The National tribune., 1908-04-02
THE EARTH'S CENTER.
IB There a Likelihood That Peary VII
Discover Symmcs's HOles

Editor National Tribune: In your very
interesting paper of Nov. Z 1 noticed
an article from Comrade ". F. China n,
2sth Wis, specializing as to What
Peary will discover at the Pole"
1 remember when a boy, some 20
Years ago, of hearing "Symmes's Hole"
spoken of in a joking, flippant manner,
but think Mr.. Gilman is the first per-
son 1 have known to speak of it in a
serious manner, as tho he had faith in
the theory.
He says: Notwithstanding the fact
that the scientific schools and societies
| of to-day utterly discredit Symm ess s
| theories, there is a large contingent of
thoughtful and observing men that be-
| lieve Them
l will not call this in question, but ]
have been unfortunate in not meeting
them. Then Comrade Gilman goes on
to say:
"a thoughtful man might well in
quire how such vast mountain masses
as the Andes and Himalayas could exist
with their bases resting on a bed of
liquid lava. Would they not sink down
into it until the earth's surface was a
dead level?" We would answer: Most
Ecertainly not Comrade Gilman seems
to forget that the earth's crust Is per-
feet arch in all directions. And we
should not forget that down and up are
relative terms, and hence the earth's
crust, tho comparatively thin, incloses
the internal globular-shaped lava in all
directions alike. i readily admit that II
we could cut a plug out of the earth
from the surface directly to the interior
molten mass, say, so miles in diameter
and have 1t SO that it would move freely
without friction, it would undoubtedly
sink in the lava until the specific grav-
| ity of the two masses would become
equalized. Even in such case if the
plug included Mount Everett we have
no reason to believe that the plug would
sink to any great depth in the lava The
lava must be of very great density
hence of great specific gravity. Accord
ing to reason and philosophy, when the
earth as a molten globe began to cool
off, and perhaps millions of years later
began TO solidify, this process began
! on the earth's surface, and by a wise
provision of nature begln with the
highest or floating matter, or that which
| had the least specific gravity, the solidi-
Tying crust resting on the lava, which
must have been Of the greatest density
! from the beginning. The formation OF
ice is fair illustration. We know that
water expands about one-ninth of an
inch in solidifying, hence floats, because
lighter in the CONCEALED state than liquid
state. And we look upon this as a wise
provision of nature, as bodies of water
commence freezing from the top in
stead of from the bottom, as would be
the case If the specific of ice was great
er than that of water. But 1 VIII pro-
ceed to bring my remarks to g close as
1t is not by any means my object to ex-
haust the subject. We think Comrade
Gilman is certainly mistaken when he
says that 80 per cent of the earth's bulk
would be liquid lava Counting the
earth to be 5000 miles in diameter
| (Which is, perhaps, little too grcat)
the earth's crust $50 miles in thickness)
would contain 9,927,979,600 cubic miles
of matter, while the liquid portion
would contain 25S,155,22O,40O cubic
miles of matter. Thus we see that the
earth's crust would be about one-twen-
ty-seventh of the entire mass, while the
molten mass would be about twenty-six-
twenty-sevenths of the entire mass. or
SO per cent of the entire body. But we
look upon these considerations as of
| little consequence when contrasted with
the intense density of the molten matter
of the earth's interior.
Comrade Gilman does not give any
reason for his hollow globe or for his
openings at the poles. He should give
us his theory for his peculiarly con-
structed earth, tho 1t might be as hard
for some of us to believe as it is for him
10 believe that the earth is a molten
body with crust of only so miles IN
| Observation-Disclosures Thomas, Co. e.