El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-11-05
BIG YERkES TELESCOPE.
1t Proves That There is no Life on the
Moon.

Neither water, nor air, nor vegeta-
tion, nor evidence of lite in any form
can be seen on the moon through the
most powerful telescope ever construct
ed says the Chicago Times-Herald.
The great Yerkes telescope has already
entered upon its career OF scientific
usefulness bg adding further proof 10
the well-esta blIsneo fact that the moon
is q dead world. 1t has been trained
upon the lunar sphere by two of the
best known astronomers of this coun-
try, who are Connected with the erkeS
obsr rvatory, at a time when by pecu-
liar Coincidence the scientists OF Paris
were greatly agitaied over the dis
covery of wnat they believed to be in
uicatiOns of river $ and plants upon the
moon.
IL was the good fortune of F. L. O..
Wadswortb, one of the obs ervatOry
staff, TO get the first glimpse OF the
moon through the Herkes telescope.
h. h. Barnard was the next member OF
the staff to gaze at the tar-away p-anet,
and the conclusions OF these two learn
ed gentlemen are identical in that they
agree that neither discovered any thlng
| Oh importance to the scientific world
The peculiar lines and spots nOtlce1
| by the Partisan astronomers on the
map of the lunar plainsphere that is
being photographed in the Meudon
Observatory were not TO be seen
through the Yerkes telescope. IL ere
was nothing additional to be noticed
but an unus ii al amouuJ of detail on the
surface OF the moon never seen before.
NO TRACES OF AIR OF LIFE.
1.-The moon is a magnificent sight
seen through the Yerkes Instrument. 5"
said Mr.. Barnard last night. "OGe
can see an enormous number of small
IL no a
craters and minute crevasses, but
there are no traces of air nor vegeta bic
life to be detected. 1t is possible that
the lines found on the phOtOgl aph
taken at the Meudon observatory
might be crevasses. L don't pretend
to say what they represent. / only
know that the observations taken
here fail to give any confirmation
of the theories OF The Partisan astronO-
mers."
The reported discoveries at the
French observatory aroused the in
Jerest of number of astronomers who
are gathered at the YerkeS Observable
ry for the purpose of attending its de-
cation this week. None of the num-
Der was ready TO give any Endorsement
of the theory that life prevailed in any
form on the moon, however, and all
agreed with the opinion expressed In
these columns yesterday morning by
). w. Burnham. If the atmospheric
conditions had been favor able last
night IL is likely that every one of the
distir guished scientists would have
awaited himself of the chance to peep
al the moon. but this pleasure had to
De fOrgOae, because of the clouds.
NO STOCK IN NEW THEORY.
'There are just as good photograp
taken through small instruments as
with large ones" said George E. Hale,
director of the Yerkes observa-
tory. "Prof. Leowy, director of
doubtedly made the best photo
graphs ever made Will not show as
much as can be seen through II inch
telescope. The lines noticed in the
photographs of the Meudon Observa-
tory have always been noticed, and no
astronomer has yet venture d to assert
that they represent active rivers. L
entirely agree with the views of Mr.. |
Burnham on the subject"
Carl Runge, director of spectroscOpy
at the observatory in Hanover, Ger
many, is another one of the distinguish b. |
ed visitors at the Yerkes observatory |
who holds contrary views t. those |
reported as coming from Paris. He
considered it very improbable that a
of I'll moon would be made |
that would show objects thousand |
feet long or high With Prof. Hale,
ne believed il possible that the spots
on the MeudOn photograph, which
" ere not considered shadows, were to
be accounted for as variations in the
color of the moons crust.