Arizona republican., 1920-02-10
By Frederic J. Haskin

NASHlNGION, D. C. Feb. S.- While some other world is supposed to be trying to send us wireless messages, some of our professors and scientists plan communication from our end. One astronomer is going up in a balloon to observe the plants more closely, and study ways of letting other worlds know that the earth is inhabited.
 Another professor has invented a multiple charge rocket which will ex plode at various points in it's flight thus providing additional motive power at each explosion. With this rocket he believes that he can test the character of the air two hundred miles above the earth: while a similar rocket built on a giant scale to weigh say 1,200 pounds. would if properly directed reach the moon.
 Some wireless experts believe that we shall soon be able to exchange wireless messages with such of the planets as may be populated. Five minutes was once set by an electrical authority as a reasonable length of time for a radio impulse to flash be- tween the earth and Mars. Compare this five minutes with the amount of time it would take an airplane to reach our nearest neighboring planets. A plane travelling steadily at 200 miles an hour could go almost 5000 miles in 24 hours, and could cover million miles in 200 days. Venus is at it's nearest approach 25,000.000 miles from us, and Mars is 35,000,0 900 million. This gives some idea of the distance of space. and also of the speed of wire less that. it is estimated, could cross the void in five minutes.
 Whether some other world has mas tered radio to greater extent than the geniuses of the earth is the mereSt guess work. But this is not the first time that mysterious signals have been received by wireless operators. Signor Marconi reported unaccountahle dis turbances a year ago, and some years before that another electrical expert had a similar experience.
 That these wireless disturbances might possibly come from the planet Venus is the opinion expressed by Dr.. Charles c. Abbott of the Smithsonian institution.
 We have not yet proved the exist ence of life on Venus,'' says Dr. Abbott, but conditions there are more favor able for life than on any of the other worlds except our own
 Mars he maintains, "is absolutely incapable of supporting life, and there fore could not be the outside party try ing to signal the earth
 Students of radio have attempted to explain the queer sounds coming from some great distance as messages from another planet. As Mars has repeat edly been people by scientists and fic- ton writers, it is usually selected as the planet most likely to be paging the earth. This idea is all wrong, accord ing to Dr. Abbott.
 Mars he states, lis as dry as any desert in the world. In fact, the Sahara would be quite damp to human exist ence. this precludes the possibility or life there.'
 from the fact that there are no clouds surrounding it to create yapor. That there are no seas or rivers on the dyIHs planet was long ago decided by as- tronomers.
 The idea of life on the planet was advocated through the discovery of the so-called canal of Mars, in 1877. some astronomers immediately deduced that the network of straight lines discovered was gigantic irrigation system by which an ingenious race Of Martlans supplied thier fields with moisture Tn a last stand for existence.
 The source of the water supply, ac- cording to this theory, is the snow and ice fields at the poles. White circles are plainly visible at the poles of Mars at times. but astronomers differ as to their character. Some say that they are dopsits of frozen carbonic acid gas, which idea spells entirely the theory of polar water supply. Others think that the white patches may be ice but even so, there may be only a thin skim like frost. for 1t is believed that a layer a quarter of an inch thick would make the surface appear per fectly white.
 Whether seas of ice form a { the poles of Mars or not. it is difficult to con ceive of sufficient water being obtained to irrigate six hundred canals, stretch ing over thousands of miles. Imagine canals five or ten miles wide dug from Boston to Mexico City, and from Se- attle to Atlanta, and then. with this as a scale, imagine 600 such engineer ing projects, and you have vague idea of what you must believe if you accept the Martian canal theory.
 Astronomers who refute the canal story say that the lines seen are op- tical illusions. Occulists make various experiments 10 show that at certain angles or distances crooked lines ap- pear straight, or a series of short lines seem to be one continuous line. Some thing of this sort may be the explana- tion of the Martian canals. At times the surface of the planet appears marked only with numerous shorty lines .4pJ fbnf, ..oaiy, he long straight lines