axis as any we'll regu-
lated planet should. This ar.i other
absorbing Investigations have been
progressing for a considerable period
at this most interesting of all the ma
tional properties, but they have been
barely mentioned in the public prints.
probably for the reason that they are
supposed to deal with abstruse scien-
titic problems, but more probably for
the reason that no public report has
yet been made of the work in hand.
But the fact that the earth Is dis
covered to be wabbling to such an ex-
tent that degrees of latitude are not
brings at least this feature of ihvesti-
CATION close to the most stupid mind.
and makes 1t Interestingly II not alarm
ingly popular" There Is no necessity
FOR present alarm.
NO DANGER AT PRESENT.
Even if the tremendous speed with
which the earth revolves upon its axis.
more than thousand miles an hour. Is
Stacking. 1t will be some thousands or
hundreds of thousands Of years before
any arprcciable difference in the length
OF the day and night Is noticeable and
the present generation need not fear,
therefore, that the sphere will in their
day cease its revolutions and swing
around in the orbit with probably the
same side always towards the sun.
What the reason is for this erratic
performance Prof. Hill does not pre-
tend to explain. He will only say that
the source is believed to be intrinsic,
and not due to perturbations caused
by planetary or solar influence. 1t is
his duty to observe the perturbances
from day to day and report their char
acter at the proper time.
For many years errors Of conputa-
ton OF latitude have been observable,
but it was not until 1889 that Prof.
Rustuen, Of Berlin. discovered that
there was constant and in some sense
periodic change from established lines
of latitude. DR.. Chandler, Of Boston,
declared the cause to be the irregular
motion of the earth on its axis. The
German Astronomical society took up
the matter, and careful observation
showed this to be the fact. The work
of investigation was at once parcelled
out among observatories in various
parts of the world. the Washington in
stitution being assigned a portion.
CURIOUS RESULTS OBTAINED.
The results have been curious in the
extreme. 1t has been incontrovertibly
established that the poles OF the earth,
instead of pointing always towards the
same spot, in space, do not. In fact.
ever do so. but are constantly wab-
bling exactly like the stem of a top
which has so far lost the force with
which IT was started as to show signs
of weakening and stopping.
Imagine the North Pole to be a real
projection into space (as some people
possibly believe) in the form of gigan-
tic lead pencil. Imagine, also, a vast
sheet of paper spread stationary in
space where the point of the pencil can
touch and mark upon the paper as the
earth revolves. Instead of the point
spinning around and simply making a
dot Ike mighty period mark, 1t will
begin to trace all sorts of eccentric
curves, extending a distance uf-thirty-
one feet on each side in every direc-
tion from what may be called the nor
NAL pose or beginning.
This wabbling, therefore, constantly
makes change of latitudinal lines
ranging from an almost inappreciable
divergence Up to an extreme of about
62 feet.
1t is pretty clearly established that
there is a periodicity of these perturba-
tions. but Just what are it's time and
phenomena Is not yet known, as the
work of observation has been so brief
Prof. Hill is led to believe that during
period of fourteen months the pole
increases its vagarieS to maximum
and returns gradually to the minimum
ANSWER IN THE STARS.
1t must seem marvellous that an as
tronomer, by observing the apparent
movement of a star billions of miles
distant. can detect this small but high
ly important perturbation of the earth
but that is the method by which con-
clusions are reached. The ariations OF
the star tany star may be selected for
the work. in crossing and recrossing
a given celestial line. tells the whole
story. The necessary computations are
intricate and exhaustive but the won
derful instruments now in use very
much simplify the work.
1t is probable that within few
months the reports made to the Ger.
man Astronomical society by the var.
ious observers will enable that body tC
give to the world one of the most cur
ious disclosures that ever emanated
from the field of scientific research In
regard to terrestrial phenomena, and
possibly some conclusion may be
reached touching the cause Of the wab.
bling Of the poles. There will be nc
theoriZing. however. The real scientis,
never theories in a scientific report
yet he must theorize and speculate In
private or his road to truth and fac,
would be much longer and more mo.
notOnous than 1t is.
One theory is that the earth is losins
the force with which it was started
upon its revolutions. hut this is met by
the fact that since the first computa
tions of the time of the diurnal revolu.
ton there has been no modification OF
the days measure.
EARTH'S WEIGHT SHIFTING.
Another theory is that there is an un.
usual distribution of weight. and this
seems TO be the more plausible. But II
the weight were stationary new axi.
would be formed and the wabble would
disappear. The wabble being periodic
the weight must be shifting. but also
shifting periodically and constantly
and it may be due to the tides and t,
some law influencing them which Is ye
unknown. 1t Is possible the constant
change of latitude occasioned by thi.
wabbling may lead to q gradual chang,
Of zones and seasons on the globe
Whatever the phenomena may meai
the report of the German Astronomical
society, based upon the aggregation o
reports, of which that of Professor Hi
will be an important part, will b,