The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-24
DEPTHS or THE EARTH.
A Proposal to Install suotsrranean
 observatories.
Literary Digest.

Literary Digest. ft ~' A proposal to install several hundred subterranean observatories at depths of anywhere from few hundred yards to a mile or so may appear sufficiently start ling. It ceases to be so. however, when we learn that the observers themselves are to be on the earths surface; 1t is only their instruments that 1t Is proposed to place so far under ground, and these may be lowered into borings such as are now made for artesian wells. The principal measurements would be of temperature; but it is claimed by M. A, Laisant. who advocates the plan, that its results would add greatly to our knowledge of the earths crust and It's phenomena. both normal and abnormal NJ, Laisant sets forth his plan in La Raison in an article quoted in The Revue scientifque. He says:
 While astronomical instruments involve considerable expense on account of their high precision, the apparatus in use for meteorological obsert ations cost much less, and this would also be true for those that would be employed in subter- ranean observation. It would be sufficient to sink at a certain number of properly chosen points holes in the same manner as artesian wells, or, still better, In the way that is used in America to bore for
 
 less considerable according to the region and the nature of the geological strata; it should be governed by data known to science. but should fin general be as great as possible. It would probably not be chimerical to think of reaching a depth of several kilometers in some places, while in others a few hundred meters might suffice
 As to the locations of the borings and their number, here. too, the geologists can furnish the necessary indications. We should note here that deep borings. while in course of making. will give interesting geological information, since they will furnish continuously specimens of the strata traversed, which may be studied and analysed. When the boring has once been finished it will be easy to introduce into it measuring apparatus, and espe- cially thermometers. The study of the pressure at these great depths that of the composition of the gases that are en- countered, the electric and magnetic state of the medium, and other clements, will possess equally great interest. With the registering apparatus now at our disposal most of the indications mentioned will be easy to obtain. when the installation has once been made, without the necessity of displacing the instruments.
 When a large part of the surface of the globe has thus been covered with subterranean observatories, properly To- cated. the systematic eentralization os the observations and daily exchanges of them will soon furnish an important con- tribution to terrestrial physics, and we shall see that there Is necessary cor relation between the variations of tenn perature. pressure. etc. at the different spots and also between these variations and certain exterior phenomena
 Such an organization should involve no weighty sacrifice, in comparison with the expense, for instance, of astrononni- cal observations. Nevertheless, that it may be truly useful, an interna tional un- derstanding would be necessary, and that perhaps would not be without dificutly
 Meanwhile. before any international agreement has been made, the countries that begin the organization of under ground observation will make useful preparation for such an agreement and for the development of the new science of which we have been speaking. They will be doing in this matter what the United States has done for meteorology. It seems to us that France ought to take the initiative. Either on the soil of Con- tinental France or in some of it's colo nies she might we'll begin blythe install lation of a few observatories whose num- Der could be increased later We have said that it would be the task of the geologists to indicate the proper locali- ties for the borings But H is evident that 1t will be specially important to place these in regions where the soil ex- hibits peculiar phencmeha Thus for in