Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-05-23

"The aerOnaut Is able to start In
his balloon and remain for hours in
the air at an elevation OF several
miles and come down again in the
same. county or parish from which
he ascended Now. unless the earth
drags his balloon along with 1t In IT'S
nineteen miles a second motion. IT
mus; be left far behind In space.
The aeronaut can see for himself
that the earth is IA planet. The APP
pearance present d to him. even at the
highest elevation he has attained. Is
that OF a concave surface, this being
exactly what is to be expected OF
surface that is truly level, as 1t Is the
nature of level surface to appear to
rise to the level of the eyes OF the OBJ
server.
THE lights exhibited in the light
houses are seen by narigatOrs at
distances which. according to the scale
of the supposed curvature given ny
astronomers. they ought to be many
hundreds of feet, in sonic cases. down
below the line OF sight. For instance.
the light at Cape Hatteras Is
seen at such a distance Gao miles,
that. according to theory. it ought 10
be 900 feet higher above the level or
the sea than it is in order to be Visl-
bic.
III we stand on the Seashore and
..oh =, .b;o ,nnroapb nc wa And hat
she will apparently rise to her own
height-nothing more. II we stahd up
on an eminence. the same law oper-
ates, and ii is but. the law OF per-
spective. which causes objects as
thev approach us to appear to increase
in size until We see them. close to us.
the size they are in fact. That there
is no other rise than the one spoken
of is plain from the fact that no mat
ter how high We ascend above the
level of the sea. the horizon rises on
and still on a level with the eye.
IF we take trip down the Chesa-
peake Bay in daytime we may see
for ourselves the utter fallacy OF the
idea that when a vessel appears hull
down as it is called. it is because the
hull is behind the water. .Nesseis
have been seen, and may often be
seen again, presenting the appearance
spoken of and far-fOr away-beyond
those vessels. the level shore line,
with its accompaniment Of tall trees
towering up, in perspective. above the
hull down ships.
Now the thing which is called
proof Of the worlds roundness and
which is presented to children at
school is that il we stand on the sea-
shore We may see the ships as they
approach us. absolutely coming up.
and as we are able to see the highest
parts first, it is believed the lower
part is behind the earth's curve. II
this were the case-if the lower
parts of the ships were behind MIL
Of water the size of the earth IN
dictated by such curve as this would
be so small as only to hold the people
OF a parish.
IF We take journey down the
Chesapeake Bay by night We see the
light at Sharp's Island for an hour be-
fore the vessel will be in line with
the light and in the line OF sight. and
We will find that in the whole journ-
ey the light will not vary In the
slightest degree in its apparent ele-
walton. But say that distance OF
Is miles has been traversed. the as
tronomer's theory Of curvature de-
mands a difference-one way or the
other-in the apparent elevation OF
the light Of 112 feet inches. AS a
matter of fact. there is not differ
ence OF liz hairbreadths.
ut Is . fact not SO we'll known as
II ought to be. that when vessel. in
sailing away from US. has reached a
poin, when her hull is lost to our un-
aided vision. a good telescope will
restore that part Of the Vessel TO our
sight. Now. as telescopes are not
made 10 enable us to see through a
hill Of water i. is clear that the hu'ls
are not behind a hill u water when
los, to our unaided vision"
"Newtonian philosophers teach US
III: the moon goes around the ca
from west to east Observation
mans most certain mode Of gaining
kpoyledge-shows US that the moon
never ceases to move in the opposite
d;rection-frem east to west
III the earth were globe. a small
model globe would be the hest-be-
causc the truest-hing for The aaYi-
gator 10 take to sea with him B"t
such a thing as that is not known
with such a toy as guide the m1r:n-
or would wreck his ship.
The surveyors plans In relation
10 the laying os the drs; Atlantic te'c-
graph cable show that in 1865 mics
from vaIcntia ireland. tn ~.
Johns. y. P.-fhe surface ~ the At
I,u,ic Ocean Is q level surface.