The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1898-11-04
BIELA'S ECCENTRIC COMET
APPROACHING US.

Bielas comet, the most strange and
eccentric Of the celestial tramps OF
our system, is now rushing in his rev
olution Of six and two-third years, to-
wards the earth, and the time table
OF the spheres makes his advance
guard of shining mcteors due at the
grade crossing OF the carth's orbit
about the middle of November, though
the main train Of the dissipated and
extended cometic mass will not bt
due there until our globe has made
one more circuit Of its path.
Then, about November II, we may
expect to see numerous meteOrit
flashes in our upper atmosphere, but
an entire year must pass before We
will plunge into the great mass Ol
debris Of this wrecked comet. Dur.
ing all of the Coming year The remains
of the comet will be seen sweeping
through the November section Of our
orbit ut the rate Of about two and a
half million niilcs daily, and when We
come around again we will see the py.
rotechnic effect OF cQmetic matter
coming in contact with the earth's at
mOsphcrc.
AUNIQUE COMET.
Aicla'> comet IL unique. No heav-
cnly body known To astronomers has
behaved after the manner of this com
ct. 1t has been divided into two dis
tinct comets, has gradually been dis
sipated. and has been locked upnn as
visitor who threatens dire disaster
to our little globe, and who, with his
coming, brings fire and pcstilence.
1vnatius Donnelly, that great jug
gler OF facts who has genius for ar
ranging them To support strange and
startling theories, charges many of
the earth's heated spells. the presence
of epidemics and the scourgc Of great
fires To the presence OF Biela's comet.
In this manner he accounts for the
great London fire In 1864, when back.
ward calculation from The discovery
of the comet shows IL was due. He al.
so attributes the Chicago fire and the
great forest fires OF 1871, likewise the
Minnesota and Wisconsin fires Of 1894,
TO this same flleful visitor. In his
"RagnanOc" he says that cOmbustible
gases and vapors hurled against the
earth" by BIcla's comet have not only
produced atmospheric conditions fav-
orablc to confagrati0ns, but may be
responsible for the failure OF the
crops. general sickness and human de-
preston that lead to national upris-
ings.
Mr.. Dunnelly quotes Humboldt 10
"Cosmos," where he says, 1T Is pos.
siblc that the vapor Of the tails OF
comets mingled with our atmosphere
in the years 1919 and 1928" and then
for himself says, Beyond the more
solid nucleus Of a comet Is a tail 0f
stones Diminishing in size until IN
the after part they are simply dust,
while beyond this there may be a still
further prolongatiop into gaseous
matter" II Is this gaseous matter
that does the damage rather than the
solid particles.
Yet disaster from the solid portions
Of the comets GINNING In contact with
the earth has been prOphesicd more
than once, particularly previous to its
visitation In 1876.
DIVIDING OF THE COMET.
That visitation Of ls45 was the
most remarkable OF all. In the Jan.
uary following, when the comet was
In periheli0n, II was observed that u
had separated into two distinct pM-
tions Of unequal brightness. In the
two returns immediately previous It
was In nm unfayorable postum for ob.
servatIon, but In 1898, when seen BY
tho Austrian Biela, after whom y
was named, II appeared as 0pc 0ny'
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