The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-21
NOCOMBT ON VITV LAST NIGHT
THE storm SKIES NM ",
HERETER IF was
Disappointed WatCheFs Sn Riverside
Drive PREF. Jaesby says That We
Never Dld Hlt q Comets Tail at Jhe
Predicted Time-E. y. Rlre's Theory

Predicted Time-E. y. RIee's Theor,.
You may talk about the disappOint-
ment that attended tho rain at the base
ball season's opening. but Il there ever
was a sad faced crowd Il was the assert
ment Of faithful comet fans that trooped
ont TO Riverside Drive last night. Cloudy
weather then Tain-no game That was
the result u the third IN the evening series
be,ween the earth and Mr. Hallsy's
comet,
In the midst Of all the con lecture that
spread itself around th3 world yesterday
there was one reaasuring note from tho
Pacific slope Out there the astronomers
sent word that they saw the head Of the
comet night before last just after sunset
for a very few minutes before IL duckcd
into tho sea Now that was something
like in the opinion Of Prof Harold Jacoby
of Columbia. for It showed that all was
right with the world after all aud the
comet was where Il should IT, Tho
astronomers were beginning to wonder
whether thSrs really was anything In
their old science anyway when the tail
fell down On il part two evenings in
succession and made things WORSE by
stallinG along and showing up just before
dawn.
Il didn't throw matters out Of killer
at all just because We didn't go even a
tip Of the thing Thursday evening At
sunset time. Out theTs in the California
observatory they are up in the air pretty
we'll 10 begin with and besides they have
an unohstrIctsd horizon.
-Ths view that We had from Riverside
Drive said Prof Jaeoby early last eve
ming was blocked by the Jersey hills 10 a
certain extent and more yet by the haze
that will always hang around a big city.
These two things would cut "a about 10
/ degrees from our horizon
4 Also the California ast runomers saw
the head only for few minutes and then
/ IL chased after tho SIN. And as for that
tail we'll. tho astronomers arrn't going
TO no very much surprised II % j. next
seen tied into how knot
You see the point is that We have never
really passed through a comet, $ tail when
the event was predicted said Prof
lacOby, granting. u course, that We
have passed through il this time This
IL the first time that the event has oc-
CURED When HAlley's comet came sew
enty-fve wears ago We missed the tail
They say that one other tail threw Itself
around VA. but We didn't know Il until
after the event had happened. For that
reason all % or calculations about the
thing have a certain element OF conieC-
tlrs IN them aud the best time 10 tell what
has actually happened will be after every
thing 10 over
For the present We must content our
selves With waiting Then some little
time after this tension n over presume
that the men who have been actively en-
gagged ia making calculations will write
out What they saw from the notes they
are making Everything will appear q
trhs different when the whole thing IN
over Then the TepOrts " all these men
will be collatrd and we shall b. able 70
tell where We are or where We were
Just now oil ws eau do 10 Wait
Front doors Wers popping open along
the oruas streets " Manhattan last MI ht
Just after the dinner hour aud persons
we're stepping out 10 have a look around
They STOOD On the afOOps for a few min
utes aud twisted their necks up 81 ths
ribbon VI CiOudine.s that showed above
their walled ia streets aud then they vent
back made with a look Ip and down
10 ses whether any one had observed
them Thar half ashamed attitude was
characteristic VI the Riverside Drive
gaEsrs too.
The binocular brigade was not in evi.
denoe aud the amateurs didn't like 10 ~
-een when there wasn't . chance 10 pick
up the tail And vet they weFen't going
away Il anything was going 20 haPpsn
~ they COMPROMISED by strOlling along
40 II Il Was the cool evening air they
wanted or walked pretty fast a. Il they
Were going somewhere. Only few sat
down on the park wall and looked s'oidly
~ the heavy clouds In the west
With the upper West Side still showing
signs u Interest the Fast Side is just
about as excited 90 ever. One way u
finding out what they really feel is 10 SO
how their visits 10 palmsts keep up
Abe HICKMAN. the boss seer % hvingtOn
street, who was sought out a. sOOn a.
the comet came close 70 me-, has HE wait
ing room filed With advice hunters these
DAYS They ell SEEM 10 believe that an
earthquake will 10 the highest effect u
the sky trailer All the Way up 20 CON-
plete destruction their ideas run. for
many " them cant shake the Thought
that collision il bound 20 happen. Ale =
Il tell them all said he. that the
earth got through a visit like this seventy
i've years ago and why shouldn't Il do y
again
The report from the Yerkes Observa-
tory Green Ray. Wis Ot "a broad SPEC.
tTum extending acrOs- and a considerable
distance 20 each side Of the sun con
vinoes ELIAS T. Ries. y T.. Of this city "
the truth Of theory he has regarding the
behavior OF comets IN general and ~
Hallsy's comet IN particular. Mr. kies ~
nrepaTinR a paper on the subject that 10
10 hs read before the American AssOcia-
tiOn for the Advancement Of Science, %
which he - a member His theory has 10
do with grHvitational attraction and re-
pulsiOn aud from the workings OF Il h
deduoed the idsa that the earth DID not
nass through the tail OF Hallsy's comet,
and moreover will not. solely because Ot
the repulsion exercised by tho slrth's
surface.
Mr. Riss's theory u that the positive
attraction Of the sun Tor the slight mas
Of the nucleus Of the comet " changed
into repulsion a. soon a. the come; ac-
tually 4 reached This causes the de-
teaching of pan % the mas 81 the nucleus
which goes with other thing TO make no
the tail Of the comet. The comet, swing
inR around IN ice orbit. eventually comes
into line between thu sun and the earth.
being then nearer 10 the earth than Ia
the sun A. this stage. Il there were not
the KravitatiOnAl attraction and repulsiOn
the tail Of the comet would spread out
directly over the earth, 90 rather ~ that
the earth hiss % pass through IL.
The attraction q the sun Tor the nucleus
% the comet. acting ~ reDulaiOn for the
tail. forces the tail toward TIE earth but
not strongly enough 20 oyerootns the