New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-09
FINDING THE EAKTH'S AGE.
INTERESTING TEMPERATURE EXPERIMENTS At
HARVARD REGARDING THE CoNDVC-
a.
TIVTY OF ROCKS "p

HARVARD REsiARI'iNi THE CDNDCC-
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Cambridge letter to The Washington Star.
In the geological laboratory of Harvard Uni
versity an interesting series OF experiments is
being carried on to determine the age Of the
earth. The question Ia an old one. and many
guesses of more or less scientific exactness have
been made in the past endetyors to solve it.
These have been based for the most part on the
situation and formation of rock and earth de-
posts or the decay of vegetable matter. Pro-
lessor Il. o. Pierce and H. w. Wilson. who
carrying on the present tests. are working by q
process which involves the use Of mechan-
ism for testing the conductivily Of different
grades Of rock taken from different places. in
GLIDING the deepest hole that has ever been
sunk into the earth. incidentally the process
also involves interesting mining problems. name
iy. the getting Of gold from very deep levels and
other questions OF deep sha!tng. 1t will prob
ably settle the question of why certain parts
OF the Interior Ut the earth are hotter or colder
than other parts laying down rules OF scientific
accuracy.
The Investigations are being carried under
the auspices Of the Rumford fund, and the pro-
lessons who are conducting them are being sup
piled with material for the research by Professor
Alexander Agassiz Professor Agassz Is chief
owner OF the Calumet and Hecla mine. the deepest
in the world. The upper levels Of this nine have
been worked out. but as the shafts have been
driven deeper and deeper the ore continues as
plentiful as ever. Immense fortunes have been
taken out Of this great hole. and il is OF value
to scientists because the shaft. being now near
interior OF the earth such as has not been had
before. II has been agreed among scientists
generally that raging fires no longer exist In the
interior OF the earth. They believe that the CEN
tire of the earth is very hot, but that this latent
heat ia what remains Of the cooling process
which has been going on for millions OF years.
Like fallen cannon-ball. the earth is cooling off
from the surface toward the centre. but the gem
eral pressure on all sides prevents the conila-
grafton from raging within According to this
hypothesis the temperature ought to Increase
gradually q q no ia IN tod
This has proved to be the in every deep
hole which has been dug in the earth except in
the Calumet and Hecla mine
IN 4 we'll which is over five thousand feet deep
near Pitsburg. Penn, Professor Hallock, OF CO.
lumba College. found that the temperature rose
| degree for every fifty feet the thermometer
was lowered. At five thousand feet the tenn
perature found to be 1903 degrees Fahren-
heit AT 5,.,U2 the temperature was i28 degrees.
In another deep well near Wheeling. Penn. the
temperature at lJOD feet Is 10 degrees. In the
Sperenberg salt we'd near Berlin Germany. the
temperature at Ito feet is no degrees. The
Schaladabach salt well. near Leipsic. has tenn
pcrature Of l-.o degrees at J1f0 feet Yet
these temperatures surpassed. AZ far as
rapid rise IS concerned. in holes bored in geyser
reg ions. In The Sutro tunnel. which does not 90
far beneath the surface the heat is so intenss
that the men employed therein are compelled ts
work in twenty-mnute shifts
Now, all this IL directly in cortradistinctior
10 what has been found TO exist in the Calumet
and Hecia mine. At depth IF a mile the la
borers work all day in A temperature Of 10 de.
gross which condition. ii must pc added is not
brought about by any elaborate system of venti-
ation Seventy degrees is the natural tenn.
pergture At the bottom NJ the mine. Professor
Agassiz has made some elaborate experiments in
testing the general tempera ure OF the mine. Hl
caused ID be placed at regular depths a mum.
Der of thermometers. He had them walled up
IN inches in the rock and left them there months
al \ time These Thermometers self regis
trrinS. That Is. the mercury would ascend ia
me point of the highest temperature which
acted upon them during their stay in the rock,
but a crook in the mercury tube prevented th4
mercury from ever descending 1t could alwayf
rise. bur il could meyer run back. So il was COM
PEELED To stay at the point NJ greatest tcmpera-
ture. When Professor AgaSsiz unearthed his
instruments. however. he found a great uni
fOrmity in the general Temperatures Of his mine
Evidently the gradual rise in temperature did
not hoId N the Lake Superior district. in which
the mine Is located. as il did elsewhere.
The question now arose. Why was this so?"
Did IL not have a strong bearing on the manner
in which the earth cooled during geological
ages" Could not the condition be experiment
ell upon and the results he utilized in some eco
homie manner" Clearly the condition surround
ing The copper mines in Michigan was the result
OF the very low conductivity Of the surrounding
rock. Evidently this rock had not the power Of
conducting heat and cold 10 the degree mani
internal heat Of the earth does not rise up
through IL as easily. for instance, as il Goes In
the rpclI surrounding the Well upon which Pro-
frSSor HaloCk experimental near PittSburg
Penn. Just what il the difference however IL
not - easy to determine. and this really ls what
Professors Pierce and Wilson. OF Harvard. are
trying to find out When they have done so
from which some new facts may be- cleaned
and which startling theories may b6