The times., 1898-10-09
THE CANALS OF MARS
An Astronomer Who Has Some
New Theories.
THEY ARE NOT CANALS
MIR. Burnham, q Famous Star Gazer,
Does Not Agree With the Italian
Observer and Others About the
Nature of the Lines ON the Planet
of War.

taken up by the Chicago Chronicle, Whlch
says: "Whflei Sherburne Wesley Burn
ham, who Is only one of Chicago's as
tronomers but perhaps the most distin-
guished of them all. processes to have no
very definiteS and unalterable opinion as
to whether the planet Mars has artificiai
canals or not that can be seen from this
earth, he yet does not hesitate to say that
Schiaparelli who first thought he saw
them. was unfortunate In the name he
gave them. A canal on our earth Is
thing made by human hands, and when
canals are declared to be on Mars the
idea is perforce carried that they, too.
were constructed by beings that must
have some resemblance to man. This was
not Sehiapparelifs idea, or If it ever once
occurred to, his mind he never insisted on
it. He did see On Mars lines that sug-
gested canals, and hence he named them
canals. but how they came to be there
what their use is, and all that, he did
not say nor pretend to know. Mr.. Burn
ham, while deferring somewhat to the
opinion of other astronomers who have
given more attention to the subject than
he has yet been able to give it, inclines to
not been applied to SchiapareIlfs discov-
cry observers that followed him would
have been a long time in coming to the
conclusion that, artificial canals are on
Mars that can be seen from this earth
Mr.. Burnham admits that great inter-
est attaches to the subject, even in the
minds of skeptical astronomers. and far
greater interest has 1t for unscentifc
people. There is so strong a probability
that some of the other planets are inhab-
tied by intelligent and working beings,
and taking is the notion that man
kind has a race cousin dwelling on Mars,
that whenever the possibility of this is
| suggested men and women OF all degrees
| of enlightenment eagerly hope that it all
| may be true. In the United States. lat
| terly. rather more Of popular interest Is
taken in the subject than in Europe by
4 reason of the recent studies and delight
] ful writings of Mr.. Lower. He seems
| TO require no further or better evidence
| than he has already discovered that the
/ Martfan canals are artificial From his
/ tower OF telescope observation at Flag
staff, AriZ.. he may yet discover further
evidence which viii be sufficient to con-
vince everybody.
| But there are other American writers
than Mr.. Lowell on the subject, and the
| very latest Is author of Astronomy In
| the Useful Stories Series. published by
| D. Appleton & Co. This author accounts
| in a simple manner for the canals on
| Mars. In his opinion they were made in
| course of long ages by water from the
| melting snow and ice round the poles
| distributing itself over the continents
| That is his guess. But in Germany Is
| another new guesser-Ieo Brenner-who
| is out with most interesting theory,
| which, If true. accounts in quite human
| way for the canals
! Leo Brenner feels certain that Mars IS
| inhabited by beings in some respects re-
sembiing ourselves. He recognizes this
| resemblance in what he calls the stupen-
dous irrigation system on Mars. The
| amount of work expended on irriga ton
| shows. in his view. that the inhabitants
are very dissimilar to ourselves. since hu-
| man beings would be incapable of per-
forming such labor-or If not potentially
incapable. conditions are such on this
earth that il would never need to be
performed, only in very limited sections.
He believes that the people on Mars live
! in perpetual fear of a water famine, and
that the network of canals wards off the
danger. OF course, then, he believes that
the canals are artificial. and in his publi-
cation lately made on the subject he at
! tempts to explain away some difficulties
THAT have been considered by many as
insurmountable. He finds a reason why
the supposed inhabitants of Mars should
have dug canals of such extraordinary
breadth. and why no mountain chains
hindered the straight-lined direction OF
J almost all the canals. Mars he says
must be many hundreds of millions year
Older than the earth. and ii is also con-
| siderably smaller, so that its surface must
have become leveled UP in the course OF
ages, the debris from the mountains grad
: ually filling up the valleys until the sur
face has become fat plain a state ot
things to which our earth will ultimately
attain This process of wearing dowr
, mountains and filling up valleys may be
seen active anywhere between Western
Nebraska and the Pacific Ocean0 Their
. he assumes that the continents upon Mar:
resemble the fat country of Holland, and
asserts that the inhabitants have to pro
tect their shores by dams similar to those
built by the Dutch.
'sThey have therefore, built dams alone
their coast, while at the same time they
have tried TO lead the sea water into tht
interior OF the continents by means o.
waterways and canals. Fortunately
e for the Inhabitants, after the dams arr
0 built the canals do not have to be dug
? but let in the water, and it will flow
between the dams up and down th'
continent. And he explains the changed
: appearance from time to time of the ne
work of canals by saying that when on,
of the larger canals has given UP mucl
water to the lesser ones 1t feeds 1t mus
become shalIewer and consequently faint
er in appearance. and as soon as it get
: more water from the sea il becomes
darker and visible again.
Leo Brenner Is man of science an,
man of good standing among the as
! | tronomers, and hence his theory respect
ing the Martian canals is attracting
! good deal of attention. 1t is but the
, ory. of course, for nothing is absolutef
known concerning the supposed inhabit
> ants and canals upon Mars, and it /
next to certain that nothing ever will b
a known. Some are looking forward to
time when larger OF more powerful tele
scopes will be made and pointed at tn
heavens. At such a time many ar
a thinking, we shall be able to see in,
portant things on the planets that ar
= | now invisible. But this is not at a
certain to come to pass. Mr.. Burnhar
, is of the opinion that the practical limi
70 the power of telescopes has been at
tanned. Not that the larger telescopes
with higher magnifying power may no
he constructed but hat our atmospher
| presents difficulties that are increase
r | proportionately to the increase OF magn1
S flea tion.
Mr.. Burnham is not 1t should be said
h specially interested In Mars. and 1t nigh
: be better TO consult Mr.. Lowell or som
other man that is devoted to the subject
Chtcagos most noted astronomer is
r famous hunter of double stars, and h
!; has catalogued more of these, by 1Ot
4 than any other man. He is hunting still
?. for he makes a trip every other week