The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-11-22
ON MARS.

Mars is noted editorially by the New |
York Times as having been made by |
Sir Robert Bell, the eminent astron-
omer, in q lecture last week. Hi~
generalization, it is remarked may |
be accepted as summarizing what
ever is at present known or believed |
by astronomers regarding the planet
In Sir Roberts opinion, we are in
formed, everything known points |
to the conclusion that Mars is inhab- |
tied by race Of very intelligent and
industrious people," if they are peo
pie, as we know the genus. In fact,
what they are like is, of course, "a
matter Of conjecture" and of very
loose conjecture, but, at any rate,
they are "intelligent" and "indus-
trious," as they appear to know "A
great deal and to have the means OF
applying their knowledge in useful
and great public works. Since tn"
peculiar luminous lines on the face
of the planet were first recognized AZ
canals. they have been studied in
tently by astronomers in all parts of
the world. The suggestion that they
we're canals, or irrigation trenches cf
vast proportions, was at first secuted,
for the reason that the system il
much too regular to be natural, anc
that, while it has been under obser
vation by astronomers it "has beet
undergoing a rapid and systema,i
DEVELOPMENT" The Martian Canai
trust, if there is one, is apparently
rrigating the planet" and improving
| it's internal transportation facilities
by means Of navigable waterways "in
manner indicating that plenty of
capital, or it's equivalent, is behind
| their enterprise
| No rivers, or permanent bodies Of
water, have been recognized on the
planet, and its supplies of water are
derived from the melting Of the polar
ice and snow-caps in summer. 1t
was probably found that this cordi-
t:or placed the middle zones at a dis
aivartage for residence purposes
s-6 that to make them habitable il
wzs n.cessary to collect the water Uf
the summer freshets and lead
them where they were needed
Hence the canals. Otherwise they
are meaningless The fact that ek-
tensions Of the system are constantly
in progress suggests that it Is not yet
complete. Fuller particulars would
be interesting, but are not now OBJ
tainable.
1t is tanuaii,iug, Of course, that a
planet of which We hnoW so much
and about which we are so curious is
far beyond critical investigation. IT
is one hundred and fifty times farther
than the moon, OF which. however,
we nnop so little, aud Sir Robert
does not give much encouragement
to those who suggest signalling to
it by existing facilities. lie pG!"ts
out that to use the military syetom
of wig wagging, so as to catch the
eye of Martian astronomer, we
should need to employ a flag three hun
dred miles long and hundred mules
wide, waved from staff five hundred
miles lcng--an undertaking of dI fiji
Guilty. The use of "flashlight" sig
nails suggests itself at once to every
incentive mind, but Sir Robert things
that plan is equally impracticable,
for reasons WHICH he kindly explains.
If the basin of Lake Superior, for in
stance, he says, could be filled with
petroleum and fired, the resulting
blaze would be considerable, OF course,
and cit might be discerned on NJ ars
as speck of light" but it would not
| appear sufficiently prominent there
| to suggest to the Martians "that any
thing urusual was in progress"
The News and Courier says; We
may suggest, with becoming timid-
| ity, however, that the hellograph or
the wireless telegraph may yet do
something for our batfied curiosity.
And we may be permitted to add,
perhaps, that if a Lake Superior of
burning oil would only make
"speck" Of light that would be barely
discernible on Mars, and a wig-wag
ging flag of 1000 square miles area
would have to be used to be noticed
there, the artificial "canals" on the
planet must be very remarkably
wide-at least hundreds of miles
Vide-to be seen here; and it is not
easy so understand what possible
need any kind OF people would have
for a system of such extraordinary
trenches for mere purposes of "irri-
cation" and "navigation."
ThisIis Il sockdolliger, and we would
like to hear what the eminent lee
turer has to say about it. Either
fhe canals, as the News and Courier
says, must be hundreds Of miles wide
on Mars for US TO see them, if the
Maritans could scarcely seq tnEa
Superior Of burning oil, or he does
not calculate that the inhabitants of
Mars have such things as telescopes,
notw, thstanding their great intelli-
gence and advanced IDEAS.
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