The Sunday globe., 1901-07-28
The Theory of Captain SymmeS on
the Earth'S HOllOwneSS.
INTERIOROF THIS EARTHLY SHELL
Inhabtaled, and the OiScOVerer OF The Poles
can Steer Safely Through from End 10 End.
Many Facts Cited in SymmeS Book which 90
10 Prove His Theory Timely Article on
Polar Expeditions.

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his celebrated theory of the hollowness
of the earth Scientists have heard
and laughed over this theory, that by
boring deep enough the earth could
be holed at any point in the habitable
or uninhabitable globe. To demon
strate this theory it was widely re-
ported and believed that Captain sym
mes undertook to bore such a hole,
which becameknown as "Symmes'
Folly, OF course no such a hole was
ever drilled or attempted to be drilled
by Captain Symmes. The Captain did
publish a little book, however, which
was ridiculed, and which no doubt
formed the basis of all the misinfor-
nation published in the press for the
past half a century. The title of the
book is "Symmes Theory of Concen-
tric Spheres demonstrating that the
earth is hollow, labitable within, and
widely open about the poles This IT,
tie indicates what Symmes theory
was. and will enable some Of our read
ers who have heard the phrase,
"Symmes Hole used without under
standing it, to know how it origin
ated.
That theory so far as the earth is
concerned is briefly this The earth
is globular hollow, and open at the
poles The planes of the polar open
ings are parallel with each other, but
form an angle Of twelve degrees with
the plane Of the equator, so that the
highest point of the north plane, or
the point furthest from the equator
is directly opposite the lowest point of
the south plane, or the point nearest
the equator The shell Of the earth
is about one thousand miles thick,
and the edges of this shell at ,--e open
ings are called verges, and measure
from the regular concavity within to
the regular concayity without about
fifteen hundred miles. The verges
thus occupy nearly 2s degrees, and if
delineated on a map would show only
the outer half of the verges. while all
above or further from the equator
both north and south, would lie on
the apex and within the verge. All
the polar regions on the present map
would be out of sight, The meridian
lines extend at right angles from the
equator to the outer edges of the YER
ges, and these wind along the surface
of the verges, terminating at the
points directly under the highest part
of the verges both north and south.
The line which marks the location
OF the apex of the northern verge be-
gins at a point in Lapland about 6S
degrees north and 20 east from Lon.
don on a meridian traversing Spitz-
bergen, whence it passes southwest
across the Atlantic ocean an. to the
southern part Of Greenland, through
Hudsons Bay and over the continent
to the Pacific, near Cooks lulet, thence
across the Fox islands to a point about
56 degrees north and 60 west, nearly
south of Behring's straits. Then it
passes oover the Pacific, crossing the
south part Of KamtChatka, continuing
northwest through Siberia, entering
Europe across the Ural mountains,
about 60 degrees north, and passing
near the Arctic coast, over the mouth
of the White Sea- to the point of start
ing.
Captain Symmes was born in New
Jersey in 1880, entered the army in
1902. as an ensign, distinguished him
self in the war of 1912, rising to the
rank of captain, and left the army
when peace was declared. For three
years he was engaged in furnishing
supplies to the troops up the Missou-
ri. but from that time forward he de-
voted himself to the examination and
DEVELOPMENT of a system of cosmology
which he had deduced from mis- stud
les and which he made known to the
country by lectures before the facul-
ties and students OF various colleges
and by letters to the newspapers.
There are some persons still living
who heard his lectures, and one Of
them prepared and published in the
Atlantic Monthly OF April, 1873 was
a long article explanatory of his the
ory of concentric spheres. Captain
Svmmes spent a great deal of his
time and much labor in endeavoring to
get Congress to appropriate money for
an Arctic expedition by when ne
might test the correctness of his views
so far as the earth was concerned;
and so patriotic was he, and so sure
that such an expedition would rebound
to the honor and profit of the country
that he refused to listen to oyertures
from the Russian government which
showed a disposition to attempt an
expedition i'm accordance with his
views. Captain Symmes died in 1929,
after exciting a good deal of interest
i'm his views, but without making any
converts Jealous enough to contend
as he had for an opportunity to test
them, and they Eadually faded from
the public memory, and neither Kane
nor HAYES nor Hall seem ever to have
heard of tnem though many OF their
observations strengthen his position.
CAPTAIN Symmes lived at Newport,
XIV. across the river from Cincinnati,
and II was there that he wrote his
famous theory, "COncentric Spheres
There are numerous cavities or holes
in Ohio and Kentucky which are
shown to unsophisticated visitors as
"Symmes Hole" but it is superiiuous
to state that he never had any such
holes dug. as to penetrate a thousand
miles through the bowels of the
earth was too absurd for a man of
Captain Symmes scientific attain
ments
The Globe has not the space to re-
produce the ingenious theory Of Cap
fain Symmes, nor give the outlines
of the facts with which he supported
it, our only object being to draw at
tention TO il at this time, when its
truth or falsity is likely soon to be
conclusively shown. We have no In
tention of deterring the Arctic nayi-
gators from venturing too far north,
because. according to Captain Symmes,
lust as certainly as they will find the
earth hollow, just so certainly will
they be able to sail in and out, and
probably through, at their pleasure
If the inner country exists we
would like for an American to discoy-
er n. but under the circumstances we
are willing to yield to anybody max
inc the discovery. We wish them