The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1912-03-02
CHAPTER VII.
The Waters Begin to Rise.

'teITOrs or the Third Sign had occurred
In September. Since then the sky had
nearly resumed its normal color, there
had been no storms, but the heat of
summer had not relaxed. People were
puzzled by the absence of the usual in
dications Of autumn, although vegcta-
tlon had shriveled on account of the
persistent high temperature and con-
slant sunshine.
An extraordinary year." admitted
the meteorclogists but there have
been warm falls before, and it is sim
ply question of degree. Nature will
restore the balance and in good time.
and probably we shall have a severe
winter"
On the 31st of November the brassy
sky at New York showed no signs OF
change, when the following dispatch,
which most of the newspapers triple
loaded and capped with stunning head
lines, quivered down from Churchill,
Keewatin:
During last night the level of the
water in Hudson bay rose fully nine
feet. CONSERVATION reigned this morn
ing when shipowners found their
wharves Inundated, and vessels strain
Ing at short cables. The ice. breaker
Victoria was lifted On the back of
sandy bar. having apparently been
1riNen by heavy wave, which must
have come from the East. There are
other indications that the mysterious
rise began with a bore from the
eastward. 1t is thought tina: the vast
mass OF icebergs set atioat on Davis
strait by the long continued hot weather
melting the shore glaciers, has caused
Jam off the mouth of Hudson strait,
and turned the Polar current suddenly
into the bay. But this is only a theory.
A further rise is anticipated"
starting as was this news. it might
not by itself, have greatly disturbed
me public mind If it had not Leon fol.
immense floods in Alaska end in the
basin Of the Mackenzie river
And the next day an etherogram from
Obdorsk bordered on the grotesque and
ror.
1T is said that in the vast tundra re-
gions, of northern Siberia the frozen
soil had dissolved into a bottomless
slough, from whose depths uprose pre-
historic mammothS, their long hair mat
TED with mud and their curved tusks
OF ivory cleaning like trumpets over
the field of their resurrection The dis
patch concluded with a heart-rending
account of the loss of large party OF
ivory hunters who, having ventured too
lar from the more solid land, suddenly
found the ground turning to block ooze
beneath their feet, and despite their
struggles, were all engulfed within sight
OF their friends, who dared not try to
approach them"
Cosmo Versal, when interviewed, calm
ly remarked that the flood was begin
ming In the north, because II was the
northern part of the globe that was
nearest the heart of the nGbuIa The
motion of the earth being northward,
that end of its axis resemblcd the prov
OF a ship.
But this" he added, 'is not the true
deluge. The Arctic icecap Is melting,
and the frozen soil Is turning into a
sponge in consequence of the heat of
friction developed in the air by the in
rush of nebulous matter The aqueous
Napor, however. has not yet touched
the earth. 1t will begin to manifest its
presence within a few days, and then
the globe will drink water at every pore.
The Vapor will finally condense into
falling oceans"
-. What would you advise people to
do?' asked one of the reporters.
The reply was given in a perfectly
even voice, without change of counte-
nance:
Commit suicide! They have practi-
cally done that already"
1t was nearly two weeks later wht n
the first signs of a change of weather
were manifested in middle ATTITUDES. Ii
came on with rapid yelling of the sky.
followed by a thin, misty, persistent
rain. The heat grew more oppressive,
but the rain did not become heavier.
and after a few days there would be
spell, during which the sun would shine,
though with sickly, pallid light.
There was great deal OF mystifica-
ton abroad, and nobody felt at ease.
Still, the ebullitionS of terror that had
accompanied the earlier caprlces of the
clements were not renewed. People
were getting used to these freaks.
In the middle OF one of the clear
spells a remarkable scene occurred at
Mineola.
1t was like a panorama of the seventh
chapter of Genesis.
1t was the procession of the beasts.
Cosmo Versal had concluded that the
time was come for housing his animals
in the ark. He wished to accustom
them to their quarters before the voy-
age began. The resulting spectacle filed
the Juvenile world with irrepressible
Joy and immensely interested their
elders.
No march of a menagerie had ever
come within sight of equaling this dis
play. Many of the beasts We're such as
no one there had ever seen before. Co.'S
mo had consulted experts, but, in the
end, he had been guided in his choice
by his own judgment Nobody knew as
He had developed In his mind a scheme
for making the new world that was to
emerge from the water better in every
respect than the old one.
Mingled with such familier creatures
as sheep, cows, dogs, and barnyard
fowls, were animals of the past, which
the majority of the onlookers had only
read about or seen pictures of, or per-
haps, in few cases. described in
childhood by grandfathers long since
sleeping in their graves.
Cosmo had rapidly collected them
from all parts of the world, but as they
arrived i'm small consignments and
Reres carried in closed vans very few
persons had any idea OF what he was
doing.
The greatest sensation was produced
by four beautiful horses, which had
been purchased at an enormous price
from an English duke, who never would
have parted with them-for they were
almost the last living representatives OF
the equine race left on the earth--it
financial stress had not compelled the
sacrifice.
These splendid animals were dappIe
gray, with long white tails and flowinG
names borne proudly on their arChinl
necks, and as they were led at the
head of the procession, snorting at the
unwonted scene about them. their eyes
bright with excitement, prancing and
CiuTvetting, cries OF admiration and
rounds OF applause broke from the con.
stsntly growing throngs Of spectators
Those who had only known the horse
from pictures and sculptures were filled
with establishment by its living beauty
People could not help saying to them,
what a pity that the honking auto
I'm its hundred for ms of mechanical ugli,