The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-06-11


tween the fiery star and the greatest of the
planets grew stronger. And the result of that
attracton! Inevitably Jupiter would be de-
necCed from it's orbit into an eliptical path
ana the burning star, swung by his attraction
VICE OF It's sunWard rush. would describe a
curved path" and perhaps collide with, and
certainly pass close to our earth Earth
quakes, volcanic outbreaks, cyclones, sea
waves, hoods, and a steady rise in tempera-
ture 10 know not what limit'-so prophesied
the master mathematician.
And overhead, to carry out his words. lone
~ and cold and liyid. blazed the star Of the
coming DOOM
To many who stared at 1t that night until
their eyes aehed it seemed that it was Yisibly
approaching. And that night too, the weather
changed, and the frost that had gripped all
central Europe and France and England soft
ened towards a thaw.
But you must not imagine because / have
spoken of people praying through the night
and people going aboard ships and people fee
ing toward mountainous country that the
whole world was already in terror because
OF the star. AS matter of fact, use and wont
still ruled the world and save for the talk of
idle moments and the splendor of the night
nine human beings out of ten were still busy
at their common occupations. In all the cities
the shops, save one here and there, opened and
closed at their proper hours the doctor and
the undertaken piled their trades and workers
gathered in the factories, soldiers drilled schol-
ars studied, lovers sought one another, thieves
1urked and fed, politicians planned their
schemes. The presses of the newspapers
roared through the nights and many a priest
of this church and that would not open his
holy building to further what he considered
foolish panic.
The newspapers insisted on the lesson of
the year 1000-for then, too, people had antici-
pated the end The star was no star-mere
gas-a comet; and were it d star 1t could not
Hfssibly strike the earth. There was no prece-
dent for such a thing Common sense was
sturdy everywhere. scornful testing, little
inclined to prosecute the obdurate fearful
That night at 7:15 by Greenwich time the star
would be at It's nearest to Jupiter Then the
world would see the turn things would take.
The master mthematicians grim warnings
were treated by many as so much mere elabo-
rate selfadvertisement Common sense at last.
l little heated by argument. signifed its unal-
.erable convictions by going to bed So, too,
1arbar1sm and sayagery, already tired of the
1oyelty, went about their nightly business and
save for bowling dog here and there the
oeaest world left the star unheeded
And yet, when at last the watchers in the
European states saw the star rise an hour
alter, it is true, but no larger than it had been
he night before, there were still plenty awake
Q laugh at the master mathematician-to take
he danger as If it had passed.
But hereafter the laughter ceased. The
tar greW-it grew with a terrible steadiness
lour after hour, a little larger each hour, a
title nearer the midnight zenith, and brighter
nd brighter, until it had turned night into
ay. Had it come straight to the earth in
tead OF in curved path had it lost no veIoc-
" to Jupiter, it must have leapt the interve.
ing gulf in day; but as it was it took five
avs altogether to come by our planet The
ext night it had become a third the size of
ae moon before it set to English eyes, and the
naw was assured.
It rose over America near the size of the
loon, but binding white to look at and hot;
nd breath Of hot wind blew now with it's
sing and gathering strength, and in Virginia
nd Brazil and down the st. Lawrence valley
shone internationally through a driving reek
thunder clouds, Pickering violet lightning
I'D hail unprecedented. In Manitoba were a
law and devastating foods And upon all the
fountains of the earth the snow and ice began
} melt that night and all the rivers coming
1T of high country flowed thick and turbid.
I'D soon-tn the upper reaches-With swirl.
e trees and the bodies of beasts and men.
hey rose steadily, steadily in the ghostly
last, behind the flying population of their
alleys.
And along the coast of Argentina and I'D
e South Atlantic the tides were higher than
ey had ever been in the memory of man and
g storms drove the waters in many cases
ores of miles inland, drowning whole cities.
I'D SO great grew the heat during the night
at the rising of the sun was like the coming
a shadow. The earthquakes began and
ew until all down America, from the Arctic
role to Cape Horn hillsides were sliding, fls-
res were opening and houses and walls
umbling to destruction. The whole side of
'topaxi slipped out in one vast convulsion
d tu1nult of lava poured out so high and
DAD and swift and liquid that in one day 1t
ached the sea.
So the star, with the wan moon In its wake,
Lrehed across the Pacific, trailed the thunder
rms like the hem of robe, and the growing
al wave that toiled behind it, frothing and
ger, poured over island and island and swept
m clear of men. Until that wave came at
tin binding light and with the breath of
furnace, swift and terrible it came-a wall