The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-12-06

-
the atmosphere of the earth, fact that all
scientists accept. Some of these bodies are
as small as pinheads, while others may be
larger That this last was correct was evi-
dent; yet now it had never been discovered
by the earth's astronomers was a 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
have been for years overlooked by scien-
lists In search Of greater fields to con-
quer. 1t is within less than one hundred
miles of earth, while the very nearest
OBJECT that has ever attracted the teIe-
scopes of our astronomers is the moon,
distant quarter of a million miles, Can
would ever train his instrument so as to
focus an object less than a hundred miles
distant.
That sounds reasonable, yet I asked
him how it was that it had never been
seen with the naked eye.
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. 1t is a
mere speck in the sky, and no man can
tell how long 1t has floated around our
earth. There may be many more of
them, but for the present we will confne
ourselves to this one, and soon shall land
and see what there is to see.'
"An anerofd barometer was +ha, 10,
through the trap In the floor, in order to
ascertain tne pressure of the atmosnhere
before we dared to open the car and step
onto the little world we had discovered
The planet was growing larger every mo-
ment, and we were now within less than
a mile Of it's surface. The Instrument
Showed that the pressure was eight
pounds to the square inch, which about
equaled that on high mountains on the
eartn, 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 If fne
'Nebula,' as had volunteered to call the
discovery. AS we looked upon the land
scape, 1t seemed as If we had suddenly
dropped into Southern California, and 1
could not possibly Justify ftis con7itio,
of verdure with the small size of fhs finv
world, for such little thing could NOT he
expected to obStruct enough of the hnat
or the sun to produce such a condition.
PUZZLED, ! myself dropped a thermometer
!inroug4 the trapdoor and noted ifs reg
lister. lt was eighty degrees-a fact that
1urtner surprised me-and said so.
dare say we. shall find that there
are otner sources of heat besides the sun,
SAID one OF my companions; ana no
sooner mad we opened the car door and
when naa been cast out than we dis
covered the correctness of his pronhecv.
Inere were boiling springs evervwhere.
and the verdure was magnificent.
lying the anchor rope about bowl
4 n..i we began a survey of our world
But nfst or all, took a good look AFT the
earth we had left few hours before.
IL was more magnificent SIGHT fnan
words can ever tell It filed almost tba
entlre dome OF the sky, and the continent
~ NoItH america looked exactly as If
does on a raised globe sucb as wa have
IN school-rooms. I conld locate San
francisco as well as if I had bad man
ana pointer: and from that western MP
LropolIs could trace the outline Of fine
oniteu States to the city of Chicago, and
SO on 10 the gateway of Eurone-Nev
YORK It was wonderful. The air was
not SO rare as to be hard on limos usod
70 mountain conditions; but Some Of fae
party complained, and one suffered nose
Dieeu. Inere was ripping brook near
at, hand, Its banks lined with nlant life
and went toward it to get q firint !
Ieit wonderfully elated in mind ana body,
anu ran lightly toward 1t, falling on INV
cnes1 ana quenching my thirst with the
nos. IeIresning water l had ever drank.
wide. and, as far as we conId sec from
Wnere We stood, there was no narrower
pace. we wanted to cross ii. and I
Iancied l could make the leap. old man
1919 = anl. TOOK a few steps back
ward, and then ran toward the bank and
sprang into the air.
scared through that air like a bird,
anG Ianded at least twenty wards beyond
the farther bank. Ny companions, as
allghted with the ease OF a feather. first
looked bewildered, and then broke into
peas OF almost increasing laughter. For
Do you?
No. Wen, the explanation Is as sim
pie as all the others have been, and fol-