Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-22
yTRANGESEA ON MARS
WORLDS ASTRONOMERS DEErLY
INTERESTED IN A NEW MYSTERY.
CONTINUAL CHANGES TRANSFERRING.
lntonindi, the Famous Disciple OF
GaIiiIeo. and other Sayants Declare
Mars Inhabitants Are Changing
The Apuenrancc of Planets Surface.
(Correebondcnce OF the Dispatch)

(COrrcefOnGClCe OF the l1AaReNN..J
LONDON. August l0.-Hcre is signed
statAent from T. ". Antoniadi, the as
Economical expert and weil-known au-
shortly on Mars. regarding the astounding
changes witnessed in the famous Hour
glass Sea. He says that the theory that
the inhabitants Of Mars are responsible
Tor these changes is the least impTopaDie
and most plausible clue to the mystery
True TO his scientific training Antohlaol
,efrains from specializing as much as we
could wish on this highly interesting SUD-
let. preferring to conhne himself 10
what is definitely known to astronomers.
Here is his statement:
"The most interesting characteristic
and by far the most easily recognizable
feature Of the planet Mars Is the great
lark. triangular spot Of its northern
hemisphere, known as the Hourglass
Sea
mo name could have been moro appro-
pirate TO this marking, not only for the
tlose resemblance the spot bears 10 an
nourglass, but also from the fact that II
was the Hourglass Sea Itself which acted
as hourglass in the determination OF inc
rotation Of Mars on its axis.
"The name has, however. dropped Out
pf use. having been superseded by the
names given by successive areographers.
Thus Proctor, in his map of 1861, calls IL
the Kaiser Sea- (a name adopted by
Green i'm 1870; others named it the
Northern Sea- or Dawes Bay while
Schiaparelli who has furnished the
markings of the planet with brand-new
set of names of his own, calls IT inc
'Syrtis Major although there is not the
slightest trace Of likeness in the outlines
Of the Hourglass Sea on Mars and the
Major Syrtis on our own earth.
"In general outline the Hourglass Sea
IS not unlike India. whose Indus and Hi
malayas would correspond TO the ponies
or whitish bridges TO which Mr.. Loweh
called attention in 1891. The total length
of the eastern shore IS some thirty de-
grees. To the east the shore follows very
nearly the 2S2d meridian. then curves
eastward into the lesser Syrtis. The semi
circular land formed by this curve is call
ed Lydia by Schiaparell, and is, rs we
shall presently see, the theatre of vast
and almost continual changes.
"These displacements of seas and
lakes Tor, forests and 'oases), absurd
and imaginary as they might SEEM to
the ordinary reader are simply familiar
occurrences to the areographer. Evil
IDENTIFY the surface of Mars has some
fixed geographical markings. but the
Stability of the lesser details and OF the
psissenations Of the canal system Is
80 frr..l that at times the changes assume
q fantastic, grotesque, and almost ridi-
culous character.
81 will not attempt TO explain these ex-
tfaordinary phenomena, which are be-
sides quite inexplicable by any analogies
drawn from our own earth. II would
be leaving the solid ground Of science for
tho inextricable maze OF conjecture
Vegetation offers no very satisfactory
explanation OF such appearances, water
foundations, etc), a positively unsat-
isfactory one. tho occasional formation
OF cloud over certain regions an un-
tenable one Perhaps the least impro-
bable-not to say the most plausible
clue 10 the mystery still attaches TO the
overboid and almost absurd assumption,
that what we are witnessing on Mars
IS the worl0 Of rational beings, i'm
measurably superior TO man, and capable
OF dealing with thousands and thousands
of square miles OF gray and yellow ma
terial with more ease than we can Gull
tivate or destroy vegetation in a gar
den one acre in extent.
lowing TO its remarkable dimensions.
the Syrtis Major was the first marking
ever detected by man on Mars. The
honor OF this discovery belongs to Chris
.ian Huyghons, the. distinguished dis
coverer OF Saturn's ring. and ingenious
deviser OF tho first pendulum clock.
"For 10 years following Huyghens's
discovery, typography made almost no
progress whatever; but in the years III,
1779 and 1881, Sir William Herschel made
a fine series OF drawings OF Mars, which,
in reality, constitute a very marked ad-
vance OF our knowledge OF the planets
surface. The Hourglass Sea was drawn
with it's true outline, while Herschels
views show at the same time that great
inlet which was later named after
Nasmyth and now is more commonly
known as the Nilosyrtis. A careful ex-
animation Of Herschers drawings excites
he suspicion that a notable change
may have taken place at the western
chores of the Syrtis. towards the south
srn extremity of SchiaparellPs Aerla,
Ehere Banks Cape. or Hammonis Cornu.
mas probably considerably more cOnspi-
euous in 1851 than II at present is.
schroeter's drawings, however made
twenty years later, give but little sup
port to this view.
Tho observations of Beer and Maed-
er QS}0-lSiO do not increase our knowl-
,dge OF this part OF the planet.
I'm 1856 Warren de la Rue made some
Fery Interesting drawings OF Mars, one
VI which, dated April 90 1856. is par
ncularly remarkable Here We have q
yery fine view of the HOurglass Sea,
with its northern inlet. the Nilosyrtis,
forming. where it curves westward. a
round. dark spot. TO which Schiaparelh
gave the name OF Coloe Palus in 1879
The white region Is not the south polar
snowcap, but, rather. the Island Of Hell
las Q.ockyer Land. belonging to that
peculiar class of lands on Mars which
appear OF DUH ruddy hue wnen near
the centre OF the disc, but which in
crease in brightness in the vicinity OF
tho limb, appearing occasionally in this
position as bright as the polar snow
caps themselves.
I'm 1858 Secchi undertook series OF
observations OF Mars which led 10 the
discovery OF considerable number of
what arc now so familiar TO us as
canals We choose from Seechfs COL
lection his drawing of June 10. 1853 in
which our sea Is likened 10 a scorpion
a certainly not unhappy comparison.
THE year 1882 will remain forever me-
morable IN the history OF typography
by the excellent observations OF Mr.
l.ockyer, who gave US the first really
truthful representation OF the planet
Mars was then at one OF It's pcrihelic
sppositions, consequently, almost at its
S'inifnum distance from the earth. but