The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-04

lions of such fragments fail upon the
earth annually 1t would be absurd be
declares, to suppose that there it nothing
in size between the harmless meteorftes
and the smallest heavenly bodies The
mysterious law of chance may be made
to demonstrate that such a body-and II
need not be SO very big one either
viii sooner or later come in contact with
US and accomplish our destruction If
something else has not done it first
However appalling the food idea may
be, DR.. Meyer assures US that q universal
disaster caused by an earthquake would
De more horrible still. And earthquakes
differ from volcanoes in being more in
sidious- The existence of volcano
is suspicious even to one who is not an
ticipating a general day of doom An
earthquake, on the contrary. gives 10
hint of its coming and may happen any
where Earthquakes are more likely,
however to occur in connection with
mountain chains, such as the Alps. That
there should be volcanoes in the vicinity
is not essential. A sudden splitting and
yawning Of the earths surface, the swal-
lowing within giant riffs of whole ma
tons or continents. would destroy all
life with lightning swiftness.
volcanoes, earthquakes and foods. .
Dr. Meyer explains, come from the
inner forces of the earth. Yet what these
inner forces at their stronest never thor
oughly accomplish cosmie forces could
achieve in an instant
For instance the end of the world
might be caused by falling star. if it
were big enough. OF by the action Of
cosmic dust
Fancy the collision with our atnos-
phere OF a colossal. fiery mass of rock
Garting from some corner of space What
would happen? First, thunderstorrns on
q vaste- scale than any human ina gin
alton ever conceived. infinitely more dis
astrous and terrible than any typhoon. 4
heavy rain. not of water drops. but Of
Jagged stones, would destroy every liv-
ing thing.
Then would come a general earth
quake that would in its turn force the
oceans past the shores. drowning the
helpless continents. Even if this disas-
troUs visitor did not fall into the sea.
precipitstins a food directly. its weight
would so disturb the rotation of the
planet that food would he inevitable in
any case. while the molten lakes within
the earth's crust would pour out in
Fiery torrents, contestIng with the swol-
len waters in a heroic combat that might
conceivably last for centuries.
There would be no day or night dur
ing this duel of the elements. No light
could penetrate the dense masses which
these gigantic forces would hold sus-
pended in the air New mountains
would develop and new volcanoes. new
oceans and new continents on this world
that would have changed its position in
space and on which countless Years
back, the last pitiful remnant OF our
human activity would have become ex-
tinct
This, DR.. Meyer assures his readers,
is not an original conception on his part
This same occurrence. he declares. has
befallen our pleanet before how many
times nobody knows. To be sure, it has
not experienced anything of the sort for
millions OF years But for that very
reason the time may again be ripe
"Cosmic dust says DR.. Meyer, If it
ever descended upon us thickIy enough.
might very easily destroy life on the
planet though in a less sensational man.
ner. This curious intruder into our at
mosphere is at present best known il
the arctic region. where the large amount
OF iron in it's composition causes the
brilliant red coloring both of snow and
rain But on March 10 1901, there was
seen both in northern Africa and in Italy
what was called a blood rain Wide
spread terror was caused and all man
ner of terrible conjectures were set
afioat- 1t remained for scientists to dis
cover that the blood was due TO the
iron particles in this troublesome COS
mic dust.
Then there is the question of comets.
We are Tar too easy in our minds as re-
CARDS comets, DR. Meyer thinks. ITO
be sure. in 1872 and 1855 We met comets
that did US no harm. But nothing can
be deGuced from that Comets constant
" come in collision with other planets
and with the sun
What if. on the approach Of u comet.
all the Inhabitants of that portion OF
the earth from which it was visible
should communicate to each other a
general terror-fear of a swift and ruth
less doom? Nothing could be more bene-
hciaI. 1t would be purifying, uplifting.
strengthening. for a whole race to DC
united for long time by d common fear.
And there would be every reason for 1t.
as there is no more dangerous high
Of the heavens than a comet
after all.
Such disasters have happened before.
They viii happen again.
And IL they do there is the consola-
ton that 4 more perfect life and civili-
zation will arise from the ruins OF ours"
" hat may happen with falling stars.
cosmic dust and comets may happen
with meteorites. Exactly similar results
would follow from suea a contact and
an exactly similar distrust of meteorites
as Eeighbors is Included by DR.. Meyer.
Perhaps most extraordinary Of ali Or.
Meyers assertions is the one that there
IS danger from collision with another
planet This. he says. was proved by
the discovery in 1S9S of the little planet
Eros. which is = remnant of some ruined
world. Eros has approached nearer the
earth than any other body. with the
exception of the moon In 1913 We are
2 gain 70 have a view OF il at close range.
II is instructive 10 make the acquaint-
ance OF such planet not only because
Of the possible danger Of coIlid;ng with
some other OF its class. but because OF
the proof which it offers that just such
q calamity as our END OF the world has
happened recently and in our vicinity.
Not long ago the fragment that We now
call Eros was part OF beautiful. busy.