Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-18

This is the last word on the tail of
the comet. Tonight, old mother earth
will go whirling thru million miles of
the tag end OF Halleys sky tramp
without so much as batting an eye.
In every ten cubic feet of the tail
there's a speck so small that no micro
scope can make it big enough to men
ton, and when that hits the air en-
velope, five miles up from Chicago, it
will go bouncing off like a rubber ball
on a cement walk. Just as much
chance for a bit of the tail to come
wriggling down 10 Clark street as there
is for. Il toy balloon to dive to the bot
tom of the lake.
These are a few of the eleventh hour
observations from the galaxy of astro-
nomers at the Yerkes observatory, the
only accredited advance agents Of the
terrestrial wanderer.
No Fun Even in Cyanoeen.
Spectroscopic photographs taken last
night even did away with the single
element counted upon for any fun.
Several days ago somebody said there
would be cyanogen gas in the tail, that
big clouds Of this might come swoop-
ing down in the dark Of the night, slip
thru the cracks in the windows, and
get into folks lungs. and maybe jus.
kill off the whole town There was
a general scurrying for dictionary and
medical references and it was discov-
cred that cyanogen might do this and
it even might do that, as matter of
fact, when it came to sluicing around
thru Chica COS SCOT laden atmosphere
+h yr-ta ~ ,;.yt,t n
Now the cyanogen scare, that every
body has been shivering about just a
little, is gone. Because photographs
last night revealed the fact that there
is not a speck of cyanogen in the tail.
What little is left is up in the head,
already millions of miles away and
going.
Prof. Edwin B. Frost, who has been
keeping tab on the comet up to the
last minute. said last night in an adj
dress delivered before the Press club
that only the foolish held any appre-
hension over the coming of the comet.
Can't Tell What It Might Do.
No danger is TO be feared, tho there
is no telling what the old comet may
do 1t seems that it has performed
several queer tricks since it began
visiting the earth in 240 B. c. Oc-
casionally it wraps up its tail and
gets along pretty well without it.
Again, it quits making tail and de-
tached chunk goes willing away some
where by itself. Every now and then
it bumps against something turning a
corner and gets a bad fracture in the
tail.
Professor Frost thought it rather I'M
usual that the public should be so
stirred up over the comet.
Very little is to be seen without the
aid of a telescope, and the ordinary
layman will experience no unusual
sensation as we pass thru the tail of
the comet he said.
You Can Not Smell the Gas.
The tail is still stretched out enough
so that it will reach Chicago. but any
one who stays up long enough to get
a *. of some new sort of gas will
be sadly appointed. It seems that
the great pro. ntion the earth has Is
the fact that some lick layers of ordi-
nary atmosphere protect it from the
flying tail particles the contents of
solid cubic mile of which could be
slowed away between the particles OF
tea in the bottom of cup without at
racing attention.
And if the word Of Professor Frost is
not reassuring enough Prof. Frederick
c. Leonard, the 13-year-old son OF
Mark Leonard, who has been studying
I'll the comet since last December. said:
"Why, there is utterly no fear from
the comet. The atmosphere protects US
beyond peradventure OF a doubt and
we will be disturbed in no manner
Whatever"
Expects Meteoric Displays.
Prof. Forest r, Moulton OF the Uni
versity of Chicago will keep watch on
the comet az day and most of the ev-
ening. He declared yesterday that he
would not use a telescope.
Il expect to see some beautiful
meteoric displays, If the atmosphere Is
not too cloudy" he said. "our telescope
is too small to be Of much service. and
I think I will see more with the
eyes. Ordinarily the day on which the
comet reaches perihelfon Is rather
cloudy, mad it may be that We shall not
see anything. It is impossible to tell
in advance just what the conditions Tor
viewing Halley's comet will be.
again should like to inform all