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About The news-herald. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1909-1911 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 1909)
i AH what could be the matter. In u fw moment, when Hi - 1 HtmW we I.a.l recovered from our fear, ve saw the light disap- M&-$ :,r- r..i.iKi-K ntcrnS. we feund hole In the ground.1 W 'W .. - TO&W in it a hall of light. Wo retired to a little distance. 1 lt WXWWW '-a exhalations or .-tars which went out without kvj . SWCfc iol,o. Wo .turned after a li.tio and found in tho hole, Ah. -'' c lu't stone wo could hardy handle. This, on the , text " fViSlB8 :Tr.1 day. wo taw look, d like a pi-co of iron. All ttight It ;?$P453 " W?l'U rained Mar-. We saw m fall to the ground, as thor " ' to he ,Mi..,.lshcd while vet hh;h -P." Sel mm " '' -. ''" "'.v one known to have reached ' V v f$Z$rt$X I '. -l.V '(..net. there ' V; 1-1 "f "f '''" showing Filch -felife $$R- ",,l,s" fmm ,0,1,r!,,",i,m i,f,or Kroat tpmmsmsaUK astronomers announce ;!'' ' A--sott3tea., Tft that Hallcy's comet ia ap- SfU -'i' WtW ' I - ! proaohlnB the cah at the rate ,f a million SM.sMm " 1 ! .niloH a day. A9 Ilallcy'a i, tho mo8t .plea- & ! dldly attractive (otherwise the most alarming) of all iW'' M T "SV- isXOBBOiBrt our regular comets, they add that wo need not fear riV Vv V'Dvb mVvftiSti fyN I that It will strike the earth, because It will not come 1- il&m elH,er tons than 13.000.oou miles. A&vV;; . 4,? fl (te: This is tho Kclentlfic Kchcdule, hut that does not ; - ,. . V ' l-4g I 169 5 awo on the approach fc-fov, K,k:mM 1m lL j of our mKt remark- MP3JES?822ITOH!TO:OT? -A- ' M'mN feTJi , ablo comet, from as!:- 'aVf-- 0)4i cr ' '11 feSuaailsdl son it loaves the BcleR. ; :.M,-.rf,r,;- ::: -M:i : VT" . A . l::-"-'f'v- 'Vf:tv:r:fc7fv4f.-;- ; V s U v;v.a , . fc i I:,, i-vv ? v ... ': t ! .' x W- I II ' . - .v f -. .. - (' . v.or .. - I "H . '. . : -.- .,- .... . ..; f H Ti "i UTL. y CJ J lilie seherj.'ile, as I'iela's co:att did when it did the most remarkable tliiiiR thus for known in the history of tho solar system since men have bcRiin to watch tho n):y. That is. alter coming hack over and over on schedule time, until it was supposed to he as regular r.s the earth itself, it t-plit In two, underwent liaal ship wreck Fomoivhcrc in tho heavens, and according to the last supposed to be known of it, fell on earth several hun dred Miles tioulhoast of Kl I'aso, Tex. The probability that this was tho last of that comet is conceded by such cautious astronomers as Prof. Young or Princeton. It Is an authen tic iccord. valued because it is about as near tho history of Uiela's comet as we will ever get. U is certainly lost, and it in thought that we have the last trace or it on earth now in a lump of nickel-iron vhi. h fell in Mexico, when supjiosed frapnier.ts of the lost comet (called "Hielids" after tho as tronomer, P.iela, who discovered it) were being watched for and expected to fall In a shower somewhere en earth, if they were not burned to vapor by heat from friction as they were being whirled through the earths atmosphere in falling. Although Ilalley's comet has been coming hack regularly every 7(i or 77 years since it b: supposed to have appeared with Its tail lillim,- the ' ':'::.. :'. APPEARED t" i II i Jfio "sr w L-f-cfl I I I I. '. .1. . I K. iJ- . iMiiS-i''!! 'f!t 3r V: ft "11 ti.'.-i. . I , v i'''BniIt;M. ill- :ut, ... t( -fi Sc:- j '.I'll w' A bBirUD'cf385 JUPPQStD FRMrlltiT OFWELffS COMET AMQFAtl SH0HM COURSE OF MLLLYiS COMET JUHJHQ 909 A090 sky bofore ti e fall of Jerusalem, ft may end Jinally jih licla'u comet did, falling In a star shower cm earth, or on gome other planet, or Into the mn, or scattering through space around the sun In masses perhaps of nickel iron, unseen on earth, unless tho earth cap tures them out of space and sets them blazing through the sky as they fall. Surposo wo wero to capture Ilalley's comet and It were really to fall, what would become of tho earth or of the comet? That Is a fair question for all who wish to keep a proper scientific awo of our finest reg ular comet. It may offer something to take the place of tho unscientific awe which used to soud thousands to their knees, remember ing their sins and praying for pardon as soon as Ilalley's comet began to spread its magnifi cent tall across tho sky. In other words. It made tbem try to think, which was. no doubt, the best thing a comet could do for uem. Another Important question Is whether Ilal ley's comet will bring its magnificent tall hack with It, restored to Its ancient and awful splendor. If It does not, tho world, learned and unlearned, will be disappointed, for a cotnet without a tall Is not nwful or sublime enough to -bo worth growing cither enthusias tic or repentant over. We cannot tell about . the tall. It may como back with the comet, reduced SO per cent., or it may finally bo lost altogether or Increased back to awful mngnill ceneo. -dreaming across the sky In such a spectacle as can he hoped for on earth only once hi n lifetime. If It recovers its tall in Its full historic splendor, Ilalley's will be too tnngelllcent a comet to be lost, according to our ways of looking at comets. It ls not a third ruto as tronomer's comet, like Nlola's, hut a comet for everybody, with all mankind Interested In It. It may set all tho gongs in Asia beating while wo are watching it through telescopes. Mil lions who do not know enough to bo fright ened at the idea of Its striking tho earth may find It awful enough to make them try hard to think, with results which, while they last, may seem to them tho most awful they ever felt in their lives. While all who are Intelligently interested In comets will want Ilalley's back regularly, tail nnd all, as something to think about, there Is a chance that It will lose Its tall and also a chance, very renioto now, that it tuny bo shipwrecked finally and lost In space. It Is a "chance" only until tho law Is learned. The chance Is worth discussing only in tho hope of learning more of the law. Can a comet lawfully get out of its regular path and be pulled down finally by tho inrth or some other planet? T1int is a question of law and as' far as we have learned the law the answer is that It can. Wo do not know much yet about the law. All we are beginning to' Arid .out' dates from the night In January. 1S4C. when Prof. Challls looked through his telescopo at the Cambridge observatory nnd could not believe his eyes. The spectacle he saw In the heavens was too astonishing to believe. It waft Mela's comet split Into two distinct comets. Such a thing had never bren heard of or imagined ns pos sible, lint in some wny It had actually oc curred. Had tho cornet xploded by Its own forces? Had It como In reach of the attrac tion of one of tho planrU nnd been pulled npnrt? What must become of a comet after being thus split til pieces? Could it como within range of the earth and be captured and pulled down to the surface? If so. would it jar tho earth in its orbit or set the planet on fire? All vc will ever have In the way of a final answer to these questions us they belong to the complete and final loss of Iliela's comet is given officially now In the records of Mex ico In the statement recorded by Senor Jose A. y Honilla, director of the nstronomical ob servatory in the state of Zacatecas. In No vember, 18Sr, It was supposed that between the twenty-fourth and twenty-ninth of the month the earth would pass in spaco through or near tho fragments left by Klola'B comet. As they were then called "Dlelids," it had been concluded that they were a swarm of hundreds of thousands or perhaps of mil lions of small masses? of meteoric matter, per haps weighing from an ounce up to a ton or moro. It was feared that If the enrth passed through them and drew them to the surfaco In daylight they would not be seen at all, but would either burn up in gas or else fall In a few scattering stones on distant parts of the earth. This may have occurred in other places, but on a ranch near Mazapil, In tho state of Zacatecas, one of them (or a mass of nickel-Iron belonging to some group of tho same kind) was seen to fall and recovered at once by the owner of the ranch, who mado the deposition taken down in Spanish by Senor rtonllla and translated by William Karl Hid den, to closo the last chnpter In the story of Iliela's lost comet: "It was about 7 o'clock on tho night of No vember 27 (188u)." said the ranchman In his deposition, "when I went out to the corral to feed the horses. Suddenly I heard a loud, sir. ring noise, exactly ns though something red hot was being plunged Into cold water and al most Instantly there followed a somewhat loud thud. At once the corral was covered with a phosphorescent light, while suspended In tho air were small, luminous sparks, as though from a rocket, I had not recovered from my surprint; before I saw this luminous ulr disappear hi J thero remained on the ground only stu b a 1 1 li t as Is made when a match Is rubbed. A number of people camo heat as the telescope shows in ft much larger way on tho face of the moon. As this was considered the most distinguished visitor that had ever reached the earth from Infinite space. It was presented ns a mark of his distinguished consideration by Prof. Ilonilla to William Karl Hidden, as one of the most distinguished Ameri can mineralogists, who was also an authority on meteors nnd meteorlu minerals. Analysis showed that It was 91.26 per cent, iron, 7.81 per cent nickel, C'l-luO per cent, cobalt. :;o-)00 per cent, phosphorus, with traces of sulphur, carbon nnd chlorine. Mr. Hidden wrote its history in the American Jour nal of Science. In tho century Magazine of August. 1 hS.1. ho answered the question, "Is It a piece of n comet?" by summing up the evidence in connection with tho known history of Iliela's lost comet, since It split in nnd returned as two comets in 1 S52. to disappear finally in what were supposed to bo a swarm of "hielids. "At the time of tho fall of this meteorlto" (in Mexico), Hidden writes, "it was 10 hours after the maximum number of meteors was ob served. Tho earth was meeting with only tho stragglers of the train. It cannot be doubted that the cosniicnl dust proceeding from tho disintegration of Iliela's cornet wholly envel oped the earth and was seen as meteors from every part of it. Such was the magnificence of tho celestial phenomena in some parts of the eastern continent that some people be lieved there would be no moro stars left la tho sky." Iliela's comet had returned regularly In a period of a little less than seven yeads until it underwent complete shipwreck In the heavens. No one ever expects to see It again. Tho end. as far as known, Is this star shower In tho night the Honilla hlelld was picked up In Ma zapil, to give us the best knowledge we Ajve of what may be expected when a comet falls. Iliela's lost comet does not compare with Ilalley's, which must havo billions of stones or small and largo masses of matter, probably nickel-Iron, In Its magnificent head. If It wcra shipwrecked by Jupiter, by the earth or by any other planet, these, If they were drawn close enough by the planet to break the hold the sun haB on them, may do a number of interesting things. They might revolve around the earth at a distance, collecting In such a ring ns that of Saturn, which Is supposed to ho composed of an Infinite number of such stones, or they might whirl closer and closer In revolving around it until finally the largest of them, which do not burn up In the atmosphere by friction, must fall as this hlelld fell in Mox. iro. The hopo of getting n beautiful earth ring, such as that of Saturn's, by capturing comcN, Is very small. If only because comets have not matter enough in them to ruako It. 1 " tJtTl' Yd' MM;tily hh; ntl tutrnt z slid, I 1 rlorm ile til met Wld ilc piliir !r;Hlii'h twlnkun" w'T li:en y ' nim'.'H yn' f.rf, but 1 w nun ler o il yo', Mliitifh. rc m il.iy yn'll l:i v ti r t;ilk 'Itniil '! w!ii i's 1 ti why i'n whikf" hte ilifYunt iijH yn' walk. Kn yn" Lei I' ll In- u-llilnklrt' iri yn? K"lii' f. r trr My l er iley yn" on dr prng'sm 41 J JiiIkiiiIiiI I my ! Kn It's wat4i rn prnj In ile nnrri r way (Ain't lilt so') I'i r 1.1 y sot yu en do ini:'n n 4 J'i!,;inliil liiiy. l)i V'n it lir:ip n' things yo's iti" 4.tb nt l lllltl'll'il up will clnulit Kn yn' projleh mistily Hian'lww. HCt tn' llilnk yn' uln'l fo'inil out. Hi y's 11 hit nil low-down me-caMftii fci- rii il iiiidi Iini'iilli yo' litil It 11 1 yo' i . hi yo' Hlnn'-up rolli n " Will. Il-.'ll-rlllllll Will pl'lil", tint He neali-s ilontr linlil no rnJ" when il... I.uw.i linil.1 &C K wi l:;li - '.n iley i;ot yo' cm l pri)K'JJ Ifcr in J. ilcml.il. liny. O, y" Nlirrp ilat rlri.f ' Klivl ile tvirrer way illit '. in linliil, HrnHi-h'. I'i r ley unt i " mi el'j iiroR'air J Jeii:inl:it Imy. pej 'll bo ?liii;iii', iley'll ti" f,H'.r V.'n", Hir'lf lie loin nil Itei pln' mill, Hut iluli won't lie it- cllsplaJnln. Vr sV Holler i:iy yo' Mil. Kn yo' riiln't he Hi; (n saw k.tm JKy uli ip yu' to yo' oniil Kn iley p'ltit o' to tie nmnbh Ail 4ty Kivn o' on ile lii roll, Ho yo" I11U1I1 lie M-ttiinltlri' what y" f r ti r k:i y Fi r 'lev (;ot yo' on cP: pros' f Je,l;mliil I M V. Kn vo' In Iti li f.lsy In ile iiinnr way (Allien! H.iy on!) Ti r iliy i,Mt yu' on ile prfK'a.'i fer Jiili;nilnt Hay! ' - He Cot It. "And so Ilalley's cornet h;M bwwi traveling, as you see, for lb in.'.t ft years or more, In tho outer icf. smL Is now within tho field of otK-cnwAk of the largest telescope," mj lr professor, "it Is liriO.OOO.OOO crti from the earth, but next spring fct wtft be much closer, and wo ajstiriirwiiy some interesting discoveries as t attraction or gravity." "As to what, professor?" ass Mn beauteous damsclf, sleepily. "The a! traction or gravity." "Why, has gravity any atUauti? "Oh, yes. You see, Miss Im?rr? " "It hasn't any attraction far . Soon the professor bids bre flaunt by, mentally deciding to mtXa 1Vm calls hereafter upon Miss OWcfrF, H teacher of psychology. Fiendish Revenge. With a cold, calculating smtl k brutal husband enters bis vr boudoir In response to her sum mom. "So you want me to hook yor.r ins for yon, do you? Listen, wanMaf and his face takes on a strangvljr m Ister expression. "You've sai.l a rtf many things ubcut me that Kw rankled In my hosoin, and juat Buym ruled mo with a rod of Iron. Bvt rm lime has come at last. Know vffc:: I'm going to do? I'm going t tr myself this evening, and I'm KiTR leave you here to hook your -is" ir you can!" With a demoniac peal of IwucSinrlut ls gone, leaving a shuddering. nwik, helpless woman crumpled la nv beside her dressing table. No Fatalities. "Although he knew 1 was says our friend with the long hauraaj thick eyeglasses, "he burst rtcflt w upon mo and my ideas went Ut mnW ereens." "Too bad," we commiserate?. "Yes, I told him he had wrcl uj train of thought, nnd he callomij- cuU 1 needn't worry as the Inns rarrhtt no passengers." Accommodating. "Have you any mosqullnenf" 4. he guest of the clerk at the MKnrs hotel. "Hoy!" calls the clerk, arfl'f.miiat.. dly. 'Take somo mosiiiiltnrs t (m. Mr. C.llinpton's room at once. Snrry on have been to nny Inconvirreanv lr."