The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-02-28

dences that All Water Is Rapidly
Disappearing from the Face of
the Earth, Which Mesns
Death to Ali Life.
Is the earth drying Up and shall we
(ueaning bY ''we" the human race as
re presented by our descaadant>), dis
Of thirst?
A warning that this fate is not in.
possible, or even improbable, seems to
be conveyed by some CT the oldar
worlds around US. The moon has b.
come as dry as bone, although the
dark and empty bsds OF many ssss arc
oceans are plainly visible upon its sur
face, showing that there vas onee G
time when the lunar world possessed
plenty OF water.
The planet Mars is more than hall
dried up, aao now rsIains so LITTLE
water that In the Winter tine it az
pears to be al locked up in the polar
SHOWS and ice fields, which are sc thu
that they quickly melt away waan the
Sumner sun shines hos upon than.
The planet Mercury apparently PCS
sesSss no water st the present time,
slthouga, IN the Datu-e OF tai2gs,
since il is composed Of she same gen
eral elemsnts as Tie ouher planets, it
must have had water upon IT'S surface
at some past period in its history.
Some think that even Venus is a
dry, hot world, with little or no water
availsble to support inhabitants. The
observations OF Professor Lowell at
any rate support this conclusion.
From these examples We see that
there is no5niog essentially inpro5a
bic in the idea that the waters Of the
earth may eVentusly disappear, leav
ing it as Cry and barren as its near
companion, the moon.
But there Is more Girec5 and start.
ling evidence OF the drying up Of the
earth than any afforded by 5hsir anal
ogies with other planets. This eVl.
dence Is OF 8 scientific nature, and we
find it In the known disa, pe race G.
many great bodies Of water which tx
listed on various parts Of the giobs 10
former times, and in the gradual, and
in some cases, rapid, dessicasion Of
vast continental areas. Nothing moce
omInous could well be found tnan the
proof afforded by recent scientific ex
ploration OF Central Asia that large
part Of the greatest Ct the continents,
the one which is believed to nave Coz
tanned the Garden OF Eden and the
cradle of mankind, has been turned
into waterless desert within the his
toric period!
East Of the Caspian Sea and north
and west Of the vast ranges OF the
Binslayan mountains, within few
years past the remains OF large cities
have been found, covered with DRIFT
ing sands and choking dust which the
dry winds whirl up inimnense snotk-
ering clouds. Some Of these vanished
towns OF Central Asia give evidence
in their ruins that they once lay OF
the shores Of lakes and rivers and
other bodies Of water which have sioce
completely DISAPPEARED. Nov they
are only the GesSlcaoed skeletons OF a
civil zation wncse founders either per-
ished OF thirst CT were driven forth
into more favored lands where the sd-
Vancing aridity has not Jet attained
. fatal point.
Central Asia Is lofty plateau, and
it is on these higher levels OF tbs
earth that tie disappearance CT the
water has everywhere first been mani
tested. All the Aria2 deserts seem
to be advancing their sandy frontiers
on every side, and invading the sur
rounding lands which sill retain.
though in diminished measure, their
supply OF life giving water. The green
borders are everywhere: receilCg bs
fore the renorseless yeHoH waaves.
The cootinsnt OF Africa has lone
been undergoing a similar dying pr
cess. There are il the midst Of TIE
Desert OF Sahara plain evidences ..
the former existence Of inhsb,1ac
Gases that were once green sad dcur
ishing with trees and smaller ;Vsgeta-
tion. but ~hich ara nov swept by SAID
storms and destisute.o OF the least drop
Of water. Oae Ct the things thai
most powerfully IL pressed the niDCs
Of the members Of the British Also
citation for the Advancement cf Sci
encs during their visit to Afr;c4 last
Summer, was the lax OF water oVes
vast areas OF thai Continent anc che
universal necessity ot irrigation to
keep alive the lands that are Ye. iu q
habiuable condition. TIE president
OF the Engineering Section OF the as.
stc:ation declared thai it is a general
condltlon Ct African agriculture that
the Lee6ed water must pe provided oy
human intervention. Left to nature,
many OF the low Inhabited parts OF
Africa would q licsly be turned into
llfsless deserts. But the struggle can
only be main1a Led successfully as
long IS the pisscnt supply CT water
capable OF bSlpg tucnsd into irrgat-
ing bitches renails undlmilisaeo, acd
the txsa p e OF tie fate that part Of
Central Asia has suffered ircib2tes
that the time is sure to come when
the supply will be insufficient.
Many African lakes have disappear
cd in whole or in part within q fe~
generations Lake Ngaci, discovered
by Livingstone, is no longer in e1iSt-
eocs; Lake Tohad, which occupied s
conspicuous place On maps Of Africa
when many e the older readers OF
this newspaper were school children,