DeLand news. [volume] (DeLand, Volusia County, Fla.) 190?-1921, 1909-12-24
CLICKING OFF MILES
EVERY SINGLE SECOND
Halley's Comet, Aerial Racer, Comes
Bounding Along.

DVuhuih6 EA'Sh6'
The comet is coming With tn,
planets for quarter posts, it is clicking
off miles with every tick of your watch
! rushing down the race course of infinite
space with swiftness that makes the
snorting red tcnds of the motor tracl
appear like dwadling snails in compari
! son.
From their places in the grandstand
the astronomers, their glasses pointed
out along the farstretching course
already have signaled that Haley.
aerial racer has swung around the las,
corner and settled down for long
straight run to the goal. Soon the
throngs in the blcachcrS and along
the fence will catch the glow of the
monsters headlights, and the ignoran,
and the faint Of heart will shrink back
in alright rs the fiery tcrror's tail
brushes their faces in passing.
1t is Just about three quarters OF a
century now since Ilallcv's comet set
out at the fall of the flag for its long,
grucing drive down the back stretch,
ont into the frozen vaStlr}ss beyond
the ken OF finite minds. 1t is a heart
breaking, tircsomc Journey down that
track. something like 100000 miles,
and the comet struggled with ever
diminishing speed Down that immcnsl
speedway it had carried the weight Of
the suns attraction, and the handicap
had told Rounding the lower turn
the comet was crawling along at only
80 miles a minute.
But now the speed quickencd, Turn
ing ON little more power the comet
hucklcd down for the sprint to the wire
far ahead And to hurry thcrc was
needed TO reach the goal in time there
was only - ! wears BY the time
Neptune far out in the twilight land,
WAS reached a glance at the slrrdo-
meter showed that the comet had hit
the going good ont between Neptune
and Uranus. a few more links were let
out. and the comet came on at the rate
of ~ miles every 90 seconds,
Saturn now doomed up in the racer 5
pathway and the comet bore down on
it, rcrling of $40 miles with every revo-
luton of the minute hand Now, in
decd. there WAS need to hurry! There,
beside the course, stood Jupiter; he, the |
great kidnaper of the skies. Some
thirty or more celestial wanderers have |
been Snatchcd from pleasant gambolings !
among the stars to whrl and flash |
forever III the train of Jupiter, and so
when llallcvs comet approached the
hanger zone it made good Use of its legs,
saving its freedom by a burst OF speed
hat exceeded $40 miles a minute
Now at last the wire is in sight!
Fearing down the home stretch, urged
III by the mighty drawing power OF the
un the comet will hr doing IS; miles a
minute when il leaves the carth'S
lcighbor. Mars, behind Terrific as
hat speed appears. however, it is a
mere cantcr, for. rounding the sun and
llshing under the wire in all the glory of
IS splendid radiance, it will reach the in
onccivablc speed OF SIS miles a min
tc.
Md then. well, the comet will start
II over again. Round and round that
titanic course over which il has sped
ncc time was young il will 60, racing
III To regions UNEMPLOYED, every seventy
We years returning to pay homage to
he bright luminary whose power it
hryS. .
Like all misunderstood phenomena,
pmrtS were once a sOurcc of terror.
lowevcr. il is not the ignorant alone ,
'ho have considered the possibility of ,
olliSiOn with a comet, The French
Ovcrn,nent once referred the matter to ,
5 most able astronomers and received ;
IL following reply: ,
I'VE have found that out OF ,SI,ooo !
90 chances there is only one untavor-
bic. Admitting then, for moment,
lat the comets which may strike the
lrth with their nuclei would annihilate
lc whole human race. the danger of
cath TO each individual. resulting
'om the appearance OF the comet. would ,
{ exactly equal 10 the risk run if in an
ri there WAS only one single white ball
mong total of ,S1ooo,ooo balls and
nat his condemnation OF death would ,
t the inevitable consequence OF the
hitc balls being produced At the first =
rawing. Tampa Times