Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-04-29
TO MOVE OUR PLANET
Power It Would Take to Raise
the Earth One Foot.
THE WEIGHT or THE GLOBE.


II Is not generally known that the
rotundity OF the earth and It's move
ment were known long before Copper
nIcus aud Galilei. Thus, Aristotle
says, almost all those who claim to
have studied heaven In its uniformity
declare that the earth is In the center,
but the philosophers OF the Italian
school, otherwise the rythagoreans,
teach entirely the contrary. In this
opinion the center Is occupied by fire
and the earth Is only star. which by
q circular movement round the same
center produces night and day"
The following Greek philosophers be-
lieved IN the rotundity OF the earth:
Pythagorns OF samos, Anaximnnder,
Hicetas Of Syracuse, Heraclldes OF
Pontus. Aristarchus OF samos, Sele-
neus and Rcphanlus. Heraclides and
Ecphantus admitted that the earth
moved only upon its own axis the
dlurnai movement. The Pythagoreans
held that each star was world. hav-
ing its own atmosphere, with an lm-
mense extent of ether surrounding II.
Many centuries before Copernicus
wrote his work on eThe Revolution OF
the Heavenly Bodies" which was
about 1912 A. d., the Jewish cabaIistic
book, called "Zohar." stated as TO the
cOamography of the universe;
I'm tho book OF Hammannuah the
Old we learn through extended expla-
nation that the earth turns upon itself
in tho form OF a circle; that some are
on top, the others below; that all crea-
lures change III aspect. following the
manner OF each place. keeping, how
ever, in the same position. But there
are some countries Of the earth that
are lightened while others are in dark
ness. These have the day when for
the former II Ia night. and there are
countries I'm which II iii constantly day
or In which at least the night coutin-
ues only some instautR. These secrets
were made known 10 the men Of the
secret science, but not to the geogra-
pliers"
Maimonides Q100 A. NJ held that
the earth had the form Of n globe; that
II was inhabited al both extremities OF
d certain diameter: that the lnhabit-
ants had their heads toward heaven
and their feet toward each other. vet
they did not fall of.
In India at a very early period the
astronomer AFya.bhata (born A. ID,
470l held to tho opinion that the earth
reyolyed upon ITS own axis. II IL
ftmusser that Aha FfhaI4Waua az a .sapp
ancient period calculated with certain.
" eciipses OF the moon and closely ap-
proxlmated the time Of ecllpaes of the
sun. DIR. schlegel gives the great an.
tlquity OF 1900 years to the Chinese
astronomical sphere.
Though astronomy affords the means
of determining with great precision
moon and all the planets, II does not
enable ua 70 determine tho absolute
mass OF any heavenly body Ia units of
the weights used on earth. To deter.
mine the absolute mass OF the globe fits
mean density must be known. and this
n something about which direct ohser,
walton can give no information. as we
nifcant distance into the earth's int.
rlar Tho most probable moan density
Of the earth Ii hB~that Is. the earth II
90 times as heavy as a ball OF pure
water Of the same size From this and
similar estimates the weight of the
glohe has been calculated to be six mil
ion million TONS
Archlmedea, the greatest ancient &c
ometer. II accredited with the saying
sGiye me whore may stand. and
win move tho worldr' With lever ol
sufficient length this task might posi-
bly, he accomplished. hut let MS SET
what II would require TO accomplish Il
with the forces at our command. This
weight OF the globe has been ealculat
III 70 10 six million million tons.
To move thla weight one foot steam
engine Of 10000 horsepower woult
have 10 work necessarily for a periol
Of seventy thousand millions Of years
During this time the engine would u.s.
up forty million million quarts of wa
err. q quantity sufficient TO cover Ell,
whole glohe 300 feet high Now. as I,
A&AN Mee%A A@es#AAfNAA ~ A&N &AAMAAHt u IA
boiler was coed and working eeonom
ieally It would require four Thousand
million tons OF coal % feed II during
the seventy thousand million years
To ship such a quantity OF coal hy rail-
way It would take two hundred thou
sand million ears OF q capacity o
twenty tons each. These cars. whel
placed IN line. would form a train n
long as 10 encompass the earth forty
ave times and II this train Shouts
move with velocity Of twenty tlvl
miles an honr II would take q ave mil
lion years before Il could traverse Cd
distance Of lis own length.
Thls calculation shows that the glels
rests pretty firsaly IN the place assign
"a 20 u BY nature and how alfilcul
would be the task suggested BY ID
great mathematician.
Kt il known what happens when
rapidly running train comes to SUD
a..