The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-05-27
Scientific and Mineral Discover.
les of Great Importance
Are Predicted
MIGHT YIELD GREAT TREASURES
n. Camille Flammarion Proposes Dig
cine Geothermic Hole Several
Lilies Down-Would Have Army Do
Work.

a long time ago of digging a geother-
mic we'll to explore the internal con-
stitution of the globe. writes Camille
Flammarion, the great astronomer.
Now that the effervescence produced
by the catastrophe at Messina has
calmed little, requests have come to
me from many quarters to exactly de-
scribe my plans.
The plan is to dig as deeply as pos
sible straight down from the earth's
surface to find an economic and al
most inexhaustibe source of heat. to
verify the rate of caloric increase. to
find out II the materials constituting
the terrestrial globe are in a state OF
fusion-in a word. to do nationally and
directly what has been done slightly
and little by chance up to the pres
ent time in mines.
Suppose that this work were under
taken. AS the we'll must be very deep
it must also be very wide, and |
imagine that circle of 200 metres in
diameter would be sufficient. Where
should the earth taken out be thrown?
Into the sea. However. this well must
not be dug on the seacoast. on ac-
count Of the danger from marine infil-
tration, but on plain at a distance
of several kilometres and approxi-
mately at the level of the sea. For
this reason Belgium, Holland or the
French district of Les Landes might
be chosen. AS for the debris, it could
be taken away by rail to the place
destined for dumping it.
Admitting the classic rate of heat
increase-one degree Centigrade for
every thirty-three metres of depth
we would find. doubtless, a tempera-
ture equal to that of boiling water at
a depth Of three kilometres. That
would be wonderful source of heat
which could be utilized on the spot or
elsewhere.
f}ut, for different reasons, it would
interesting to descend further.
-, the geothermic rate Of old the
.es is to-day moot question. Sound
.,s in different districts have proven
x it varies according to the nature
- the ground. In one place the heat
Increases one degree each thirty-three
metres while in another fifty, sixty. or
even 120 metres are necessary to pro-
duce this increase. In other places,
especially in the neighborhood Of vol.
canoes, the thermometer rises one de-
gree in descent of fifteen, or even
ten metres. Thus the temperature OF
H.. l.
places at depth of 5000 metres. in
others at 10000 metres, in still 9th.
ers at 1000 metres. 1t would all de-
pend on the kind of land where the
experiment was made.
The idea of digging a we'll to a
depth of four. five or six kilometres
or deeper appears, without doubt, a
little foolish. What about the money
for the realization of this foolish pro-
ject? This prodigious undertaking
should not increase by even one cent
the budget of the civilized countries
which would take part in this work.
Soldiers could be employed and a for
eign legion of new order could be
established. whose mission it would
be to explore the interior of the
earth. Soldiers are fed, clothed and
housed for exercise with the rifle and
cannon. This would change the kind
OF exercise, that is all. Squads would
be organized to dig and others to
shovel out the earth. Other squads
would be employed in taking away the
debris, others in making and placing
in position the immense iron arma.
ture of hoops to support the sides OF
the well and others would construct
the necessary workshops and labor in
the foundries. -
Such work would require years
and years. but what matter? Our per.
manent armies are always there
Gradually also we would see that the
millions thrown. every year by the ma
tions into the bottomless abyss of the
war budget might be utilized in a less
barbarous abyss On the other hand
the earth taken out from this i'm
mense hole might be used to max,
small islands, the exploitation O
OF which would produce, in the lonl
run. profit not to be underestimated
And who knows what riches, wha
curiosities geological and paleontolog
cal might not be revealed by this ir
vestigation into subterranean depths
Iron mines. mines of precious metals
seams of gold, platinum and silver
radium, fossils from the most ancien
times. without speaking Of all the III
known world which lies in thos
abysses. And. above all, geolog
would thus follow in the footsteps
her elder sister, astronomy. Is 1t NJ
little humiliating to have brougl
the stars into our range of vision /
the power of the telescope, to 'ha,
measured their distances. to ha,
weighed and analyzed them, and y
TO remain in ignorance Of what III
at few kilometres under our fee
We may think what we please
this geothermic we'll; but our concl
sion will be this:-Let US get to t
bottom of the problem; let US woI