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About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1909)
* 35 * Trfi'MKJ-x" \ a * * * i ' . .iJrCawiO1 Zffigte r * tz & ti $ & $ r-- iaMB S &fea TIE astronomers announce that Halluy's comet Is approaching preaching the earth at the rate of a million miles a day. As Halley's Is the most splen didly attractive ( otherwise the most alarming ) of all our regular comets , they add that we need not fear that It will strike the earth , because It will not come closer to us than 13,000,000 miles. This Is the scientific schedule , but that does not keep any'one who wishes to be Inspired with proper awe on the approach of our most remark able comet , from ask ing what might take place If , for any rea son it leaves the scien tific schedule , as Biela's comet did 'when ' It did the most remarkable | thing thus far known In the history jof the solar system since men have begun to watch the sky. That is. 'after ' coming back over and over on ischedule time , until it was supposed 'to ' be as regular as the earth itself , it isplit in two , underwent final ship- 'wreck ' somewhere in the heavens , and 'according ' to the last supposed to be ( known of it , fell on earth several hun- Idred miles southeast of El Paso , Tex. | The probability thqt this was the ilast of that comet is conceded by such cautious astronomers as Prof. Young of Princeton. It is an authen tic record , valued because'it is about ias near the history of Biela's comet 'as ' wo will ever got. It is certainly \ ( lost , and It is thought that we have the last trace of it on earth now in a lump of nickel-iron which fell In Mexico , when supposed fragments of the lost " " comet ( called "Blelids" after the as tronomer , Btela , who discovered it ) were being watched for and expected to fall In a shower somewhere on earth , if they were not burned to vapor by heat from friction as they were being whirled through the earth's atmosphere ( In falling. Although Halley's comet has been coming back regularly every 7G or 77 years since it is supposed to have appeared with its tall filling the f COMET APPEARED I 18SS SHOMHG C0/ff Of WLLEY& COMET &UF/rtr J909 sky before the fall of Jerusalem , It may end finally as Biela's comet did , falling in a star shower on earth , or on some other planet , or linto the sun , or scattering through space around the sun In masses perhaps of nickel- Iron , unseen on earth , unless the earth cap tures them out of space and sets them blazing .through the sky as they fall. I Suppose wo were to capture Halley's comet nnd It were really to fall , what would become of the earth or of the comet ? ' That is a fair question for all who wish to keep a proper scientific awe of our finest reg ular comet. It may offer something to take the place of the unscientific awe which used to send thousands to their knees , remember ing their sins and praying for pardon as soon ns Halley's comet began to spread Us magnifi cent tail ncioss the sky. In other words , it made them try to think , which was , no doubt , the best thing n comet could do for them. ! Another important question is whether Hal- ley's comet will bring its magnificent toll back with it , restored to its ancient and awful splendor. If it does not , the world , learned nnd unlearned , will be disappointed , for a comet without a tall is not awful or sublime enough to bo wotth growing either enthusias tic or repentant over. Wo cannot tell about the tail. It may come back with the comet , reduced 30 per cent. , or It may finally be lost altogether or increased back to awful magnifi cence , streaming across the sky in such a spectacle us cau bo hoped for on earth only once in a lifetime. i If It recovers its tail In Us full historic splendor , Halley's will be too magnificent a comet to bo lost , according to our ways of looking at comets. It is not a third-rate as- tronomer's comet , like Biela's , but a comet for everybody , with all mankind interested in it. It may set all the gongs in Asia beating while we are watching it through telescopes. Mil lions who do not know enough to be fright ened at the Idea of its striking the earth may find It awful enough to make them try hard to think , with results which , while they last , may seem to them the most awful they ever felt In their lives. While all who are intelligently interested in comets will want Halley's back regularly , tail and all , as something to think about , there Is a chance that It will lose Its tall and also a chance , very remote now , that It may bo shipwi eckcd finally and lost In space. It Is a "chance" only until the law is learned. The chance Is worth discussing only in the hope of learning moio of the law. Can a comet lawfully get out of its regular path and be pulled down finally by the earth or some other planet ? That is a question of law and as far as wo ha\e learned the law the answer is that it can. can.We We do not know much yet about the law. All wo are beginning to find out dates from the night In .lanimiy , ISl&Vwhon Prof. Challis looked through his telescope at the Cambridge observatory and could not believe his eyes. The spectacle he saw in the heavens was too astonishing to believe. It was Hiela's comet split into two distinct comets. Such a thing hud never been heard of or Imagined as pos sible. But in some \\ay it had actually oc curred. Had the comet exploded by Us own forces ? Had it come in reach of the attrac tion of one of the planets and been pulled apart ? What must become of a comet after being thus split In pieces ? Could It come running towards mo from the neighboring houses nnd tht'v helped mo to quint the horses , which had become much excited. We wore nfinld of being burned. Wo nil asked what could jje Hio matter. In n few momenta , when we had rc-rovered' from our fenr , wo saw the light disap pear. Bringing lanterns , we found a hole In the ground nnd In It n ball of light. WP retired to a little distance , fearing It would explode and harm UH. Looking up to the sky. wo saw exhalations or stars which wont out without noise. We returned after a little and found In the helen n hot stone wo could barely handle. This , on the next day , wo saw looked like a piece of lion. All night It rained stars. Wo saw none fall to the ground , ns they all seemed to be extinguished while yet high up. " If this Htone , the only one known to have reached the earth out of the "rain of stars , " Is all that Is left of Blolu'B comet , there Is 10" . pounds loft of It In the slmpo of n mass of Iron ore , showing such "pits" from contraction after great heat as the telescope shows In n much larger way on the face of the moon. As this was considered the most distinguished visitor that had over reached the enrth from infinite space , It was presented as a mark of his distinguished consideration by Prof. Bonilla to William Karl Hidden , as one of the most distinguished Ameri can mlneialoglsts , who was also an authority on meteors and meteoric minerals. Analysis showed that it was 91.20 per cent. Iron , 7.84 per cent nickel , C3-100 per cent , cobalt , COM T 30-100 per cent , phosphorus , with traces of sulphur , carbon and chlorine. Mr. within range of the earth and bo captured and pulled down to the surface ? If so , would it jar the earth In Its orbit or set the planet on fire ? All we will ever have In the way of a final answer to these questions as they belong to the complete and final loss of Biela's comet Is given officially now In the records of Mexico ice in the statement iccorded by Senor Jose A. y Bonilla , director of the astronomical ob servatory in the btato of Zacntecns. In No vember , 1885 , it was supposed that between the twenty-fourth and twenty-ninth of the month the earth would pass in space through or near the fragments left by Blela's comet. As they wore then called "Blcllds , " 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 more. It was feared that if the earth passed through them and drew them to the surface 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 Mazapll , In the state of Zacatecas , one of them ( or a mass of nickel-Iron belonging to some group of the same kind ) .was seen to fall and recovered at once by the owner of the ranch , who made the deposition taken down In Spanish by Senor Bonilla and translated by William Earl Hid den , to clobo the last chapter In the story of Biela's lost comet : "It was about 7 o'clock on the night of No vember 27 (1885) ( ) , " said the ranchman In hlH deposition , "when I went out to the corral to feed the horf.es. Suddenly I heard a loud , slz- /.Ing noise , exactly as 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 jihosphorcbcent light , while suspended in the air were small , luminous sparks , as though from a rocket. I had not recovered from my surprise before I saw this luminous air disappear and there lemained on the ground only such a light as is made when n tuh Is rnbbod. A number of people came Hidden wrote its history In the American Jour nal of Science. In the century Magazine of August , 1885 , ho answered the question , "Is it a piece of a comet ? " by summing up the evidence In connection with the known history of Blela's lost comet , since It split In 1846 and returned as two comets in 1852 , to disappear finally in what were supposed to bo n swarm of "biellds.1 "At the time of the fall of this moteorlto" ( in Mexico ) , Hidden writes , "It was 10 hours after the maximum number of meteors was ob served. The earth was meeting with only the stragglers of the train. It cannot bo doubted that the cosmical dust proceeding from the disintegration of Blela's comet wholly envel oped the earth and was seen as meteors from every part of It. Such was the magnificence of the celestial phenomena In some parts of the eastern continent that some people be lieved there would be no moro stars left in the sky. " Blela'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 sec It again. The end , as far as known , is this star shower in the night the Bonilla blelld was picked up In Ma zapll , to give UB the best knowledge wo Aavo of what may be expected when a comet falls. Blela's lost comet does not compare with Halley's , which must have billions of stones or small and large masses of matter , probably nickel-Iron , in Its magnificent head. If It were shipwrecked by Jupiter , by the earth or by any other planet , those. If they were drawn close enough by the planet to break the hold the sun has on them , may do a number of interesting things. They might revolve around the earth at a distance , collecting I if such a ring as that of Saturn , which is supposed to be 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 , \\hlcli do not burn up In the atmosphere by friction , must fall as this blelld fell in Mex ico. The hope of getting a beautiful earth' ring , such as that of Saturn's , by capturing , comets , is very small , If only because comets have not matter enough in them to make it. A GOOD COUGH MIXTURE. Simple Home-Made Remedy That la Free from Opiates and Harm ful Drugs. An effective remedy that will usu ally break up n cold In twenty-four hours , is easily made by mixing to gether In n Inrgo bottle two ounces of Glycerine , a half-ounce of Virgin Oil of Pine compound pure nntl eight ounces of pure Whisky. This mixture - turo will euro nny cough that Is cur able , and Is not expensive ns it makes enough ( o last the average family nn entire year. Virgin Oil of Pine com pound pure la prepared only In the laboratories of the Loach Chemical Co. , ClncinnaM , O. Good Work Goes On. During the year that has passed slnco the International congress on tu berculosis met nt Washington , one In stitution or organization for the treat ment or prevention of tuberculosis haa boon established every day , Sundays nntl holidays Included , according to n bulletin of the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tu berculosis. Fifteen now beds In hos pitals or sanltorin have been provided also for every day of the year. Onn ttpMloncitw < nn < t ajntrnTatri rniny i rlont itlM-iiM'H. n In thuniuiilily iuriil lir Dr. I'lenoi ' lets. 'llio favorite tumlljr Uxallvc. Not to alleviate It wo can all that needs alleviation. Nebraska Directory A Ph rsician Says of UNCLE SAM Breakfast Food AS A CURE FOR CONSTIPATION "In n number of cases of Con stipation in my practice it has given very good results. Several patients claim to be entirely relieved of severe constipation by its use. " Dr. J. T. M. ( Name on request. ) If you don't know its merits ASK YOt'R ' GROCER ABOUT IT HE CERTAINLY KNOWS U. S. B. F.-Co. , Omaha IKJ you Hunt Hit llutl Corn Hliollor nindo ) It so , liiHlRtnn I MARSEILLES CORN SHELLER Wrlto for catalog or sro your local deuler. JOHN DEERE PLOW CO. , OMAHA GORftELL GO. Iliilf TOUCH niul Line inching. New anil com plete engraving ] ) li\nt. 2 ION. ttth Si , , Lincoln. FULL LINE OF PHOTO SUPPLIES HERBERT E. GOOCH CO. BROKERS AND DEALERS drain , Provisions , Stocks , Cotton Main Office. 204-205 PrnlornUy Uld . Lincoln , Nebraska. Jiell Phone 511 ! Auto Phone SOM LiirKCBt Iloune In State. Beatrice Creamery Go. rnya the liluhent price tor Let us make you figures on jour bill. Good grades , quick shipment and low prices. Direct to consumer. F.WBrown Lumber Co Lincoln Neb . , , , , , COLLEGE Htiabllshed 25 year * . 900 student , Uit year. V Wldsa Ve. practical , thorough. 1'qulpt lor moiiern tmilne , , llle and to hold the hlghcit talarled posit ons. Advantage , unapiffoached eliewhere. No saloon , iiMiolo WrlU1orfrM { > n pMlua M IJSCOLI llt'HlXUSH tOUJUJI. 0 Sorth I3th tit. , Llaculn , B o. Bond forournow 33paee cat alogue , "Tim liitr or tLKAMIIKBX. " It Hill toll you the pomlbllltles of Itlbboni , ( { lores , fun , necUtlon , pt unici. cor- Bet , illppera. tfclrU , jackets , waliU. flag * , rolls , ovorconts , aneoro nigsbath robes , nmtt routes , blankets , pillows , silk underwear , parasols , feather bois , unlfo ! _ _ , UxJuo paraphernalia , billiard tabln COT or , Inco bodsprwujs , muffs , fur rugs nnd mount ings , Icitiilns , swcaturs , hits , bath ruux , urluntal niK * . fancy work , fitund covers , cnrrlniio robov , party drubkcs , opera loittn. lace curmlnn , fa nor Tests. Btiawli. llriKerlu , men ly nulls , cushions , iM'ar and UKor mats , wishes and hundrtxlsot other tblnits. Wo havw the larKO&t rlranlnsanc ] dyclnsf estab lishment In thiMfest. 101X0 feet < if lloor up ten ; ca pacity , 3 ( XXininni'nts ) per dnr. Members National Association of Cleaners uncl Dyers. Kxpr uua paid ono way to any point In U. U. Callorwrllu J. C. WOOD & CO. . 1322 N Street 1621 Howard Street Unoola. Nsbraika Omaha. Nnbraika 3ll > onmrt nuf Ctcftnt | ; ( t > UitelaliTllct | ) ium'i'rttfe ban ntir ro 3olt. ) netiec iSana 111 123 bis Hi ecitcnut ] , unb cnlbdii e Inert atObccen titomuit , ( oiote cine VlrtjciOl ItmnnciiDer UrafttiiurnKii , ( hit turjf UcbctflAt Ccr BcIlucacbcnbiMieit , $ > u- in < mlll4cd | , lurje populate Vlbtjanalunacii etc. etc.edjirf i nnd 50 ffcntd mil IStuem illamcii unb Sl5tcf ) | out rmcti' ftcbenbem WclielMetlel , barm fcn&tu lull bnfl Pr s Publishing ; Co. . Lincoln. Nab. aiiilltBtiib W Unit * ouf ein rtalnc8-abon- ncmtnt aul , ,1tc tlUclt" u ( eitbeit an lol. 9ame. ! . . . V.O. . . . etaat. . .