davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

TO us the most interesting branch of this
mighty problem which includes the entire
universe.
Just one century after Halley's discov-
cry Bessel published the result CT his own
Investigations on this subject, which
failed entirely TO support the theory of
solar motion, as predominating move
nent in any one direction was not de-
duced. Il was this eminent astronomer
who detected a curve in :he proper no.
tions of Sirius and Procyon and suggested
IN 1874 that these orbs were moving under
the influence of companion stars too faint
to, be seen with the instruments then in
use. Several years afterward Avian Clark
discovered the companion of Sirius, and
in last Novem ber Professor Schaeberle of
the Lick Observatory discovered the COM
panion of Procyon, which until then had
eluded the vision of thousands of OBJ
servers.
The negative results obtained by Bessel as
TO the solar apex were insufficient to over
throw the conclusions of Herschel, and the
suns motion is now a generally accepted
feet, based on the testimony of several as
tronomers who, with improved and ac-
curate instruments, subjected the motions
OF thousands of stars to the strictest scru-
tiny, ana also to elaborate mathematical
analysis. 1t often happens in astronomi-
cal work that more is seen than has been
looked for, and thus, when testing stellar
hxity, the solar translation came clearly
into view.
In considering the subject of proper mo-
ton its small amount should not be lost
sight OF. The ans ular value of the sun $
journey is bet a small portion Of 1 second
per annum. The greatest known displace-
ment, that of a star named 1880 Groom
bridge, is only seconds per annum, and
| the accumu ulated movement of centuries
could be scarcely detected without teIe-
scopic aid. In q relative sense, then, the
stellar hosts may still be called the fixed
stars.
In the ardor of such resources even
brilliant minds are sometimes aZzled by
alluring phantom ana the existence OF a
central body round which the sun and all
the distant suns of space were mars hailed
in one mighty universal procession OBJ
tanned at one time considerable credence.
To similar cause may be traced the
estimates in miles of the SUMS yearly
! progress through the infinite voids. In
this case scientific zeal gave undue We light
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

earth in its orbit has at times to be al
lowed for and deducted or added accord
ing to its direction. The known value of
this motion and the changes it yearly
causes in the shifting lines of an ap-
preaching or receding star, is the chief
means Of ascertaining the value IN miles
of the stars motion.
Aided by the elaborate equipments of
the Astro-Phy sical Institution at Pots
dam, near Berlin, Professor Vogel a lew
years ago, from observations of tfty-one
stars, concluded that the suns motion
through space was about two and two
tenths miles per second but did not think
the data used sufficient for a correct COM
putatiOn Of the suns goal. w. Il. S.
Monck, who has given much attention to
this grand subject, remarks: There is
much to mask the suns motion in the
phenomena of stellar spectra, and though
VogePs ffty-one stars may not be very
well selected for ascertaiuing the suns
goal, believe their proper motions ,wonld
afford closer approximation TO its true
position than is afforded by their spectre
scopic velocities."
Heretofore the chief obstacle to success
has been the fainIness of starlight and the
necessity OF enfeebIing it still further by
powerful dispersion, as otherwise the
minute changes would defy measurement.
ROSE O'HALLoRAN.
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

OF the armament unchanged, the telescope
alone, though capable of revealing minute
dlSpiacements In any other direction is
powerless in this case. Moreover, the re-
moteness of the fixed stars is such that if
the very nearest approached at the vate of
100 miles per second several centuries
would elapse before an apparent increase
OF light would be noticeable. Here, Cor
tuitously, the missing link arrived in the
coiored band of light obtained by spectro-
scopie appliances. From the time of New
ton to 1872 the prism was used to study
the nature of the coiored components of
light; and the branch of astronomical re-
search to which it was applied, by its
name, cosmical physics, or astrophysics.
disclaims the study of positions and move
ments. To learn the aspects and constitU-
ents of the heavenly bodies was its avowed
aim.
In the year named Doppler, a professor
OF mathematics at Prague, announced the
opinion that Just as sound assumes a
higher pitch when approaching than when
stationary or receding the wave lengths
of light are affected by swift motion in
the line OF sight. This manifests itself in
the spectrum by shifting of the lines
toward the violet end in case of approach
and toward the red end in case OF recess
sion. DR.. Huggins of England was the
first to turn this portanU discovery TO
practical use, and in 1868 he detected in
finitesimal displacements in the spectra of
several stars, including Sirius, the brilliant
orb now so cons picuous in the southwest
after sunset.
As before mentioned this star has a COM
panion of dim luster, but of considerable
mass, which, according TO the known laws
OF graVltation, interferes with its proper
motion. As a result the displacement first
noticed toward the red end in 1888 Sc un-
derwent a reversal toward the violet end
as if in temporary approach at the rate of
thirty miles per second, which is not far
from the average rate of star motion. In
1871 Zollner and Vogel detected displace-
ment of lines in the solar spectrum to-
ward the violet end when the slit of the
spectroscope was confined to the east ed ge
OF the suns disk, and toward the red end
W hen the west end was viewed. AS the
suns circumference is 100 times that of
the earth and its rotation period only
twenty-five days a point on l,s equator
moves at the rate of about one and quar-
ter miles per second, the eastern rim ap-
preaching and the western rim receding
i'll close accordance with the testimony of
the spectroscOpe.
A few years later Professor Young OF
Princeton College ascertained that the
spectrum of our Illuminated atmos phere,
which is always superposed on the spec
trum of the sun, shows its lack of connec-
ton with the solar rotatory movement by
faint lines retaining their normal position
side by side with the displaced sun lines.
This opportupe application of Doppler's 8
theory removed all uncertainty as to the
cause of the shifting lines in the spectra
OF the stars As it creates no apparent
difference in these observations whether it
be the Observers standpoint or the object
viewed that is moving, the motion of the
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

the vertebral column lying on the ground
where it had been left by the decay of the
rock. The head had evidently been ex-
posed first and was nearly all destroyed.
About four feet OF the tail was still buried
in the rock. This was removed and all the
bones preserved.
''While the bones were in the possession
of Mr.. keegan they were examined by
several geologists, and the place OF their
preservation also examined. These men
reported that the place was so near the
division between the cretaceous and the
tertiary rock that they could not deter
mine whether the animal was a late Gre
taceous or early tertiary form. They also
confessed themselves unable to reier the
animal to any species. Last winter Mr..
Keegan's son became interested in the
study of geology in Denver University, and
through him we obtained the gift OF the
fossil. There are about ninety vertebre,
parts of the jaws containing some of the
teeths and portions of the limbs. Wheu
the vertebrie are placed in position they
form a column about sixteen feet long
Many of the bones are broken and there
are good reasons for believing that q
length of several feet Is gone entirely
The tail, which was dug from the solid
rock, is very perfect.
'On receipt of the fossil l Immediately
began studying 1t. There seemed no ques-
ton OF its being mosasaurid or python
omorth. if we adopt Cope's nomenclature.
With the limited means at hand | was not
satisfied that L could refer the animal 10
its proper genus and species, and there
fore sent photographs and few OF the
bones TO the National Museum at Wash
ington, d. c. The paleontologist III
charge wrote me as follows:
1.-The two packages of bones arrived
safely, and carry quite different impress
sion from that produced by the photo
graph, and show that your impression OF
the animal was correct. If, as l infer
from the photograph, the chevrons are
anchyIosed with the verteora, the animal
should be clidastes, although the jaw is
more massive and the teeth more COM
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

these islands swan the monsters, such as
the one l am writing about.
This one, which has been presented to
the University of Denver was about
twenty or twenty-five feet Iong-rather
short for one of his family. Some of his
relatives were seventy-fve feet in length.
He was mora slender than a lizard, but
not quite as slender as the modern ser
pent He had two pairs of limbs, but hey
were very short and could be used only as
paddles for swimming. The humerus,
radius and ulna and the corresponding
bones OF the hind limbs were reduced in
length to such an extent that the fingers
and toes made up the greater part OF the
length OF the limbs. The linn bs were some
what like the hlppers of a seal, only
weaker and less useful. Nearly half the
length OF the body extended back OF the
hind legs in the form of long tail fat
tened laierally, and was used as a sculling
organ. If one will think OF our common
water-dog or mud-puppy, much elongated
and the limbs much shortened, one will
have very good miniature OF our sea
monster.
but the same fortune came to him
that overtakes his betters; he died. Ma
ture buried him in the sands of that
ancient sea and her workmen busted
them selves through long ages heaping
over his grave hundreds and thousands
of feet OF sand and clay. Then came the
hardening of the sediments into rock
the upheaval of the land ana tie drain
ing of the lakes and inland seas formed
by the raising OF the land, and the turn
ing of the bones into stone. Decades of
millenniums passed. What use to try to
estimate the years? Ten thousand or a
million-we can realize neither. Enough
TO say that time has passed sufficient to
cut away the thousands of feet of rock
and again expose the bones CT our mon
sler. The place which so long ago was
an ocean bottom is now sheep pasture a
mile above the level of The sea.
"At this point let us drop the ancient
history of our reptile aud take up his
modern history. Some time ago a Mexi-
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

Professor w. T. Lee of the Denver Uni
versity has just made public the story of
one of the most remarkable scientific
finds of the century-the discovery of the
entire vertebTse of one of those huge
reptiles known to science as clidastes,
from which the modern serpent is sup
posed to have descended.
Tne bringing 10 light of the remains of
this strange creature, which has been
buried beneath tons of rock and earth for
millions of years, has excited the widest
interest among all those interested in
Daleontology. 1t is also the first speci-
men of the sort ever found IN Colorado,
and is likely to have an important bear
ing as confirming or disprovlng the pre-
historic theories concerning this section
of the country.
Professor Lee is one of the keenest work
ers in the cause of science in the West,
and his observations are therefore of ex-
ceeding value. He has prepared a care
fully written statement OF the finding OF
the clidastes, in which the discovery is
considered from scientific standpoint.
This treatise, made public for the first
time, is as follows:
"a million years ago, more or less as
the case may be, certain. sea monster,
which mas suddenly become popular in a
small way, basked in the Colorado sun
and swan in the Colorado sea. 1t may
seem strange TO think OF sea
region where little besides
icactus and sagebrush will grow
without irrigation; for IL must be remem-
bered that the eastern half of Colorado is
in the region formerly known as the
American desert. But at the time OF
which l am writing Colorado was not a
mile above the sea, as 1t is now, and the
mountains which we are so proud of as
they hold their caps of eternal snow far
above the clouds were only in their child
hood. Our Western States formed the
floor OF vast sea dotted here and there
with islands. On these islands lived the
huge dinosaurs which the researches OF
Professors Marsh and Cope have made
familiar to US. And in the waters about
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

at the speed it is going it is not likely to
get there for something like a million
years. So we will come back to earth and
take our chances of getting there at our
leisure.
Some rough ideas of the magnitude of
the work undertaken by the Lick Observ-
atory NAV be obtained from the foregoing.
About 2000 fixed stars have been identified
and their motions and speeds calculated
in a rough way. 1t is the intention of the
observers to calculate all the movements
to a nicely and also to ascertain the move
ments and speeds of those stars which
have not yet been identified.
1t hardly seems possible that the human
mind can be capab bic OF such vast under
taking, but Miss Rose O'HaIloran ex-
plains in another article on this page how
all this is done and also gives an idea OF
what has been accomplished in the past
in this field of investigation.
As the spectrogra phic work now in prog
ress at Mount Hamilton is awakenin e
much interest some account of kindred
researches in the past by entirely different
methods will explain how much the new
astronomy" was needed to shed a supple
mentary light on the unseen lines OF stal
drift.
Though for ages the few thousand stars
visible TO the naked eye were regard ed as
immovable sky marks that knew nc
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

All the suns in the universe are shifting:
or, in astronomical terms, the "fxed''
stars are drifting. This may seem start.
ling, but in reality there is no danger
attendant upon it, for the shifting or
drifting has been going on for millions of
centuries and IN all probability will con-
tinue for million times as many more.
However, star DRIFT is a subject of the
greatest i'm portance TO astronomy and
has occupied the minds of some of the
abest workers in that field ever since it
was discovered that the fixed" stars were
not fixed, but were whirling through
space at the rate of millions of miles a
year, their incomprehensible distance
from our range of vision making them ap-
pear immovable.
The question is: How are the fixed stars
drifting, and whereP And it is question
that cannot be answered definitely for at
least five years, if then, for that is the
time set by the observers at the Lick OBJ
servatory to determine this question. The
knowledge obtained will reveal exactly
where the sun and all our planets are
heading for and let US know where the
world and the dust Of our bones will be
IN $1,000 years from now. Nothing so
stupSuuOuS mas DSen UNDERTAKEN IN as
tronomy for years.
In view of the vast Importance of the
work, which is sure to attract world wide
attention, some explanation of what is
already known of the movements of the
suns in the universe will not be untimely.
What will strike many people not as
tronomers with startling effect will be the
knowledge that our sun is not the center
Of the universe. Still more startling is
tie fact that, as far as our knowledge goes,
the universe has no center.
In order TO understand this let Us use
our IMAGINATION and lake trip through
space far out beyond the farthest know n
fixed star. 1t is true that when one gets
tuere one may find other fixed stars ex-
tending millions of millions OF miles far
ther into the limitless realms of space.
For of course, space can hardly be said to
have an ending place, but of this we have
nothing to say at present.
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

from common motions shared by the
starry host a a whole, was an established
fact in connection with many of the larger
stars. Moreover, as a direct movement OF
the sun with the earth and planets to-
ward some particular point in the heavens
would create seeming contrary motion
in the nearer stars investigation was car
ried on to detect such a displacement, and
if it existed to eliminate il from those
displacements having a distinctly stellar
origin.
To use Tobias Mayors illustration,
forest trees as we approach them seem to
widen apart, while the spaces between
those from which we retreat seem to
diminish; and an effect of this kind in
the starhelds would indicate a real mo.
tion of the solar system, would show that
the apex of movement or the suns goal
was where the stars were most widely
separating, and also show the point of re-
treat on the opposite side of the heavens
$50 degrees distant.
The fitness of this level ground smile is
only slightly impaired by The fact that
this reflex of the suns motion would not
be confined to one plane. but would take
place all round from The pex.
All stellar motion directed otherwise
would be real, while much would be a
compound of real and apparent move
ment and many stars would give no evil
dence, either from lack of motion, infinite
distance or the fact that they were directly
approaching or receding from the OBJ
server.
Herscheps announcement in 1853 that
the constellation Hercules inclosed the
solar goal was the result OF the first sys-
tematic investigation of this new secret of
the sky. Similar work on a more extern
sive scale, undertaken afterward by Arge-
lander Struve and others, brought little
important change in the general deduc-
! tions of this wonderful observer. The
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

change, and never wandered around like
the sun, moon and planets, still it is
probable that the scrutiny of later times,
even without telescope aid, would eventu-
ally have qualified this ancient idea of
total fxity. Sirius. Aldebaran, Betel-
geuse, Arcturus and other conspicuous
orbs having moved large portion of a
degree away from the positions assigned
TO them on the maps of P:olemy would at
length be accredited with slow indepsn-
dent motion of their own, and belief in
the eternal stability of the consultations
would be necessarily undermined.
The increased facilities for measurement
afforded by the telescope enabled HALEY,
astronomer royal of England, to detect a
change of place III the stars named early
IN the eighteenth century, and before its
close this Independent stellar motion.
called the proper motion TO distinguish it
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06
The Makers of Dwarf Trees.

Closely related to the Chinese farmers
is the class OF men who, with taste for
the quaint and artistic, earn living as
landscape gardeners. They delight in
producing miniature copies of nature.
Narrow walks wind in and out through
dwarfed and grotesque shrubbery. Tiny
ponds are spanned by dainty bridges.
The scene suggests playground for the
wee ones, either little children or fairies.
To produce the dwarf trees the gardeners
either conine the roots within small,
iron bound cask, or the more rapid
method is to select a vigorous branch
upon the desired tree and bind around it
a band of leaf mold. This is kept moist
until roots creep into the mold; then the
branch is severed from the tree. Soon
flowers and fruit develop, for their buds
were formed by the parent tree.-Lippin-
colts Magazine.
The longest tubular bridge is the Bri-
tannia-964 feet
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

pressed than in the only specimens we
have. The characteristic portions OF the
neural arch are also lacking. l think that
you probably have one of the most COM
plete vertebral columns of this group of
marine reptiles in existence. The tail is
particularly fine, and gives me a much
better i'm preston OF the depth and COM
preston of this part OF the body
with the help of what literature have
been a bic to obtain on mosasauri Is. l have
studied the FOSSIL The jaw seems too mas
sive and the teeth too slender and pointed
for cidastes-thou5h the fact that 1t was
found in late cretaceous rock suggests this
genus, for the reptiles of the genus clidas-
Jes lived, so far as 1 know only in the lat
ter part of the cretaceous period. Whether
the genus is clidastes or no., am forced
to the opinion that l have gotten hold of
an entirely new species OF reptile.
''It may be of interest to some if l add
a word about the habits ana relations o
our reptiles. The mosasauriIs lived dur.
ing the cretaceous period and perished in
the revolution which close the age of
reptiles. The first one we know anything
about was found in Belgium and described
by Cuvier. They are rare ;orms in Eu-
rope, DuG IN AneTlCd dDOuI MY Species
have been described. They passed out Of
existence as our modern tyre OF serpeuts
came in. They were undoubtedly the an
cestors of the snakes in an evolutionary
sense. The manner in which the serpent
takes its food is familiar to ell. The
structure of a mosasaurid's Jaw shows
that it swallowed its food whole. just as
the snake does. In almost every particu-
lar of form the mosIsaurid shows its re-
Iation to the modern serpent, and there
is no reasonable doubt of its beng tue
progenitor of the serpents.
wv. T. LEE,
professor ofGeology, Denver University
Daniel Lambert, The famous fat man and
the most noted example OF obesity re-
corded in med ical annals, was born in
ITO, and died at the age of 40, of excessive
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

point in r. A. 267 degrees, declination 80
degrees north. is now regarded as the
probable apex of the suns way. From a
standpoint in distant space the central
luminary of the solar system ranks onlv
as fixed star, but its onward journey is
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06
REMAINS OF AN EXTINCT REPTILE NOW AGTTAT

herdsman
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

thought the bones might be of scientific
interest He drove to the place and found
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

Daniel Lambert, the famous fat man and
the most noted example of obesity re-
corded in med ical annals, was born in
ITO, and died at the age of 40, of excessive
fat. His weight was 739 pounds.
The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

The longest tubular bridge is the Bri-
tannia-964 feet
The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-05-07
MOSS POINT DEPARTMENT.

The Little Workers OF the Pres
byterian church will give an enter
tainment Tuesday night Of next week,
May l1th, at Hills Hall, The follow
ing is the program for the evening:
Inst. Duet. Jingle Bells"-Alberta
Blumer and Rnsalia Licnhard.
Inst. Solo, Nellie Il. Waltzes"-
Louise Fisher.
Vocal Solo, Apple Blossoms Ro-
salia Lienhard. q
Inst. Duet, Pleasant March'--Mary
Ellen TIerrIn and Matte COwan.
Recitation, Our Hired Girl"-Ro-
salia Lienhard.
Vocal Solo, Glow | Love the Ba-
bies"-Allerta Blumer,
Martha WaShingtOn's Tea Party
Five little girls.
Inst. Trio, "Valsc"-Mary Ellen
Herrin, Rosalia Lienhard and Alberta
Blumer.
Recitation-Mrs. Geo. ". O'Neill.
Five WiShes-Six girls.
Inst. Solo-Mtss Belle Denny.
Vocal Duet, Mothers Snngs"-Al-
berta Blumer and Louise Fisher,
Good Night Drill-Eight little girls.
Tableaux-Three Little Maids from
School; Ceres and the Seasons; Dance
Of the Woodland Nymphs; Nature and
Art; The Spell; Cupid Resting.
Art Gallery.