Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-10
QUEER FACTS ABOUT TIE CANALS
Hardly Possible That They Are Of
Artificial Formation.
OF IMMENSE DIMENSIONS
Mary Proctor. in ST. Nich,I las.

~ was HSltNtSu as tit planet OF
count OF is rudy light, It's symbol being
the spear and shield OF the old Assyrian
warriors. But the evil qualities attributed
to the rudy hue of Mars by people bcIirv-
ing IN planetary inhu, noes have long ago
been consigned to the realms Of romance.
anu AlAls Is no longer held accountable. Tor
the wars and disasters that take place on
planet Earth.
Seen through a fine telescope, Mars pre-
SCENTS the appearance of a miniature earth
floating overhead, the ruddy MARKINGS il,-
dicaiing land, the grcenish markings OUT
inning seas and water courses, while white
caps adorn the regions corresponding 10 The
polar regions on earth The astronomer. in
the quiet and ease of his observatory, can
make study o. these regions which may
not as yet have ever been seen los tho IN
Aabl,ants Of Mars because of the dangers
which prevent access 10 them. We may
wen doubt whether Tho bTavcst Marian
ever succeeded in reaching either pole Of
he planet. Yet oar eyes have rested on
those polar regions, even on The very poles
themselves. In the same way an observer
on Mars might direct a telescope toward
those arctic regions of our earth which tho
most daring Of our explorers have ln VAIN
attempted 10 reach.
Day on Mars.
Mars turns around on its axis just as the
earth does, except that the day lasts longer
than the day on earth. With the tele-
scope, 1t is possible TO follow the hourly
changes that take place on Mars, from
sunrise TO sunset. We can see the mists Of
morning gradually clearing away, and the
gathering of clouds toward evening proba-
bly, 60 pass from the skies at night leav-
ing the stars TO shine with greater spien-
dor through a rarer atmosphere. Perhaps
one or both Of the little moons OF Mars
Qor 1t has two, named Deimos and PhobosD
may be shining in the sky Demos rises
In the east, ike other stars, but the inner
moon, PhObos, hurries around Mars three
times a day For this reason, II rises in
the west every night, and sets in the east
after about five and a half hours. Neither
OF the moons gives much light. since Pho-
bos supplies only one-siXtieth of the
amount of light given by our moon, w-ililo
Delmos gives only one-twelve- hundredIh,
But the smallncss of the Marian moons
must be taken Into consideration. since
Phobos is only seven miles in diameter and
Delmos five or six.
Clouds and Rain.
Continuing our observation Of the planet
Mars during its daytime. we See in imagina.
ton the white shore-line along which the
murmuring waves ripple. or dash in break
ers against rock and promontory. Clouds
form and rain falls on the surface of Mars,
though not on such an extensive scale as
here. Nevertheless, during the latter half
of October, 1884, an area much larger
than Europe remained densely obscurad
On another occasion Sir Norman Lockver
noticed a great mass of clouds spreading
over sea many thousand square miles in
extent. As the hours passed away, the
clouds slowly dispersed, either melting ON
account of the SUMS heat or dissolving in
rain. When Lockyer ceased observing for
the eVening-at about half-past eleVen-a
large portion Of the sea which had been
concealed gradually came into view. On
this same night, Mr.. William Rufter
Dawes, known as the eagle-eyed astrono-
mer, was also studying the planet OF war
keeping IL well under observation until the
wee Sma hours, when he made an pS-
cellent drawing Of the planet Compariug
THIS with drawing made an hour earlier
by Lockyer, it was seen that the clouds
which had concealed the sea during the
earlier part of the evening had passed en-
tirely away.
Referring these events to Marian time.
the cloudy weather on this occasion apptr-
entity occurred in the forenoon, the midday
houf bringing clear weather. which would
seem to have lasted till the afternoon was
lar advanced, Judging from the whitish
nght which Is usually seen all around the
planet 5 disk, the mornings and evenings
ON Mars are misty.
Those Famous Canals.
In 1871 Schiaparaln observed some pecu-
liar lines on the surface of the planet
Mars, and he called them canals For nine
could see them; and when, in 1851, he
further announced that the canals had
doubled, it was supposed for time that
the Milanese astronomer was the victim ~
an Illusion. However, since then the re-
suits OF his observations Of the canals OF
Mars have been abuudantly confirmed both
In Europe and America especially at tha
LACK Observatory and the Flagstaff OBJ
serVatory. The observations made. by Mir.
Lowen at the latter observatory and thos.
already made by Schiapareli tend 10 mako
US feel very much at home on planet Mars
However, II is necessary to state that Mr.
Lowers theories are not generally received
among astronomers satisfa torily estab-
lshed at present, but they are well worthy
of consideration.
The canals are not visible during the VIM
ter season on Mars; but as springtime adj
Vances they make their appearance as
rant dark lines, growing wider and wider
until they are fifty miles across, and then
by way OF variety, they double In fact
single canals have been known to double
themselves literally at a days notice, the
twin canals running along side by side
like railroad tracks; only, in this instance,
the railroad tracks are separated by a
distance of over two or three hundred
miles. Some Of the canals extend to a dis
lance varying from three hundred to up
ward of four thousand miles and appear
to be accurately straight as lines can be
upon sphere. The canals seem to meet
at a number of small spots or functions
arelH, and ''oases" by Mr. Lowell. These
small spots are scattered over the rudy
portion OF the planets surface, forming a
curious network with the canals, the spots
at the junction of the canals being as inn
portant feature as the canals them
selves.
Interesting SpecuIations.
Mr.. Lowell assumes that the region inter-
sected by the canals corresponds to the
desert region on earth, and that the canals
were apparently constructed for the pur-
pose of fertilizing this region and the cases
IN the midst Of the wilderness Therefore,
what we see is not the canal itself but
vegetation along its banks. Yet this does
not account for canal doubling Itself
within twenty-four hours; for romance as
We may about Mars, we can scarcely i'm
ag1ne vegetation developing with such
amazing rapdity. AS the canals widen,
the GASES do not increase in size but
darken, which would seem to Indicate that
they become covered with vegetation as
The season advances. Mr.. Lowell also en-
tiers into interesting speculations to the