The Nome daily nugget., 1935-12-02

ovpara." But the Suns readers were waiting eagerly To know if there was human life on the distant planet, and on August 2S that curiosity was satisfied. The astronomers were looking upon the cliffs and crags of new part of the satellite: But whilst gazing upon them we were thrilled with astonishment to perceive four sue cessve tlocks of birds descend with a slow. even motion from the cliffs on the western side and alight upon the plain. =. About half of the first party had passed from our canvas, but of all the others we had a perfectly distinct and de- liberate view. They averaged four feet in height were covered, except on the face, with short and glossy copper -colored hair and had wings composed of a thin membrane, without hair, lying snugly upon their backs, from the top of the shoulders to the calves of the legs
 The face, which was of yellowlsh flesh color, a slight improvement upon that of the orangntan being more open and intelligent in its expression, and having much greater eX- panse of forehead. The mouth, however, was very prominent, though somewhat relieved by a thick beard upon the lower jaw, and by lips far more human than those of any species of the Smia genus -. These creatures were evidently engaged in conversation; their gesticulation, more particularly the varied action of the hands and arms, appeared impassoned and emphatic. We hence inferred that they were rational be- ings, and, although not so high an order as oth- CTS which we discovered the next month on the shores of the Bay of RainbOws, that they were capable of producing works of art and con- triyance We scientifically denominated them the vespertilio.homo, or manbat: and they are doubtless innocent and happy creatures" The Suns circulation sky-rocketed to 15,OO0 to 10000, to 1S00O-on up to 19360, the largest of any daily in the world" It's press had to run 10 hours day to turn out enough papers to meet the demand.
 The next installment comprising 11,00O words was printed on the three succeeding days. In il was revealed the discovery of the great Temple of the Moon, built of polished sapphire, with a l roof of some yellow metal, supported by columns | 70 feet high and six feet In diameter. In the | valley of the temple new set of man-bats was discovered. Then one night, when the astron omers finished work, they negectfully left the telescope facing the eastern horizon. The rising sun burned hole 15 feet in circumference through the refecting chamber, and ruined part of the observatory. When the damage was re paired the moon was invisible, and the narrative | came to an end
 | Although the story had ended, echoes of | | were being heard far outside the Suns circula | tion territory. In Paris the Sun articles were translated into French and issued as illustrated pamphlets. The same thing was being done il
 
 home of the fictitious Supplement to the Edin burgh Journal of Science!
 | And then came revelation that the whole thin. was a gigantic hoax! A reporter on the Nev York Journal of Commerce named Finn met reporter on the Sun named Richard Adam | Locke. Finn told Locke that his editor had in structed him to get extra copies of the Sun con
 taining the moon story because the Journal o
 Commerce going to reprint it the next day
 Don't print it right away" said Locke 'Yo'
 know, wrote that story myself"
 Instead of being grateful for being saved iron
 printing the fake, the Journal of Commerce i'm
 mediately denounced the story as hoax. Othe
 newspapers took up the cry.
 | But the Sun did not immediately confess hoy | 1t had fooled not only its readers but al
 most the whole scientific world. Finally Ol
 September 16 it printed long editorial discuss
 ing the moon stories and mentioning the wide spread interest they had aroused It said
 "Some persons of little faith but great good ma ture who consider the moon story as 1t Is vul garly called, an adrot fiction of our own, ar