The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-05-26
PAR|S|ANS FEARED
COMET WOULD KILL
Many Bought Supplies of Oxygen To
Prolong Life If Poisonous Gas
Swept the Earth.

PARIS, May 20.-There Is not
nearly SO much Of a thrill in its wait.
ing upon the coming Of the comet as
Paris had expected, and 1t is not too
much to say that Faris was deeply
disappointed. To be sure rain poured
in q deluge in the small hours when, II
anything dire had been predestined, 1t
should have taken place, but Mont
martre was en- fete Just the same, and
shamed the half-hearted gaYety of the
grand boulevards, where the principal
cafes were only little more lively
after midnight than before, only few
of them remaining open until dawn.
Many so-called comet suppers"
were served; but not even in the
Montmartre district was there any
thing like the wild cheer of Christmas
eve or OF the last night in the old
year.
Possibly the astronomers were large
ly to blame for the certain degree OF
irresolution which was observable in
the matter. At the eleventh hour 1t
appeared that they were far from
agreeing as to the exact date of the
caress which the comet was expected
to bestow upon the earth. One authors.
tative opinion placed the palpitating
moment "a hours later than the hith-
crto anticipated time.
1t followed that there was kind or
reveillon from Tuesday midnight until
sunrise on Friday morning, but 1t was
even less enthusiastic than the other
one.
Aside, however, from those who at
fected to treat the possible death OF
our planet and its inhabitants as a
huge Joke, many thousands of persons
undoubtedly looked forward to the ar
rival Of the comet at its point Of near
est approach TO the earth with some
fear.
Many instances of private purchases
| of tanks of oxygen for use in case The
atmosphere became vitiated by the
deadly cyanogen were reported, and Of
course in the nature Of things the vast
majority of such instances were unre-
ported. Home people who were In the
possession of cellars prepared them
carefully as a last refuge, gluing up
all apertures through which the
death-dealing gas might enter and In
stalling an oxygen supply In instant
readiness for the dread emergency.
The theory of these persons was
that, given the tremendous combined
speed OF the earth and the comet. II
might be possible for them, IL thus
we'll provided, to survive the brief
period OF contact of the two atmos-
pheres, and they saw before them in
this event a wonderful future of new
experiences In thinly populated
fN
to believe that there would be a great
number OF other human beings as for
tunate as themselves.
Certain curious counter facts have
been noted. One Is that, as compared
with the same season in other years,
there has been no appreciable lessen
ing of the sale OF straw hats that could
not be legitimately attributed to the
persistence, until barely a week ago,
OF the cool weather. This, argued
the hatters, showed that the fear OF
the end of the world was not so wide.
spread after all. Furthermore, a credit
house which fits out young couples on
the, installment plan for their first
venture in housekeeping found itself
overwhelmed with orders beyond all
precedent. To the cynic this fact
may be interpreted In two ways: one
is that persons who were expecting
the final cosmic commissions and who
are OF a dishonest turn Of character
would be particularly apt TO enjoy
running deeply into debt without the
prospect OF ever being called upon to
pay The theory would be robbed OF
its ridiculous side II II could be proved
that these same persons had laid In a
copious supply Of oxygen, but. OF
course, right here information Is In
complete.