Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1905-12-01

aEeer' nat t1it iaSI was correct WAS eyl |
lent; yet how 1t had never been discovered |
By the eartb.s, sstronodasn1Iuuluuu
have been for years overlooked BY scien-
lists in search Of greater fields to con-
aaer. i is within less than one hundred
object that 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 30 ms to
focus an object less than q hundred miles
distant.
''That sounds reasonable, yet / asked
him how 1t was that 1t had never been
seen with the naked eye.
Simpler STILL he answered, sbecause
this little planet Is less than ten miles In
diameter. SO small an object. with a
color nearly identical with that OF the
earth's atmosphere, would never be mo-
t tied and he having ne Hight Of its cwe
mere speck In the sky, and no man can
tell how long 1t has hoated around our
earth. There may be many more Of
them, but tor the present we WIN con1ne
ourselves to this one. and soon shall land
and see what there II to see
IAN. aneroid barometer was then 10,
through the trap In the floor. In order to
ascertain the pressure Of the atmosphere
pefore we dared to open the car and step
onto me little world we had discovered
The. planet was growing larger every mo-
a mile OF its surface. The Instrument
showed that the pressure was eight
pounds to the square Inch, which about
equaied that ON high mountains on the
earth, SO we were safe to land. The
time showed an entire lack OF hreeze. and
we gently dropped to the surface OF the
'Nebula.' as / had volunteered TO call fhe
discovery. As we looked upon the land.
scape, II seemed as II we had suddenly
couid not possibly justify this con a
or verdure with the small size Of the finy
world, for such little thing could not no
expected to obstruct enough Of the heat
Or the sun TO produce such a condition.
through the trapdoor and noted lis reg.
lister. 1t was eighty degrees-a fact that
further surprised me-and I said o.
dare say we shall ind that there
are other sources Of heat besides the sun.
said one Of my companions: ana No
sooner had we opened the cav Snnr sn "a
begun to climb down the anchor rome
which had been cast ont than we ais
covered the correctness Of his prophecy.
There were boiiing springs everywhere,
and the verdure was magnificent
Tying the anchor rope about a howl
Ger, we began survey Of our world.
But first OF all, TOOK good Iook nj the
earth we had left few hours before.
IT was more magnificent sight than
words can ever tell 1t filed almost the
entire dome Of the sky. and tae continent
OF North America looked exactly ~ n
does on raised globe such as we have
N schooi-rooms. I could locate San
Francisco rs wen az II had had man
ana pointer: and from that Western M.
rropoiis could trace the outline Of inc
united States to the city OF Chicago, ana
SO on to the gateway Of Tnropa-New
York. 1t was wonderful The air was
not so rare as to be hard on lungs used
to mountain conditions; but some Of the
party complained, and one suffered nose
bleed. There was a ripping brook near
at hand, Its banks lined with plant Iife
and went toward II 70 get n drink.
felt wonderfully elated IN mind and body,
and ran lightly toward II, failing on nv
chest, and quenching my thirst with the
most refreshing water / had ever drank.
The stream was not more than ten feet
wide, and. A. far ~ we could see from
where we stood. there was no narrower
place. We wanted to cross II, and I
fancied I could make the leap, old man
though ! am. I took few steps back
ward. ana then ran toward the bank and
sprnng into the afr.
81 scared through that air like bird,
and landed at least twenty yards beyond
the farther bank. My companions. as
alighted with the ease Of feather, first
looked bewildered, and then broke into
peals of almost unceasipg laughter. For
they understood the reason before did.
DO vous
''No. Well. the explanation is as sim
pie IS e'l the others have been, and fni-