Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-05-19
COMET PLAYS
MEAN TRICK
Astronomers Dumbfounded
by Phenomenon With
out Parallel
TAIL VISIBLE IN THE EAST
Earth Entered 1t But Has Not
Yet Passed
1t.

Williams Bay, Wis, May 19.-Set-
ting at variance all scientific figures
and predictions and dumbfounding the
astronomers at Yerkes Observatory
here, the tail of Halley's comet was
plainly visible in the east just before
daybreak today Astronomers have no
explanation to proffer for the phenom-
enon. Professors Barnard and Frost
declare therefore that the earth has
lot passed through the tail as has
! been universally believed. Both agree
that the earth has entered the tail, but
are utterly unable to explain the con-
titon now prevailing which is with
cut parallel in the history of astron-
! omy.
Take Your Choice.
! Williams Bay, May 19.-Later, Pro
] fessor Mitchell of Columbia Universi-
| ty, united with Professors Barnard
and Frost in the announcement that
! the phenomenon might be due to one
/ of three causes: First, the curvature
! of the comets tail, first discovered
/ L
Tuesday night, may have developed to
an wholly unexpected degree while the
head of the comet was passing the
earth on schedule; second. like Boore-
! les comet of 1903, Halley's comet may
have ceased its tail activity, cutting
off the glowing fan that now is puz-
zling scientists; third, it is possible
that all calculations were wrong and
that the comet has not yet passed
the earth.
The Comets Tail is Lagging.
| San Jose, Cal, May 19.-Director
Campbell of the Lick Observatory to-
day furnished the Associated Press
the following: 1.-The earth did not pass
through the tail of the comet up to
daylight this morning. On the con-
trary, even before the moon had set
the tail was visible in the eastern sky
as predicted in my message of We'd
nesday evening. The tail Jagged be-
hind a straight line from the sun
through the head of the comet Its
tagging at the point through which the
earth is expected to pass amounts GER
tainly to several million miles.
Won't Go to Bed.
Rome, May 19.-The most ignorant
members of the population of the
Eternal City are so terrified by the
approach of the comet that they re-
fuse to go to bed and Cardinal Ram
polla has ordered that st. Peters re-
and this adds greatly to the terror.
ond this adds greatly to the terror.
Insane From Fright.
. Hancock, Mich, May 19.-lnsane
from brooding over Halley's comet and
the possibility of it's striking the
, earth, Gustaye Kaiser, aged 72, OF
, Rocyand, hanged himself.
: Will Not Meet at All.
: San Jose, Cal May 19.-If the meet
/ ing with the comets tail is delayed un
: til this afternoon, or tonight, there
will be little doubt that the earth will
not pass through the tail at all, bu1
5 will pass on the south side of it. The
reason is a simple one. The tail lags
tbehind in the plane of the comets
lorbit. The comets orbital plane make:
i. an angle of eighteen degrees with thu
e earth's orbital plane. The retardatiol
i of the tail therefore draws it ava!
q from the plane in which the earth il
r moving!"
I. Kills Himself to Escape Comet.
+ Albuquerque, N NJ, May 19.-
You'll all have to go when the come
hits you Friday. Pm going to bea
you to it.
After giving this warning Augustine
Paresise, an old French ranchman, D
years old, living near Corrales, nortl
. of old Albuquerque, swallowed a com
pound of copper and other poisons las
Thursday. News of the suicide reach
. ed here only yesterday. The old mai
who leaves only young sister, wa
q buried Friday last. 1t is said tina
ever since he was injured about tn
head in runaway fourteen years ag
he had never been right mentally, an
brooding over the expected cometar
disaster proved too much for him. ii
r was we'll known by the old-timers an
II II. 1,riS