The evening times., 1899-11-13
THREATENED BY A COMET
Astronomer Falb Says One Will
Smash the Earth Today.
4 Prediction by q Professor at the
Vienna University Who Has Gain
ed Some Fame Through Correctly
FOretellinE Disturbances-Previ
Prophecies That Proved Untrue.

VIENNA, Nov. 13.-Prof Rudolph Falb,
emma University and an astronomer whose
name is known from one end of the scien-
tific world to the other, has settled upon
today as the day that the world shall end.
Early in 1898 Prof. Falb commenced to
predict all manner Of unpleasant things for
the world and when it was found that he
had accurately predicted the weather con-
| ditions CT January and February attention
| was drawn to his warning. That the other
dire occurrences have failed to occur will
probably have tendency to give timid
persons confidence that the Vienna pro-
fessor is nothing more than another false
prophet.
I'm January and February" he said,
I'VE shall have unprecedented cold waves.
cyclones. and hurricanes at sea, with great
| loss Of shipping. especially on the Ameri-
can coast and continent.
Toward the end of March We shall have
earthquakes and destroying hailstorms.
In July and August the earth will be
subjected to a tidal wave that will destroy
the eastern coast Of America. The effect
of submarine earthquake will SO change
the form of Florida and California that
they will become islands.
"On November Is, our planet is to come
into contact with the comet that is known
to astronomers as the comet OF 1856, with
the result that our planet Will be partially
il not entirely destroyed" .,- .-.-.- .
Such was the prediction that has made
many timid persons shudder with dread
for they have remembered that Prof. Falb
had many predictions that had been full
filled For instance several days before
the great earthquake at Zante in March,
1893. he sent warnings to the press in all
parts of Europe and even went SO far as
to postpone an engagement to lecture in
that vicinity, saying that he preferred to
speak of the results OF the earthquake aft
er il had occurred rather than be subjected
to its unpleasant features.
The earthquake came as Prof. Falb pre-
dicted, and when January and February
were conspicuous for their cold and the
papers of March contained details of earth
quakes more than one person began to be-
lieve that the end Of this globe as an in
habitable planet was actually in prospect.
Up to the present time however. this has
been the limit of the professors predic-
ton There were no tidal waves in July
and August. the coast Of America is still
intact, and neither Florida nor California
has as yet become an island.
Prof. Falb is of the opinion that the me-
teoric display that is to occur tonight is
nothing more than the appearance Of the
army OF meteors that accompany Biela's
comet Instead of passing by the earth in
grand array. the comet itself will collide
with it. he says. and by mixture of the
gases of the comet and the earth, liquid
will result that will be similar to benzine
or petroleum, and it will be the province
of this LIQUID to first soak and then burn
the earth and everything upon it.
This is not the first time that this comet
has been expected to bring the earth to an
untimely end. Years ago it was predicted
that 1t was to come into collision with the
earth. and there were those who were SO
foolish as to prepare for the general de-
struction.
The history of this planet dates back to
February "a, 1926, when NJ. Biela, an as
tronomer working in Bohemia, discovered
a faint comet whose orbit or path around
the sun was calculated to take about six
and three quarter years. Early in 1928
attention was called to the fact that this
comet was soon to pass within 10000 miles
Of the earth's orbit, but that as the earth
did not meet that particular spot until one
month after the comet had passed the in
habitants of this globe need feel no ap-
prehension.
At this time there were no prophets of
evil among the learned men. Astronomers
and scientists generally were perfectly sat &.
isfied that there was no cause for alarm,
but, in spite of all this, general panic en-
sued.
OF course. 1t was shown that the astron-
omers were correct, and nothing more was