The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-07-12
HEAT TWO MILES DOWN.
Nnteresting Scientific Facts Regard
ins the Earth's Interior ReceRt-
Iy Made Known.


In his latest work. 1.-THE Earth's
Beginning" Sir Robert Ball, the dis
stinguished British astronomer, gives
"details of a remarkable experiment
which was made a few years ago at
Sehladebach, about IS miles from
LeipSc, Germany. The experiment,
says a London paper. was under
9aken in making a search for coal
and behring's were made to a greater
depth than ever had been reached
before. From the surface of the
ground, where the hole was about
six inches in diameter. to the lowest
point, where 1t was about the size
OF ones little finger, was one mile
nnd 1T yards. Capt. Huyssen, who
Aored this wonderful hole, is not
.only aNhighly successful mining en-
gineer. He has done much valuable
scientific work and he rightly
deemed that this Unprecedented Dor
ing presented exceptional opportuni-
ties for study of the eaFth's internal
stemperature. Sir Robert Ball says:
"The study of the internal heat of
the earth may be said to begin be-
low the level of 100 feet, and the re-
salts that were obtained in the great
boring are extremely a~ccordant. The
deeper the hole the hotter the rocks,
and Capt. Huyssen found that for
zach &C feet in descent the tempera-
lure increased one degree Fahren-
heft. 1t was part Of Capt. Huyssen's
scheme to obtain careful readings of
his thermometer at intervals of 100
feet from the surface to the bottom
0f the hole. A study of these read
dngs shows that the increase of SC
degrees in a mile takes place uni
formly at the rate of one degree for
each 66 feet of depth. As the TEN.
perature increases uniformly from
The surface down to the lowest
point which our thermometers have
reached. it would be unreasonable to
zuppose that the rate Of increase
would be found to suffer some alb
rupt change If it we're possible to 90
q little deeper.
Gas the temperature rises so de-
grees in the first mile, and as the
rate of increase is shown by the OBJ
servations to be quite as large at
Che bottom of the hole as it is at the
top, we certainly shall not make any
very great mistake if we venture to
assume that in the second mile the
temperature would also increase to
an extent which will not be far from
80 degrees. This inference from the
~s6~servations leads to the remark.
able conclusion that at a depth OF
Gwo miles the temperature Of the
earth must be, we will not say ex.
aaotly, but at all events not very far
GrOm 100 degrees higher than at the
&eye of constant temperature, about
10 feet down. Thus VIC draw the
Ihnportant inference that If, the
auueans having been removed, we
e then to remove from the
earth's surface a rind two mile.
chick we should transform the eartf
Into a globe, which, while it still re
aained appreciably the same size
tFoald have such a temperature thar
aspen the coolest spot were as hot al
Esnjling water"
Eir Robert discusses the loss O
&aat which has been going on foi
xnany thousands Of years, not onl,
-Ghrough the periods of human his
bgry, but during the overwhelming
spaces Of time which geological re
-Search has revealed. He declare
Ahat there is no known or, indeed
Gunceivable source Of energy iron
which an equivalent can be restored
and It follows that the earth mua
Ezave less internal heat now than /
Naad at any earlier period. No doub
MEhe process Of cooling is excessiyel
SLOW. The earth has less interna
Enaat ne present than It had 100 year
Syo, but I do not suppose that eve
zn 1000 years, or perhaps in 1890
years, there would be any aPprecis
t1e dechRe in the quantity OF hea.
mo far as any obvious manifestation
OK that heat are concerned