The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-23

/ CONSERVATION in France, where the
/ peasantry congregated In large knots
and discussed the strange wave OF ter
| TOR that had submerged the district.
At that time the comets orbit passed
| very near to the earth; indeed so close
| did it pass that the price of fuel
| dropped and dealers went into voIun-
| tary liquidation on the spot. Prepara-
| ton for an awful calamity was made
| and prayer meeting and camp meeting
were held in many places. But the
comet missed the earth by 15,000000
miles by the most careful and accurate
computation.
In November, 1s45, came the comet
with a fresh sensation. At first its
characteristics were that of any other
comet, but Dec. 10 it had pear-shaped
appearance. and on Dec. 20 what was
up to that time an unprecedented thing
occurred. The comet separated into
two distinct parts, one of which was
much brighter than the other. The sep
aration was first noticed at New Ha-
ven, and later at the naval observatory
in Washington, some time before the
European astronomers discovered it.
The two parts travelled along at a
distance apart Of about $4,000 miles in
parallel paths, burr without displaying
the least evidence of gravitational eff
feet on each other. They did, however,
manifest the most extraordinary varia-
lions in brilliancy AS rule when one
was bright the other would be faint,
and vice versa, but this was not al
ways the case. For time what seemed
to be an arc of light connected the two
comets. This phenomenon was attrib-
uted, and with some reason, to cleo
trical action. Each comet developed a
nucleus and a tail. One of them van
ished in March. The other was visible
a month longer. 1t was afterward call
culated that the separation took place
in 1874, although not visible until De
cember, 1916.
OF course, all this aroused a most
lively interest among astronomers, and
the laity as well, and the next return
was looked forward to with great ca
gerness. The next appearance was in
1852, and at time not SO favorable
as in 1S45-46, but both comets were
until late in September. They We're
now much farther apart, the distance
between them having increased to
some 100000 miles. The twins again
showed strange changes in their rela
tive brightness, and otherwise present
ed the same features Of interest which
had brought them SO much attention at
the preceding return. Since that time
they have never been seen
But although dead they are not for
gotten. If comets could be believed to
have spirits the Biela twins would be
q case IN point. Iney should nave Deen
seen in 1879. both the intervening re-
turns of 1859 and 1856 being unfavor-
able. They were not found, but in their
place, on the night of the 9th of No
vember, When the earth crossed the
path of the lost comets, it dashed into
most remarkable shower of meteors.
In 1885 the earth crossed the path of
the Biela comets at time very near
to that when the latter should have
beer at the point of intersection, and
there was another brilliant shower of
meteors. This time one of them ac-
tually reached the earth in solid form,
falling at Mazapil, Mexico. 1t was
doubtless fragment Of the body which
terrified France in 1882, and which was
| gazed at so earnestly with the tele-
scopes of 1916 and 1852.
1t has happened several years since
that unusual numbers of meteors APP
pear from the constellation Andromeda
Nov. n, and the belief is that the frag-
ments of the Biela comets are string
ing themselves out over their orbit, So
that the earth meets them more fire.
quently, although at times they are
much more numerous than at others.
A big shower is expected in November,
1905, and it will be well to keep an eye
open for Andromedes this year. as this
is one of the critical times