Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-16
A Scientists Dream
By Wallace p. Read.

could not dismiss it from his mind.
His fondness for scientific studies had
caused him to devote considerable atten-
ton to such exceptionable freaks of ma
ture, and the story of the Port Royal dis
aster led him to speculate upon the posi-
bilities of similar calamities in future.
One evening the matter came up while
he was conversing with friend who
took deep interest in such subjects, and
IN the course of their talk some startling
theories and suggestions were discussed.
"What would be the result if the earth
quake should tear up the isthmus of Pan
ama?" asked Mr.. Norrman's friend.
'It would be farreaching in its eff
fects," was the reply, ''and it would
doubtless make the region we live in un-
inhabitable."
You are right" said the other. q
have studied the matter for years, and |
have formed some very positive opinions
about it. The great earthquakes of the
past in the tropics may be repeated. Pos
sibly tLey will occur in new localities
and on a gigantic scale. The Panama
isthmus is only about 30 miles wide.
Now, it would be easy for big earth
through that narrow strip of land
Just So" assented Mr.. Norman.
every well,'' continued the prophet of
evil. "It is understood that the Pacific
is perhaps fully two inches lower than
the Atlantic. You know what would hap
pen
''Yes," answered the interested listen
er, ''the gulf stream would change its
course
"Change is no name for it," said the
talker, ''the gulf stream would rush with
fearful velocity through tie chasm into
the Pacific, and where would we be?"
Buried under mountains of snow and
ice," replied the other.
''No doubt about that" said the man
who was @edicting future horrors. 'The
loss of the gulf stream would suddenly
change our climate. The gulf would
freeze into a solid mass of ice. Florida
would be covered with snowclad glaciers,
and Georgia would be as bleak and cold
as Alaska. The change would kill almost
every living thing, but after some years
this frozen territory would have suita-
BILE animal and vegetable life. Polar
bears would be numerous, and perhaps
tribes of hardy people like the Eskimos
would live here. Other quarters of the
globe would send exploring expeditions
in this direction, and new Pearys and
Andrees would try TO discover traces of
our buried civilization
There was more talk on the same line,
and at late hour Mr.. Norman went to
bed with his head full of some very sem
sational theories, facts and predictions.
Naturally, he had dream, and it goes
without saying that it was holy terror.
He was ripe for it-in the very state of
mind for a nightmare.
At first the dreamer found it very
pleasant. He was on one of the islands
near the Florida peninsula, and the glo-
ries of that flowery land and the summer
sea dazzled and delighted him.
Suddenly he staggered and came near
falling. He felt dizzy aud sick. The
waves began rolling mountain high, and
the island seemed to be rocking.
What was the matter?
A telegraph operator rushed out of his
Office and shouted to a group of tourists:
"An earthquake has torn the isthmus
of Panama wide open from sea sea-"
The tourists hurried away to carry the
news to their families.
Mr.. Norman was left alone on the
beach.
He had been watching numerous ships
at distance as they moved slowly over
the waters.
All at once their speed increased. They
began to move rapidly. and in a short
time they darted by in the direction of
the isthmus so quickly that the spectator
wondered how those ON board could
breathe. The vessels seemed to fly like
arrows.
The stiff breeze, growing stronger ev-
cry moment, was getting colder.
The solitary watcher ON the beach felt
too weak to walk to a place of shelter,
and he was glad to sit down where
huge rock shielded him from the gale
He remained there some two or three
hours. The ships were no longer visible.
Great masses of white fog advanced
from every quarter and heavy snow
began falling.
The white fog began freezing, and big
masses of ice could be seen in the gulf,
ciicling around the island, while in the
distance icebergs loomed up in all their
white and awful splendor.
Unable to move, the man by the rock
felt that he was rapidly and surely
freezing to death. The ground about him
was covered with ice and snow. He was
chilled to the very marrow and shivered
like an aspen leaf.
No human being ever suffered more
than Mr.. Norman during that frightful
ordeal. Certain death apparently was
his doom, so unbearable that he was anx-
ions to die and end his misery. His ears,
Eose, feet and hands were frozen, and it
was impossible for him to crawl
Yet his mind was abnormally active
He recalled all that he had ever read and
heard about the horrors of arctic life. and
he felt the keenest curiosity about the
extent of the earthquake and its effects
upon the south Atlantic and gulf states.
Even in those moments of eXcrucating
pain his thoughts turned to Georgia,
and he laughed deliriousIy when he pic
tured to himself the astonishment of the
promenaders in their spring costumes on
Peachtree street when they lost their eli
mate at one fell swoop and found the
snowdrifts piiing up around them.
But human endurance has its limit.
A tremendous howl exploding from his
own throat awoke Mr.. Norman, and,
leai,ing from his bed, with chattering
teeth and shaking limbs, he made rush
for the CRATE and got as close as he poss-
biy could to the fire.
1t was pleasant spring night, but he
WIS nearly frozen, and it took an hour
TO re store his circulation.
THAT was the worst dream l ever
had said Mr.. Norman, "and it makes
me shver to think of it."-Atlanta Con-
stitution.