Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-11
THE EARTH IN MINIATURE
Professor Reelus Win Construct Gigantic
Model
In Size 1t is to BE Two-Thirds That
Show Every Hill and River.
Special Correspondents of the Philadelphia Times.

Special Correspondence Of the Philadelphia Times.
LONDON. July 81. 1898.
The earth in miniature form, with the
height and depth Of every mountain. val
ley, river, lake and sea correct to scale
this is the gigantic scheme that the ceie-
brated French geographer, Prof. Elisee
Reclus. proposes to carry out for the bene-
fit of the Inhabitants of this terrestrial
sphere. Prof. Reclus is now in England
endeavoring to interest the Britishers in
his idea, for he wants some one to come
forward and undertake to share the eX-
pense with him. As may be imagined, the
cost of such model will be enormous.
Prof. Reclus' plan Is to construct the
| earth model on scale 100000 of nature,
or eight miles to the inch. this being the
smallest model on which it will be possible
TO show the correct depth of the rivers
and the actual height of the mountains on
the earth's surface. According to the scale
decided upon, the distance on the gigantic
model from New York to London will be
thirty feet, while Paris and London will be
separated by distance of three feet. The
enure size OF the great globe model, which
VIII certainly be one of the most novel
models ever constructed, will be about two
thirds that of the dome Of the Capitol of
Washington
The work on the globe will, of course, be
OF the most arduous kind, as precise mathe-
AtLohiSshi care I1luSI De exercised to reduce
the size or all the rivers and hills in exact
accordance with the scale 1t is calculated
tnat the task will occupy the whole time
OF corps of skilled workers at least a
year as only little can be done at
time Prof Reclus thinks that it will be
possible to plan out the model and let each
man work on a section, and afterward fit
the sections together. When this Is done
corrections can be made errors are dis
covered. 1t is not expected that even with
the greatest amount of care such a gigantic
siooe can be made in sections without
many OF the parts proving inaccurateIy
scaled necessitatiue repat;tior e ~ s
work. W '1ie
Inc question of how to show off tho
sreat giope SO that the spectator can see
se VI IL at one time is now oceupy;ng
s sae professors attention. The plan most
taVofed Is TO suspend it on an axis inst as
the giopes IN use in public schools are s,fs-
peHueu. but another proposition that has
met win IaVor Is to float the sphere in an
any direction desired. When finished i, &c
Intended that the globe shall be placad On
exhiDition in England for a time ans tben
!, Sasierred to Paris to be one of the sights
81 me exposition of 1900, where Il viii
doabtlesS. on account of its novel ana in
'eTestlng character be a prize exhibit.
Iroie'Sor Recius has had the scheme in
~ n' f niit'u ior some years, and, matter
~ iact' the Communale Council Of Paris
nas promised large sum of money toward
me construction of such a globe for tha
a.is exposition of 1900, but, unfortunately
elncuities arose and the money was moi
forthcoming. When Professor RecIus first
made ms project public an eminent English
scientist suggested that the surface of the
earth De nodded on the inside instead of
me OUTSIDE of the sphere, so that an OBJ
server suspended in the center of tho cIoLa
could easily examine any part Of il. This
iaea' however, did not meet with apnrovaI
ehcept that IL was suggested that If the
sIope was given a rotary motion visit 10
the interior might prove a permanent cure
for delirium tre-uens ~e-e
Feopie may be inclined to think that such
globe as described would be of small
fractlcal utility. But, apart from its many
ana important scientific uses, it is con,nut
en mat the thousands of the working
classes who would visit such an otiecf
would probably learn more geography in a
Few minutes contemplation of the earth's
SURFACE than in months spent over mans
Inc salvation Army, no doubt, had some
f foea te OF TINS KIND in view when they asked
iar globe. though, of course, on a nurh
smaller scale, some two or three years
BACK The scheme had to be Abandoned
however, on account of the sxnensa