The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-08-02


Sir Robert s. Bah. the Cambridge
astronomer. writes TO The London -
press. Il was the remark 81 the great
Sir William Herschei thar the re-
semblance q Mars 10 fhis earth 4 one
q the most striking features il the
solar system The obssrsatlons Of the
planet which have been made since the
time Of this Incompatible observer
have tended 10 illustrate the truth
which be then laid down. Mars Is not
SO large as our earth. o. course. but
like our earth, Mars Is surrounded by
an atmosphere At the poles Of Mars
are vast white tracts which become
greatly extended during winter on the
planet but which shrink again during
tne ensuing summer 10 deny that
these white tracts on Mars consist OF
ice OF snow now seems 10 me a sup
position so fantastic that ! think we
need not seriously diccuss #. II has
been proved BY recent observations
that the large dark objects on Mars
long believed to Be open oceans can
no longer BE 50 described. By the ex-
eeilent telescopes now available these
dark tracts have been shown to be
trarersed by marks OF nature so per-
manent as 10 be wholly Incompatible
with the Fupposilion that in looking
at the dark regions we are looking at
sheets Of liquid. For the demonstration
OF this point we are indebted 70 the
iabors Of many astronomers. but we
must specially mention Mr. perciyal
Lowell who has devoted consummate
skin and assiduity 10 the study Of this
planet With the help Of a powerful
telescope at bis observatory In Flag
stan Arizona. Mr. Lowell has also
largely extended our knowledge OF the
canals discovered many years ago by
Schlaparelh Mr. Lowell has given a.
some excellent reasons for his belief
that these so-called canals DO indeed
mark the courses along which water Is
conducted from the melting SHOWS at
the poles Of Mars to the more arid
parts Of the planet when. upon GER
tain Uqcasiona. which do not recur
very frequently Mars comes nearest
the earth. the distance OF the planet
from our globe Is still about thirfy-fve
million miles. Now what can a tele-
scope show al the distance Of thirty. /
five million milesf It requires a very
good telescope to reduce the apparent |
distance Of an object 20 a thousandih /
part That ls to say, It Is a very good |
telescope which win show an object /
as clearly as we could see It with the
unaided eve n II were at a thousandth /
part Of its distance. and n we dis
pensed with the assistance Of a tele-
scope Il Is. therefore. imb5saible 10
hope for any signalling to Mars un
less the signals were on a scale sun
ciently great to be visible to the un-
aided eye even at distance as great as
thirty-fve thousand miles This con-
sideration sufices to prove the utter
iutility of human endeaFor 20 make
any demonstrations on a sufficiently
large scale 70 be perceptlbe 10
the inhabitants Of Mars The very
largest city that this earth has ever
known would be altogether too small
TO be visible 70 a being dwelling on
the planet Mars even n that being
we're endeayoiing 20 see Il With a tele-
scope as powerful as the greatest and
most perfect instrument In any obser-
vatory on this globe II the whole ex-
tent &C Lake Superior was covered
with petroleum. and II that petroleum
was set on fire. then think we may
admit that an inhabltani Of Mars who
was furnished with a telescope as good
rs that which Mr.. Perclval Lowell
uses at Flagstaff might be able TO see
that something had happened But we
must not suppose that the mighty con.
aagration would appear 10 the Martian
IS a very conspicuous object Il would
rather be a very small feature. but
itll I think Il would not be beyond {
he reach OF a practieed observer IN
hat planet On the other hand II an
iroa the size Of Lake Superior on Mars
was to be flooded with petroleum ami
hat petroleum was 10 be kindled we
ihould expect 20 witness the event :
rom here not as a great and striking
'onilagratlon. but as a tiny little point
II just discernible light The disc Of .
Mars Is not a large object. and the
'onfagration would not extend over Z
he three-hundredth part Of that disc I
{ rs sufficient to state these facts % Z
how chat fha uoaafhiiffv of aignaiIIn~ {