The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09
"MESSAGE ID MARS2 ITS ALL NONSENSE" Prof. gigeIow Says It Is All
 Newspaper Story PICKERING IS MISQU0TED Weather Bureau Scientist Here to ln- vestleate Evaporation Tests-Talks Interestingly of Communica-
 ton With Mars.
PICKERING IS MISQUoTED

'AIl talk of communicating with Mars in any manner is rubbish, while the as- sertion credited to Dr. Pickering of liar yard that he would flash signals to Mars with a huge telescope one acre in diam eter is simply the misquotaton of some newspaper reporter" is the way Prof. Frank H. Bigelow. the noted scientist of the weather bureau, answered the ques- tion as to his opinion in this matter last night at the Florence hotel.
 Professor Bigelow spent yesterday in Birmingham inspecting the evaporation test under way at East Lake, and ex- pressed himself being well pleased with it. He congratulated Local Fore caster William F. Lehman on the work and stated that he had also written letter to the "chief commenting him for it.
 There is probably no scientist and as- tronomer bearing a greater reputation than does Professor Bgelow. His work has won for him the admiration of his fellow scientists and his words carry weight He is close to the three-score and ten mark in age but has all of the agility and brain force of man of half his age.
 ITO communicate with Mars is indeed a hopeless proposition, said he. We have nothing to show that Mars is inhab- | ited while if 1t really should be and we
 should manage to flash them signal
 the chances are that they would not be understood and that we would never re- l ceive an answer.
 ",The manner in which Dr. Pickering's words were handled by the newspap pers was a great injustice to Dr. Pickering
 and shows just how great man may be made the laughing stock of the world, l absolutely without any action on his | part and simply out of the desire of | some newspaper man to make little money.
 "He is credited with saying that he believed he could signal Mars by using a great mercury telescope an acre in diameter, and that he would attempt to secure $10,0OO0O0 with which to do it. The newspaper reporter then selected Texas as the place to build the telescope and I understand the misled people of that state are attempting to raise the necessary money.
 What Dr. Pickering really said was in reference to the absolute impossbil- fly to communicate with Mars. In illus trating his point he said that even with a telescope an acre in diameter and cost Ing at least s1O,OoO,O0 that nothing could be accomplished.
 "A little common sense reasoning will show Just how futile such an effort to communicate with Mars would be. Com pare one acre of ground with the earths area. Think of the short distance which a mirror reflects the suns light, then study over the size of the arce telescope as compared with the distance of the sun. You can plainly see that the reflection would not even be carried beyond the earths influence.
 Newspaper men have been the ruin of many a splendid scientist. Take Langley and his airship for instance. No brainer man than Langley ever lived and he was entitled to experiment, and when the war department gave him S50,00o 1t was perfectly legitimate. He got away off in an effort to keep away from the news papers, but they followed him up, and when his first experiment failed made all manner of fun of him. The result was that he was heartbroken and that he died at least 10 years before his time.
 Langley had the right idea, but the manner in which the newspapers carried on caused the war department to drop the work. It was then up to others to take this work up, which was done. Lang leys ideas are being followed up and are proving success as shown by the Wright brothers. Had Langley been allowed to finish his experiments free from criti- csm the government would today be in possession of valuable ideas, which it will now require no telling how many hundreds of thousands of dollars to ac- quire from the Wrights and others"
 Professor Bigelow is on his way to California, where he goes to look into the evaporation tests under way at Salton lake. This lake is a great inland body of fresh water higher than the surround ing country. He will probably be there until fall. On his way he will make stop overs at different points where evapora- tion plants are in operation. He left last night for New Orleans.
 The value to be derived from these tests is incalcuable according to him. At least $1, 900, 900 is what the city of Los Angeles has estimated the value to 1t in the con- struction of the long acqueduct and res ervoir containing that city's water sup ply,
 In regard to tho weather bureau he stated that 1t was the one department of the government free of politics. The total cost of operating 1t last year was only $1, 600. 900, while the resultant good from the weather warnings is incalcuable. He also stated that Congress was very liberal in It's appropriations. always giving them what was requested, but also expressed a desire to have the 0,000,000 proposed to be used for the Texas telescope, with which to make weather bureau experi-