Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-07-07
THE PLANET MARS.
latest Scientific Conclusions Rela-
tive to the Changes on our
Celestial Neighbour.

During recent years the planet Mars
las been assduous!y studied at the OBJ
,cryatory of Juvisy, near Paris, by NJ
Ant;onadi and others. There, as else
where, the canals" on the planet have
been seen, usually as long, narrow
lines lying in the ares Of great circles
Of the surface. There is no doubt of
the objective existence of such mark
ings, as they have been mapped by
many observers before and since Schiap-
are,H undertook their serious study in
1877. Such markings are probably
long cracks or creyasses in the outer
layers of the planets surface. The
experiments of NJ. Daubree have shown
that the expansion of an interior nu-
,ieus win produce a seresof long cracks
ying in the ares Of great circles. n
contracting nucleus produces ruga-
tions like mountain chains. Many OBJ
servers since Schiaparelli have noted
the doubling" of the Martian canals.
Sometimes single marking Of the sort
will be suddenly replaced by two
narrow markings lying in the same re-
gion and in the same direction. If,
SAYS NJ. AntOnadi, the Seine should sud
denly disappear, and if two new rivers
lshou,d be created, one running from
| Nantes to Marseillvs, the other from
Dunkirk to Strasburg, we should have
a precise terrest trial analogue TO the ap-
pearance of double canals on Mars. Re
cent popular writers have exhausted in
genu;ty in deyising explanations of
this phenomenon, which should agree
with their idee iXe that the canals"
are, without doubt, the work of human
hands. 1t is hardly necessary TO say
that no explanation of this sort has
BEEN given that satisfies astronomers.
NJ. Antionadi has made careful
study of the optical illusions that at
tend prolonged and strained vision OF
delicate markings Of this kind, and he
has come unreseryediy to the cOnclu-
sion that the doubling of the canals on
Mars arises from defective focusing of
some kind, either Of the telescope or of
the observers eye Through datigue).
y One of his experiments may be tried
by anyone who will take the trouble to
. rule a fine line on a visiting card and to
look at it, from a distance, with an
. opera glass. A very Slight disturbanc!
of the focal adjustment, or slight
! fatigue of the eye, will produce double
: image of the single line. 1t is always
= possible to produce double images of q
g single line in one of these ways. NJ,
Antonadi's experiments seem TO show
that the double canals on Mars are al
=. ways the results of one of these two
causes. His conclusions are noteworthy
= in themselves as a return to nationality
=. in the explanation of physical appear
u, ance on Mars; and it is interesting tc
! remember that he is an assistant to NJ
- F.ammarion, who is the high priest (ir
p. Fmgce) of the doctrine of human life
- on Mars. NJ. Antionadi accepts, tacitly
n the view of the circumstances prevail.
n ing on Mars that has been consistently
,r held by the astronomers of Princeton
Mount Hamilton, etc.-namely, that l
| is a planet analogous to our moon, will
| little or no atmosphere, no water, ~
| clouds, with very low temperature, nj
| human life, and no canals" for com
| merce constructed by Intelligent be
ings like ourselves. IN. \. Post.