The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-04
NOT AN OBLATE sPHEROID.
Modern Science Indicates That the
Earth Is Something Else.


Washington Letter in the Boston Trans
Crypt
IN the midst of war the pursuits Of sci
euce fortunately are not interrupted, and
the Coast and Geodetic Survey Of the
United States is contributing lis share to-
ward a very interesting study of the size
and shape OF the Garth. SO quietly do the
scientific bureaus at Washington go on
with their work as almost to be lost sight
of in the turbulence of politics and the
struggle of arms. But 1t seems that some
of the questions supposed from The text
books of the grammar school to be set
tied are stn open for discussion, and at
tracing the keenest attention of some of
the worlds greatest students.
That the form of the earth is that Of an
oblate spheroid or a sphere slightly fiat
tened at the pole, was a settled question, is
commonly believed, when in fact, the sci
entists are entertaining the hypothesis that
the earth is gradually yerging toward the
totrahedron-a solid bounded by four tri-
angles, or a triangular Dyramld-With the
apex at the south pole, and the continents
representing The bulsing out from the
spherical surface. OF course the edftn Is
not yet far out of its spherical form, If the
tetrahedral theory be proved, but certain
facts make the hypothesis an Interesting
one. The earth in its cooling, according
TO the theory is causing collapse OF It's
envelope, or crust, and Whlle the sphere Is
that Scometrlcal BODY Whlch mas ths
greatest volume Tor a given SUR ace ana
the tetrahedron the least, the shrlhKage Oh
the interior would tend to throw the super
hcial envelope, grown too large by the
shrinkage of the interior, INTO a telrahe
dral FORM In october series OF expert
meuts under the direction OF the lnlerha-
tional Geodehc ASSOCIATION VIII De uhuSI-
taken, and in TINS country the coast ana
Geodctic Survey VIII have charge OF Amer
icas share of the work. FROM Inc opser-
vations made 1t viii be possible TO derive
some fresher conclusions as to the shape
OF the earth, the movements OF the pole
and kindred subjects.
at is remarkable" said Mr. r. d. Pres
ton of the coast survey to your correspon-
dent. chow long the size and figure Of the
earth have been a subject of scientific
study. There are several ways of determ-
lining the earth's size and shape, but the
method adopted by our coast survey Is TO
measure arcs on the surface of the earth.
and from these we can find the curvature
of the earth and also its absolute dimen-
sions. About the middle of the last CEN
fury great discussion arose as to wheth-
err the spheroidal form of the earth was
oblate or probate Measurements in
France seemed to show it was probate, but
that was in opposition TO Newtons theory
of gravitation-that the centrifugal force
of the EARTH in revolving on it's axis,
would naturally produce a spheroid, fiat
tened at the poles-and the two things
could not be recOnciled. one scientlnc
party followed the French in the belief
that it was probate, and the other New
ton. that it was oblate. Two expeditions
were organized and sent forth, one 10
Peru on the equator, and the other TO
I.apland. as near the pole as possible, so
as to get the greatest effect II was seven
years before the expeditions got back, and
when they compared the measures obtain
ed at the equator with those obtained at
The pole. the question was conclusively
settled that this earth as a spheroid was
oblate rather than probate, and since that
time it has never been doubted. In fact
when these expeditions returned they were
said to have fiattened not only the earth,