The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-08
Hopes TO Figure Out
The Rge Of the Earth
From the Chicago Times.Herald.


nLlvER G. HARRINGTON, curator Of Field
I'LL Columbian Museum and professor OF miner.
" slogy at the University Of Chicago, has
just returned from an exploration of tho
famous caves OF Indiana, where he obtained spec.
| mems Of carboniferous formation, by means OF
which he hopes to establish q fairly accurate
| estimate Of the cartli's age
Scientists have used many methods IN the
| attempt to solve this problem, with results
| varying from 100000 to 90,000,O0O years. The
chance Of large inaccuracies has been admitted
by all who have wrestled with the question, out
| Professor harrington, while not making any
claims 4Ir his findings In ADVANCE believes that
| his method is the most plausible Of all yet tried
| and the most likely to give satisfactory results
1t is generally accepted belief that the car.
boniferous stratum, which is about midway In
| the twenty miles Of sedmentary deposits was
10, 1000 years In forming. Professor Earring.
toms principal purpose in making the present
| experiment is TO determine whether or not this
Is right. He will at least establish q figure
upon this point, and later, taking It as basis.
compute by means Of comparison the time re.
quircd for the entire deposit, or, in short, the
| age Of the earth.
The specimen which furnishes a key to the
computation was taken from the wyandotte
cave. A stalactte which was broken of in
1850 has in the fifty years since then enlarged
three.ffths Of an inch in length and the size
Of a goose quill. This corresponds well with
m Australian stalacttc that enlarged three.
quarters Of an inch in thirty.fve years. BY
having this ratio Of deposit Professor harrington
will apply 1t in determining how long it has
taken the "Pilar Of the Constitution to form.
Tic pillar is an accumulation Of st. Louis lime
stone, twenty-five feet high and seventy feet in
circumference. found in the Wyandotte cave.
With this accomplished the Chicago scientist be.
lieves that lie viii have fairly accurate idea
Of how many years it took the whole carbonif.
erous or limestone stratum to accumulate. A
stalactite six feet In height and one foot in
diameter, together with other interesting speci.
mems, was brought back to Chicago by Professor
harrington and will be placed on exhibition at
the museum. Lectures on the exploring trip
will be delivered at the university this fall
The work was attended with constant Difficult.
ties and mucl, dagger. The Wandottc being the
oldest and most interesting OF the Indiana caves,
more time was spent there and more thorough
Investigations made. Tie Marcngo, another Of
the large caves, the Shiloh and the COIN caves
were also visited.
It was necessary for the professor to penetrate
the Wyandotte cave for two miles and then crawl
sixty feet through passage only sixteen inches
wide As the explorer is a man Of good pro-
portions, he found it tight squeeze. To turn
was out Of the question. Through this little
pasasge he removed his specimens.
The Wyandotte cave proved Of great interest
because Of the many indications that It was
once inhabitated by Indians. Poles had been
twisted off, there were parts Of partly burned
torches, portions OF instruments partly completed,
and to Professor harrington it seemed that the
Indians had worked the "Pillar Of the Consti.
tuition" There were the prints Of moccasins
in the sand and followed out places in the
walls which evidently served as seats. The
cave has been known to whites since 1879 and
fore that. The entrance first used is yet
mystery, an opening having been made by drill.
ing. The Chicagoan believes that there are
many underground passages yet unexplored.
An experience In the Cohn cave was accom-.
panied by no little peril. The explorer was
lowered forty feet by means OF rope into cav.
ity about the size Of well. In order to get
the desired specimens some blasting was neces.
sary and, as no one could be found who would
undertake the job, Professor harrington did 1t
himself.
After being lowered he lit the fuse and re.
treated as rapidly as poor facilities would per.
nit. lie crossed a pool nine feet in depth by
means Of plank that he had taken down with
him, then crawled through hole that scarcely
admitted his body and climbed 50.foot wall be.
fore he felt reasonably secure. In this cave there
with crystals Of calcite that CLEAN like dia'
monds.
The Marengo, regarded as the finest cave in
the country, was discovered only a few years
ago. A crevice leading to it was found by
boy and girl at play. 1t has since been ex.
plored to a considerable extent and is found
to be covered with stalactites and stalagmites
The professor says that he found evidences in
the Shiloh caves which dsprove the old theory
that caves are formed by earthquakes. He says
it is brough. about by water running over and
dissolving the limestone.
In summing up an interesting account Of his
trip yesterday the scientist remarked that, while
ne had been beset by dihaculties on all sides'
he always felt repaid for all his trouble In get.
ting to any place in the underground regions
Estimates OF the time required for the forma.
tion Of the earth have been compiled from va
rious data, among which are the following: ~
Time which has elapsed since the separation Of
the earth and moon, so, 900 years; minimum
estimate by Professor G. II. Darwin. (2) Since
the consstentier stratus, 20000,0oo to 4O,0oo,oo
years, by Lord Kelvin. (3) Since the conden'
sation OF the oceans, sO0O0,000 to 00,0O00Oo
years; maximum estimate by Professor J. Jolly.
Lord Kelvin's estimate which he would make
nearer twenty than forty millions, is founded on
the assumption that since the period OF the con-
sistenter stratus the earth has cooled simply as
solid body the tunsierence OF the heat from
within outward being accomplished solely by
conduction.
Professor Jolly argues that the ocean consisted
first Of fresh water, and that its saltness is due
to the dissolved matter that Is being carried
into it constantly by the rivers. BY determir-
ing how much salt the rivers bring down each
year into the sea a calculation was then made
by this cxperimenter us to the number OF years
1t required to supply the sea with all the salt
that It now contains
Another estimate was on the assumption that
the total maximum thickness Of stratifed rock Is
255, 500 feet. II accumulated at the rate OF ole
foot in Q century more than 26,00O000 years
must have elapsed during the formation.
Professor Farrington, who has attempted
solution Of the problem upon q new basis, was
o tutor in biology aud Inineralogy at Yale Tor
two years, later served for year in similar
capacity in the Smithsonian institution, and six
years ago, when the Field museum was opened,
he became its curator. Since coming here he