West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-03-08
WHY We MAY ALL
DIE OF THIRST"
Astronomers and Biologists find
Evidence that all Water is Rap
idly Disappearing From the
Face Of the Earth"
By Prof, Garrett P. Serviss, In New
York American Journal Of Sun
day, February 18th, 1906.

''A warning that such fate i, no, i'm.
possible, OF even Improbable, seems to be
conveyed 10y simc of the older worlds
around US. The Moon has become dry as
bone, although the dark aud empty beds Of
many seas and oceans are plainly visible
upon its surface; showing that there was
once time when the lunar world possessed
plenty Of water.
'The planet Mars is more than half dried
up and now retains So little water ,ha, in
winter 1t appears to be all locked up in the
polar SHOWS and ice-felds which are so thin
tina, they quickly melt away when the sum.
mer sun shines hot upon them.
"The planet Mercury apparently possesses
no water at the present time. Some think
that even Venus is a dry hot world, with
little OF no water available to support IN.
hablants The observations of Professor
Lowell at any rate supports this conclusion.
''From these examples we see that there
| is nothing improbable in the idea that the
waters of the earth may eventually disappear,
leaving il as dry and barren as its near com
panlon, the moon.
"I}ut there is more direct and startling
evideuee of the drying up of the earth than
that afforded by their analogies with other
planets. This evidence is of a scientific
nature and we hnd IN it the known disappear
ance OF many great bodies of water which
existed on various parts of the globe in for
a..
cases rapid, deSsicaton of vast continental
areas.
"a large part of Central Asa has been
turned into n waterless desert within the
historic period. East of the Caspian Sea
and North and West of Himalayan noun
tains within few years past the remains of
large cities have been found covered with
drifting sands and choking dust which the
dry winds whirl up in immense smolhering
clouds. Some of these vanished towns of
Central Asia give evidence in their ruins
that they once lay on the shores of lakes and
rivers and other bodies of water which have
completely disappeared. Nov they are only
the dess'cated skeletons of a civilization
whose founders persisted of thirst or were
dnven fnrIlf inip more favorable lands
where the adiiiy has not yet attained a
fatal point.
Central Asia is lofty plateau aud it is
on these higher levels tina, The disappearance
of The wafer has eve,ywh here been manifested
| All the Allan deserts seem To- b- aIvancing
their sandy frontiers un every side.
"Ihe continent of Africa has long been
undergoing similar dying process One
| OF the things ,ha, mosi power fully, impressed
the minds Of he mcmb-rs of the Blush
Association for the advance .nent of science
during their visits io Africa las, sumner was
the lack of water over vast areas of that con
tinent, and the universal necessity OF irriga-
ton To keep alive the lands that are yet IN a
habitabe condition. The example of the
fate that part Of Central Asia has suffered
supply will BE- insufficient Several lakes
which were % the maps If Africa when the
older readers Of this newspaper were school
children have disappeared or are half dried
Up. Smaller bodies OF water have com
pleieiy vanished.
"rhe same story comes from Australia,
from South America, and even from some
parts Of our own Western country The
Great Salt Lake In Utah is rapidly recedine,
like puddle drying up in the Sun
Gradually the dessicalon has proceeded
and apparently it is destined to 20 or until
even the Atlantic and Pacific have disappear
ed and all the waters of the earth are with.
drawn into its interior or destroyed by
chemical dissertation of the liquid and the
denomination Of its elements with solid
matter. Long before that stage is attained
ho@ever, all animal and vegetable life will
| have disappeared from The lands, for they
cannot survive the withdrawal of the fresh
water upon which their existence depends.
Thus the last picture of the earth that
Geology can form by gIaneing into the
future shows it stripped Of its inhabitants
and Of all forms Of life, and deprived Of
water and perhaps also Of Atmosphere, a
bare wreck Of planet, drifting in the
ETHEREAL ocean Of immensely.
BY permission Of the editor Of the Argus
we respeelufully submit, replv to IN. tore.
gcing bv request.
We are well pleased with the article
The SUBJECT is Of prs., io,e,.,, and n.
Professor has handled +, we'll. sp,ce f,,.
bids the whole ofit bu, We have quoted
enough TO make his position eles,
rb... .e..-,.e ..,