The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-03-20
Y


rnentous interview which was 10 deter
mine our fate and that OF Mars began
Alma had been warned Of what was COM
ing We i'm the flagship had AN ie'Ine1 10
speak her language with or less eise, oul
Il was deemed best that the ieideioers
professor, assisted by one or ms CO..
leagues, should act as interpreter
The girl. flushed with the excitement OF
the novel situation. fully appIell'.''"'
the importance Of what was apout 10 o'
cur and looking more charming 'Hi"
fore stood az one side OF the piiA1i pay
apartment. Directly facing hat "..' ..
interpreters. and the rest or u.s. o." WI"
ears alert, and eyes focused upon anna
e,oo5 I'm "a double row behind them
AS heretofore. I am setting down neg
words translated into our own tongue
having taken only as mucn HD'' I
10 connect tho sentences into a e.i..-'i
toouonce than they had Wheh l-'''.7
from her lips in reply Go me qula''o"'
that were showercd upon her'
"You will never lc victorious ah'
eoid "if Won attack them openly ls you
have been doing They are Zoo s-Io"7
and too numerous. They are "."
uarcd for such attacks because Ll'5
have had 20 resist them peIoie', in
enemies from Ceres have ataeA-u 'i1'H
here" -t4
But there must he some lolN' a''4
Mr. Edison. where ve can.
eyes. YES" interrupted the girl QUICK.
~ "there is one blow you can u.aI
them which they cannot Withstand
"Ivhat Is that?" eagerly inquired tho
commander.
"How? with the canals.
eve. I Will explain t0 you ] nave
already told you. and. in fact you liu7-
We seen it for yourselves in.- 'I-'
are almost no mountains on MARS. ~
very learned man OF my race ua ~ I'D
saw that the reason was because Ai-t'
Id so very Old ~ world tha- the moth-
tains IL once had have been almost
completely levcled. and the enlie SUR
face of the planet has become a. great
nlain. There are depreHsions however
most of which are occupied 10y the seas.
THE greater part of the land los below
tho level Of tho oceans. ln otoef nc ,"-
came time 10 irrieate tho soil and make
IL fruitful and tO protect themseiFtr
from overhows by the oceans pfeaNh5
I'm upon them. the Mariiani nave cone
s,ructed the immense and nnume l'D.e
canals which you SEQ running j" "' u'-
rectcns over the continents.
"Th.ra is one period of the year ana
that period has now arrived. when there
Is gpccial danger OF great deluxe.
Most Of the oceans Of Mars Die in the
Southern hemisphere. When it IS sumo
MR. I'm that hemisphere. the great MASSES
of ice and snow collected around the
south pole melt rapidly away
yves that is So" broke in one Of our
astronomers who was listening atl-h-
lively. Many a time have ] seen lhe
~reat snow fields around the southern
mole Of Mars completely disappear as
The summer sun rose high upon them.
"Wuh the melting of these SHOWS
continued Alma, "a rapid rise in lhe ie.rI
Of the water In the southern oceans
occurs ON the side facing these oceans
the continents of Mars are .ui'''..i.''s
elevated 90 prevent an oNefhoW DA-
nearer the equator the level Of the land
sinks lower
"yith your telescopes YOU have no
doubt noticed that there is n great peni-
ing sea connecting the oceans OF inc
south with those Of the north. ana rum
ming through the midst Of Che cohu-
uCuts.'
"ouite So" said the astronomer who
had spoken before. I'VE call Dc me 9yi-
us Major"
THAT long. narrow sea' Alma went
on. forms a great channel lhIo'sn
which the flood of waters caused uJ
the melting Of the southern polar SHOWS
flows swiftly toward the equator eAo
then. ON towards the north until
reaches the sea basins which exist there
At that noint IL is rapidly turned mo
Ice and snow. because. OF course. Wh.ie
II is summer i'm the southern heIlia-
pbere il Is winter in tho northern.
.1he syrtis Major ~ ann giving our
name 10 the channel az comm rnicouon
I'm Mace OF that by which the girl called
IT'D is like q great safety valve. Wmeh.
by permitting the waters 90 ITO" noilA-
ward. saves tho continents rom mum
dalton.
"Rut when midsummer arrives inc
SHOWS around the pole having hetH '''"-
pleteIv melted away, the HOOD ceases
and the water begins 90 receo-. ~ .-'-
time. but for a device which tAr HAI-
tans have employed, the canals eohhe..-
cd with the oceans would run nly, aNu
the vegetation, LETT without MOI. -n'
under the summer sun, would qulcAy
perish ,,.
"To prevent this they have built
series Of enormous gates extending com-
pistely across the Syrus MAJOR al US
uarrowest point latitude Z" degree.
SOUTH. These gates are all c"ntrou'u Ds
machinery collected no a single point on
the shore Of the strait. As soon as me
eood in The Svrtis Major begins 10 re-
cede tho yates are closed. and. the wac
ter being thus retained. the irriraiinf
canals arc kept fun long enough 10 ma
ture the harvests."
"Ths clue! The clue az last exci'im-
cd Mr. Edison. THAT Is the pace "ntle
we shall nip them. II We can close lH"7e
Gates now AZ the moment of high tide we
shall food the country Did you say
be continued. turning TO ANA. that ,nr
movement OF the gates was all controllen
from a single point
yes" said the girl. There IS a great
building power house, fuh or treile"uou7
machinerv. which / once entered when
my father was taken there hy his mas
ter. and where I saw one Marian by
turning a little handle. cause me great
line Of gates stretching o hundred miles
across the sea. TO slowly shut IN. edge 20
edge until the flow Of water toward the
north had been stopped.
How is this building protected!
80 completely" replied Alma. that my
only fear Is you may not be able 10
reach IT, On account Of the danger from
their enemies in Ceres. the Martians have
fortified it strongly on all sides. and have
even surrounded 1t and covered II over
head with a great electric network. 20
touch which would be instant death"
All" said Mr. Edison, they have got
an electric shield have they? Wen, l
think we shall DO able TO manage thar.
Anyhow" he continued. we nave got
to set into that power house, ana we
have got to close those gates, and we