San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-03-05
A TEN CENT WORLD.
HOW A JEaSEYMAN EXPLAINED HIS
IDEAS OF THIS GLOBE.

Dime and Then as 1t Cooled Showed
How the Earth, Which Was Once a
Molten Mass, Got Its Mountains and Seas.
IF any one doubts that the earth was
once a molten mass and that its noun
tain chains, its great tablelands and the
recesses for the seas were the results of
the cooling and settling of the surface
and then its shriveling TO fit the ever
shrinking center, let him see a world
made, said the observant Jerseyman.
THAT sounds simple" said one Of
his hearers, but haven't noticed that
there Were any worlds being made just
now upon which progress was any faster
than right here, and can't say that l
have observed much change in this old
globe since l began to watch it."
Il have made many globes, declared
the Jerseyman, mot merely insensate
things to represent what we know of the
natural and political divisions of the
earth, but miniature worlds of the days
of chaos, with every particle in them
aglow with heat and all in motion.
And then have watched them become
cold, immobile and dead, with black
ened, roughened surfaces, and it requir-
ed no great stretch of imagination to
feel that within the few moments which
the whole operation required one had
bridged over millions of years in the
history of a planet and seen it pass
through every stage of its existence,
from that Of light giving body to that
of our own dead and desolate moon.
Come with me, )" he continued, land
will show you the history of our world
since it first took form.
With that he led his little audience to
a workbench and drew forth a chunk
of charcoal covered on all but one side
with plaster of paris, blowpipe and a
jewelers. soldering lamp.
Il will make the globe of dime, "
he said. And he placed a silver 10 cent
piece on the charcoal Then he lit the
lamp, and with the blowpipe directed
the flame upon the dime Soon the char
coal began to glow and burn away about
the dime in a broad hollow, and then
the dime turned first black and then
red, and as it approached a white heat
it drew itself together until presently il
was a globule of molten silver.
If you have never seen such ball of
glowing, melted silver, you have missed
one of the prettiest of sights. On the
outside there forms very thin skin OF
black oxide, which serves, like a wom
ans veil, to heighten the charms be-
- h., OF all
heat to the globe, the silver became as
liquid as water, and the gases emitted
by the heated charcoal made it roll
about in the hollow as mobile as quick
silver, while within the globe the metal
could be seen agitated by intense cur
rents. These currents changed their di-
rection as the point of flame from the
blowpipe was moved from point ="
point, and every moment the surface
agitation was so great that the rest OF
the oxide would break and disclose the
dazzling metal beneath.
All know the beauty of quicksilver,
and many have seen the glow of melted
lead or tin or the red glare of iron as ii
was poured in the foundry or furnace,
but none of these compares with the
beauty of molten silver. Melted gold
has beauty of its own, but not like
that of silver The light which comes
from the melted silver seems as brilliant
as that from an arc electric light, but
not dazzling; it is white, with a tinge
of heavenly violet, and the swirling
metal seems translucent like pearl of
the finest water.
"Now we will let it COOL, " said the
Jerseyman, removing the blowpipe from
his lips and letting his inflated cheeks
resume their natural condition. The
charcoal was placed on the bench. Soon
the agitation of the surface of the tiny
globe of silver ceased, and the quiescence
of the dull outer coating showed that a
skin of metal had cooled and set in
place.
Now watch the mountains and val
leys form and see the mighty earth
quakes shake the crust" exclaimed the
Jerseyman, and as he spoke the crust,
which had been smooth and even, began
to wrinkle Sometimes the wrinkles
would form long continuous lines across
half the globe. Then in spots the whole
surface would quicker up and again all
of these would straighten out only to
form new series of Fuckers and wrinkles
in other places. 1t was all over in half
a minute, and the globe was set enough
to drop into glass of water to cool.
Now look at it, said the Jersey
man, handing the globe to his visitors
and with it a strong magnifying glass
There is SKINNER of water on it,
caught in the interstices of the rough.
ened surface. That is three or four
times as much water in proportion as
our earth has on it, so you have before