Sunday morning globe., 1901-08-25
Say, you, smoke Carolina Brigpts
SIGNALS TO MARS.
An Unique Proposition to Set Fire
to Lake Superior.

IL was the remark of the great Sir
William Herschel tnat the resemblance
! OF Mars to this earth is one of the most
striking features in the solar system.
The observations of the planet which
have been made since the time Of this
incompatible observer have tended to
illustrate the truth which he then laid
down. Mars is not SO large as the
eartu, Of 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 the ensuing sum
mer. 10 deny that Jhese white rfocts
on Mars consist of ice or snow now
seems to me a supposltion so tanLasllc
that / think we need not seriously dls-
cuss it. II has been proved by recent
observations that tne large dark oD-
jects on Mars, believed to be open
oceans, can no longer be so described.
BY the excellent telescopes now avail
able. these dark tracts have been
shown to be traversed by marks of
nature so permanent as to be wholly
incompatible with the supposiuon that
we are looking at sheets OF liquid For
the demonstration of this point we are
indebted to the labors of many astron-
omers. but we must specially mention
MIR. Percival Lowell who has devoted
consummate skill and assiduity to the
study OF this planet. With the help
of a powerful telescope at his o0sery-
atory I'm Flagstaff, Arizona, Mr.. Lowell
has also largely extended our knoWl-
edge of the canals discovered many
years ago by Schiaparell Mr.. Lowell
has given us some excellent reasons for
his belief that these socalled 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 certain occasions, which
do not recur very frequently, Mars
comes nearest the earth the distance
of the planet from the globe is still
about 35,OOO0OO miles. Now, what can
a telescope show at the distance OF 3o,-
OOO. 900 miles? 1t requires very good
telescope to reduce the apparent dis
tance of an object to a thouandth part.
That is to say, il is a very good tele-
scope which will show an object as
clearly as we could see it with the un-
aided eyes II it were at a thousandth
part of it's distance, and If we dis
pensed with the assistance OF a tele-
scope. 1t Is, therefore, impossible TO
hope for any signalling to Mars unless
the signals were on a scale suhciently
great to be visible to the unaided eye
even at a distance as great as 35,OOOOOO
miles. This consideration sufices TO
prove the utter futility Of human en-
deavor to make any demonstrations on
a sufficiently large scale to be percept
ible to the inhabitants Of Mars. The
verv largest city that this earth has
ever known would be altogether too
small to be visible to a being dwelling
ON the planet Mars, even IL that being
were endeavoring to see IL with tele-
scope as powerful as the greatest and
most perfect instrument In any obserY-
atorv on this globe II the whole eX-
tent of Lake Superior was covered
with petroleum, and If that petroleum
was set on fire, then / think we may
admit that an inhabitant of Mars, who
was furnished with a telescope as good
as that which Mr.. Percival Lowell uses
at Flagstaf might be able to see that
hOInNNnlIh NhN ANNNNAAANhf AAAAN W AAANAH'N
not suppose that the mighty conhagra
tion would appear to the Martian as a
very conspicuous object lt would
rather be a very small feature, but
still / think IL would not be beyond
the reach Of a practised observer In
that planet, On the other hand, II an
area the size Of Lake Superior on Mars
was TO be flooded with petroleum and
| that petroleum was to be- lindled, we
should expectto witness the eventfrom
here not as n great and striking con
hagration, but as n tiny little point
of Just dlsoernible light The disc Of
Mars is not a large object. and the con
aagratiOn would not extend over the
300th part OF that disc IL rs sufficient
to state these facts to show that the
possibility OF signalling TO Mars is en-
tirely beyond the power OF human re-
sources.