The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-03-13

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''Ths Lash OF clfeusnstanee."
S0sstasa o. the 0nows'' y
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Continued from Last Issue.)
Il think not-except atmospherical-
ly."
why the vibrations, the winds, the
terrible air pressure and the vacuum
In which we all SO nearly perished?"
More speculation. The earth I'M
doubtedly sensed the approach OF the
mysterious stranger and evidenced 1t
to the extent Of quivers Of apprehen.
sion. The other physical manifesto
tons were probably electrical, mag
netic and ethereal, while the pressure
and vacuum were caused by actual
physical contact
But did you not say there was no
physical contact"
Except the physical contact Of
their butfeting atmospheres, supposing
that the visitor carried it's own atmos-
phere along with it. or the contact of
Its solid body itself with our atmos-
phere in case 1t had none OF its own.
The result would have been practical
~ the same in either case. Now for
the sake OF the argument let us as
sumo the earth TO be ball as large
as an apple. and our friend Of few
moments ago to be much smaller
ball-say the size OF pea. For the
purpose OF the illustration we will also
suppose the larger. ball which repre-
sents the earth to be moving but
slowly. Now you throw the smaller
ball past the larger one so closely that
It just skins It but with Z distance
the thickness of piece OF paper be-
tween them. You will readily under.
stand that for an instant there is con.
siderable air commotion on . small
scale In that fraction Of second and
fraction Of an inch when the balls are
20 close together-hrst rush of wind
bs the small ball approaches and
forces the air ahead Of 1t, next com.
preston Of air at the closest point be-
tween them, and third the suction
which all rapidly moving bodies Gre
ate behind them and which is a partial
vacuum. This IL illustrated by the
fact that cannon ball may snatch
pne's breath away without hitting him.
It was so with US but upon much
vaster scale. First we had our violent
winds. then the compression when the
visiting body was hurting directly over
our heads. and lastly the vacuum as It
rushed away dragging the air after It.
The gale which followed that was
caused by the air rushing back to
place in the restoration of normal at.
mospheric equilibrium. As soon az
that was restored the wind ceased"
And the awful roar?"
1T could hardly be expected that
The passage OF large body through
space at an inconceivable velocity
would be attended by absolute silence
when 1t comes In close contact with
another body. You know the sound
that bullet makes in passing through
the air. Very well. Now that bullet
might not make 4 sound that the hu.
man ear could hear In passing through
anything as intangible as space, but
you must remember that this body Of
which we speak II hundreds Of miles
In diameter and that whilst modern
bullet travels with q velocity OF only
two thousand miles an hour, this small
world may well be going two hundred
thousand miles IN hour-one hundred
times a. fast. Therefore, no matter
how thin the ether Of space may be
We might we'll expect sound to accom-.
psny an object Of that size travelling
at that enormous speed"
"You spoke, professor, Of the Wis
ltor's having an atmosphere. Would Il
be possible in the event such 10 tho
ease that 1t Is inhabited by human
bsings7" !
II would scarcely think 80. In the
hrst place ito size would hardly seem
TO Justify such thing, yet were it,
pther conditions favorable its area ID
sufficient to support . population Of
several millions. that 10 judging ita
conditions to be similar to those upon
favored places on this earth. But II
.-MulIs110aN 4