The Washington times., 1923-06-07
GLACIAL PERIOD
ABOUT DUE,
He SAYS
Ice Fields Are Slowly Moving
Forward, Declares American
Museum Curator.
By ELSIE MCCORMICK,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

NEW YORK, June Good news
for those who have been sweltering
in June heat waves was offered to-
6av bv DR.. Chester Reeds, associate
curator at the American Museum
of Natural History, who stated that
q large number of glaciers are
steadily advancing both in Europe
and America. In view OF this fact,
DR.. Reeds said. Capt. Donald j.,
McMillan's expedition to the Arctic
80 seek more evidence Of the re-
turn OF a glacial epoch may bring
back material of extreme scientific
value.
sit is by no means beyond the
range of possibility that we are
approaching another glacial age, !"
said DIR. Reeds, who is known as
an international authority on glacial.
aty., '.As we do not know the cause
Of such epochs, we cannot foretell
their coming with any degree Of
certainty; but the fact that they
occurred before with almost rythmic
periodicity makes the idea Of their
return quite within the bounds OF
reason.
year before last the Allalin
glacier near Zermatt advanced 40.
feet. It Is now moving at an In
creased rate and has blocked an Inn
portant pass. Recently the Letcher
glacier has advanced 270 feet, the
Echwanenberg 2S1 feet, the Biserten
345 feet. The lower Grindel wall is
moving at rate of six inches
daily. In fact, 1T is. reported that
nearly a hundred important Swiss
glaciers under observation are adj
vAncing.
But Some Are Retreating.
This tendency is not universal.
Some glaciers, owing to local condi.
lions, are retreating. But the fact
remains that such q marked ad.
vance on the part of so many i'm.
DOrtant Ice fields deserves very
careful scientific attention"
Captain McMilIan's expedition
should bring back much valuable
data concerning the movements Of
the Polar Ice cap and the behavior
OF the Arctic glaciers" DIR. Reeds
said. "As for the Antarctic, 1t. IL
known that the position OF the Ross
barrier is changing but as yet no
accurate measurements have been
made"
DR.. Reeds declared that there are
III different theories advanced by
eminent astronomers and paleontol-
0gists concerning the cause Of gla.
cial epochs. Among the various
hypothesis sponsored by high scien.
tific authorities are the decrease OF
carbon dioxide in the air, passing
rof the solar system through regions,
of the universe in which there are
no stars, intensive volcanic activity
with accompanying SCOT clouds,
slight eccentricity Of the earth's or
bit, and decreased heat radiation Of
the sun. In regard to the lest
named possible cause the 4 per cent
decrease in the SUMS heat reported
by several authorities during the
last two years. takes onSa new sig
nificance.
New York Temperature, Is degrees.
During the last glacial epoch,
three great ice packs originating
east and west of Hudson bay and in
British Columbia moved down upon
the territory now occupied by the
United States" DR.. Reeds said.
''The pack, which was thousands
Of feet thick, reached as Ear south
as st. Louis. On the Atlantic coast
it extended to New York and COM
pletely covered Staten Island. The
western limit of the Ice were the
States Of Kansas and Nebraska, al
though there were local glaciers as
far as the Pacific coast. 1t is prob
able that during the entire period OF
thousands OF years the average
temperature Of the region around
what is now New York City never
rose above Is degrees.
America was uninhabited at the
time of the last glacial epoch. The
men Of Europe, however, retreated
to caves in Spain and southern
France, where they and their
descendants shivered miseraLly
through uncounted centuries. This
period had q tremendously great
effect in developing mans mentality
and ingenuity; in fact, many
scientists, among them Ellsworth
Huntington, say that man never
would have risen to his supreme po.
eition above other animals IL 1t
had not been for the hard schooling
Of the glacial era.
Perhaps another glacial epoch
will develop him into q superman-
If 1t doesn't exterminate him alto