The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-12-08

the atmosphere of the earth, fact that al
scientists accept. Some of these bodies are
as small as pinheads, while others may be
| larger. That this last was correct NJ q |
dent; yet now 1t had never been discovered
by the earth's astronomers was q puzzle
| to me.
-" That is a simple matter of explana
tion,' said our leader; this asteroid has
never been discovered, for the same rea.
son That many small but important things
nave been for years overlooked by scien.
tlsts IN SEARCH Of greater fields to con.
quer. 1t Is within less than one hundred
miles Of earth, while the very nearest
| OBJECT tnat has ever attracted the tele-
scopes OF our astronomers Is the moon,
distant quarter Of million miles, Can
you not understand that no astronomer
would ever train his instrument SO as to
1ocus an object less than a hundred miles
distant.
THAT sounds reasonable, yet I asked
him how 1t was that it had never been
seen with the naked eye.
49,, simpler still, he answered, because
This little planet Is less than ten miles in
diameter. So small an object, with
color nearly Identical with that Of the
earth's atmosphere, would never be no.
tlced. and having no light of its own.
could not be seen at any time. II ia
mere speck In the sky, and no man can
tell how long It has foated around our
earth. There may be many more of
them, but for the present we will confine
ourselves to this one, and soon shall land
and see what there is to see.'
=, AN aneroid barometer was then "a,
tnrongh the trap In the floor, in order RI
ascertain the pressure Of the atmosphere
oetore we dared to open the car and step
The planet was growing LARGER every mo.
ment' and we were now within less than
a mile OF its surface. The Instrument
showed that the pressure was eight
pounds to the square inch, which about
equaled that on high mountains on the
enrtn, SO we were safe to land. The
thermometer attached to the car at this
time showed an entire lack of breeze. and
we gently dropped to the surface Of the
MPDula,' as l had volunteered to call the
discovery. AS we looked upon the land
scape, 1t seemed as If we had suddenly
dro,ned into Fo"thcrn rnlieo"nia. and I
GO could not possibly Justify this condition
W. uov Nardnre with the small size Of the tiny
world. for such little thing could MT he
expected to obstrrct enough of the heat
=, tne sun to produce such a condition.
pnzzled, l myself dropped a THERMOMETER
through the trapdoor and noted its roo.
lster. IL was eighty degrees-a fact that
lu !. n surprised me-and 7 said 50.
i care say we shall find that there
soid 49, oeieeS VI neat besides the SUM-
SAD one OF my companions; ana No
sooner mad we opened the car door ana
begun to climb down the anchor rono
Wnlch had been cast out than we dis'
covered the correctness Of his pronhecv
mere were boiling springs everywhere
ann tne verdure was magnificent.
ao lying the anchor rope about a bowl.
But first of all, took a good loo,. NJ ' +ha
earth e. we had left few hours before.
1t was a more magnificent SIGHT thon |
WORDS can ever tell It filled almost the |
entire e. dome Of the sky, and the continen,
" north Am"r'ca looked exactly ne n
% sc On raised globe srch as we have
Francisco as wen AZ If I had had q man
and pointer: and from that Western n,,.
rropol1s could trace the outline OF tne
United States to the city of Chicago, and
70 on TO- the gateway Of Europe-New
, 1%sk. 1t was wonderful: The afr was
% mountain conditions; but some Of the
PARTY complained. and one suffered nose.
iced. There was ripping brook near ,
e hand, Its banks lined with plant life,
M M went toward II to get drink ri
eis wonderfully elated In mind and body,
n no ran lightly toward It, falling on my
,,cnst refreshing water I had ever drank
ne stream was not more than ten feet {,
yide, and. as far as we could see from
mere we stood, there was no narrower
'ace. We wanted to cross It, and I
lncied could make the leap, old man
longh l am. took few steps back
ara. ana then ran toward the bank and G
,rang into the air.
scared through that afr like bird,
10 landed at least twenty yards beyond q
,e farther bank. My companions, as I n
lighted with the ease Of a feather, frst e
oked bew1ldered, and then broke into
eals OF almost unceasing laughter. For
ey understood the reason before I did.
mo. Wen, the explanation 10 % aim z!
% au the others have been, and fel- q