The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 28, 1897, Page 25

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 1897. ceaca 3 eter were overlaid with a fieecy nap about one-fourth of an inch in depth it would convey some idea of the relaiive proportions of the earth and its atmos- pheric envelope. For further illustration the bulk of this fleecy covering would need to be massed near the surface of the niature earth, while the upper layers, duating to invisible gossamer, should e the exact outer surface indetermin- l\.s a terrestrial globe three feet in diam- The distribution should also be uneven, s completely obscuring, in others scarcely veiling' the features, and e tenuous web should ngly throughout, but with ty of direction or of force. Compared phere is as the down on the leaves of a | tree, but its attenuation is not more strik- ing than its irresistibi What deed of violence is it that our ing ocean of aircannot accomplish? ©e0e 0o o @ e 10 the solid earth its atmos- | if less attenuated, if the world were | permanextly cloud-wrapped throughont, | cramped would be the mind of man nd how changed his history. Asitis, e universe, open to his gaze all round, has scattered truthsof things both near and far in his way, . That he has availed mself ardently of the pellucidity of the mosphere tor studying the heavenly bedies from primeval times to the present | is amply proved. As the densest ata hover close to the lowlands of the earth and extend but afew miles upward, it was suggested by Sir I-aac Newton that the tops of the highest mountains, which leave these strata and their tremulousness beneath, might be favorable to teleseopic vision. Much knowladge has been gained on this subject during the latter half ot this century, and “Mountain Observatories in America and Europe,” by Professor Holden of the Lick Observatory, recently published by the Smithsonian Institu- | tion, is a useful and interesting summary of the experiences of those. who bave given high aititudes a practical trial, The conditions on a few of the lofty peaks will show the obstacles that remain even tho less b the densest air be surging harm- v round the slopes. A few hundred les off the west coast of Africa, where the Atlentic depths are a storehouse for e surpius heat of summer, the Peak of Teneriffs pierces the atmosphere at a height of 12,198 feet. =This natural vantage ground was ch in 1856 by Professor Piazzi late Astronomer Royal of comparing the viewsof celestial objects with those obtained through the somber skies of Though in the trade wind belt, wh t was hampered by the persistent winds, which like vise main- ned a faint but cont even in the upper air, still the clearness and steadiness were much superior to that at sea level, and the remarkable dryness | sary for true vision a brilli of the atmosphere during the two months of observation aided in producing excel- ‘ lent definition. | The daylight canopy was not of deepest | blue, but there are many pbysical obser- | vations with which the paler tint due to | dust particles interferes but littie | Before many years the scientific world | gave practical recognition to the value of | this experiment, and as early as 1872 Pro- fessor Davidson took observations in the Sierras and Professor Young in the Rocky | Mountains for a comparison of high and low altitudes in the W ates. While the selected stations in both cases | showed increased transparency with an | increase of altitude, it was more frequently combined with steadiness in the Sierra | “®voc. o oO00ocascso e ranked - Mounts FEtna, Whitney, Blanc, Pikes Peak and EI Misti in the Andes among the astronomical stations, may be traced to their influence. The first named isa well-equipped ob- servatory since 1881, at an altitude of 9652 feet, not far below the great crater. On this awe-inspiring ‘ground where earth tremblings, sulphurous smoke and sub- terranean illuminations are among the vrobabilities, in addition to the usual mountain phenomena of wind and electric storms, the serene lights of heaven are studied during the favorable months from July to October. The resultis that they are oceasionally seen with a clearness and steadiness unknown at Catania, the lower Sicilian station. The records of Tachini, Mountains. This difference was of high | importance, as clear, thin air increases | the brightness of a heavenly body two- | fold or more, but as steadiness is neces- | distortion | is misleading. The observations of Pro- | fessor Holden in 1873 and afterward also | showed that the desirable combination is | not frequently found at the high altitudes | of Colorado, and Dr. Henry Draper’s ac- | count of the Utah mountains confirms the | testimony in favor of the westerly range. The observatories that were built within | 1al haze of dust | the last twenty years, including the Lick, have reaped ihe benefit of these early in- | vestigations, and the most daring climbs | of scientific star-gazing, which have | ! ESTRC:"NU"I“’HC}{\L’@ijjl?fi\r'fi\#éfi Langley, Hale and others show thatsome- times when the island is partly hidden in obscuring haze definition is so good that planetary detail can be studied with ad- vantage. Occasionally the smoke of the volcano wreathes the scene and migratory flocks of insects also intrude between the observer and the object of his attention. In the same year that this scientitic ven- ture was completed Dr. Langiey selected the lofty summit of Mount Whitney, 14, 900 feet in height, for solar observations, requiring a comparison of the -heat re- ceived at high and low altitudes. Here he found clearness, dryness and a violet- blue sky surpassing what he had seen in other favored localities. Partly owing to D oo e0 nmo b his enthusiastic recommendation the United States Government has reserved from sale a larce tract, including the sum- mit of Mount Whitney, which can thus be devoted to scientific purposes when needed. As quiet air was but a secondary consid- eration in connection with his special re- searches, tests on this matter were few and inconclusive, but the ever-present dust particles were detected and the smoke of an occasional forest fire also sozred beyond the summit. The icy crest of Mont Blanc gleaming in the rarefied air of the Alpine solitudes was the next step in the ladder of ascend- ing science. Towering 15,780 feet above sea level, the denser atmospheric strata iy < 35 a0l i e v gaa 23 N prse s OReRymocy S m/:t}'mh oF MTBLA | < are unknown here except in the wildest aerial tumults, and as we have heard iong and often of Alpine climbers, it is rather surprising that the star-gazer was not heard of before 1890. However, the gen- | eral tourist is not incumbered with the care of instruments, and his task is done when his footprints indent the summit snow, while the work of the astronomer only then begins. In: this year, the famons French scientist, M. Janssen, though advanced in age, and, through lameness, unable to travel as ordinary climbers, took #aluabis solar observations on the summit, and planned the building of a permanent observatory on the deso- late peak. By tunneling, it was found | that tbe huge glacial formation which caps it had 100 much depth to admit of an earthy foundation, but sunk deep in the icy mass which embanks it round, a safe and solid structure was completed inde- pendently of rock or soil. This success leads the zealous scientist to suggest similar ventures in the eternal snows of the Andes and the Himalayan range as important to the progress of meteorology and astronomy, but it was not attained without hardship and dan- | ger, in which sickness and death wers | prominent. _ Moreover, summit_glaciers are not immovable, and on examination two years after its completion the struc- ture was found to have been slightly dis- placed toward Chamounix.. A sliding foundation is suggestive, and Professor history of the Mont Blanc station is not yet written. He also questions the wis- com of the undertaking, when equal re- sults might be obtained with little danger or difficulty on Pikes Peak or in the Sierra range. Trans-Atlanticobservers, however, would bardly be content with a hizh level station so remote, especially as the Alpine cbservations so far as undertaken have proved satisfactory. Grievous hardships are endured and lives imperiled every day “for. grosser gains, and. the few ven- tures for science’s sake probably only vary without 4dding to tne disaster record. A grand project is now entertained by 25 eminent engineers of tunneling from the accessible slopes of the Alpine peak inward for a few miles and thence vertically 9100 feet to the summit for the purposes op travel. Should this colossai shaft be suc_ cessfully constructed the inroads of art, science and pleasure will soon iender the Mount Blanc of the past but a majestic memory. Pikes Peak, 14,147 feet above sea level, was occupied for meteorological observa- tions from 1874 to 1888, in 1878 was tempo- rarily used as an eglipse. station, was tested for telescopic work by Professor Pickering in 1887, and in 1893 was occupied by Professors Hale and Keeler for solar observations. The extreme clearness of Holden ominously remarks that the whole | the air was attested by ail the experi- FROM THE menters, but the desirable combination of ciearness and tranquillity wasin general | conspicuously absent. Many valuable astronomical observa. tions can be carried on in defiance to a quivering atmosphere, and as the summit is accessible by railroad. and the tempera- | ture not too rigorous, this elevated point | invites consideration as a suitable site for |a permanent. high level station on the | grounds of convenience, Apart from that | the dryness of portions of the Sierras offer a wider range-of good: results. - The usual mountain phienomena of wind, snowialls and lightning appear with force and fre- quency on Pikes Psak, and oggasional in- sect swarms and the Amefican contin ssaaanob 0ol oy eam 3 » gency of forest fires also interfere with the continuance of clear vision. Excelsior has been the motto of the nineteenth century star-gazer. The Har- vard astronomers, ever in the van of scientific research, have established posts for the study of climate from the Soutn Pacific across the Andes to the valley of the Amazon. Unawed by the sublime heighis of voleanic El Misti or its smoke wreath, like a hostile banner, a threat and a warning, the summit was made tribu- tary to science in 1894 The giant cone gradually slanting upward to 19,200 feet above tea level was accessible the entire route on muleback, though the surefooted species never beiore trod such elevated ground. Here one-half the bulk of the restless aerial ocean which baffles the best efforts of the astronomer and of the opti- cian is beneath the observer; and what great things might not be expected at such a site if a calm reigned around and a good telescope was ever in readiness to take advantage of these exceptional con- ditions? Meteorologleal instruments on El Misti are visited every ten days; but a few oc- casional hours are not & true test of these lofty peaks. Aerial currents and curva- tures of strata, facilitated by mountain slopes, the haunting high winds, the bardships, the dangers—especially that of mountain sickness—the penalty of what is styled diminished living or a tem porary waning of mental and physical efficiency, and the enormous cost—these are the chief objections against the establishment of permanent stations at unusually high al- | titudes. Professor Pickering recommends altitudes ranging from 4000 to 8000 feet in tropical or subtropical regions ana low bills rising 200 or 300 feet above the sur- rounding plains. Professor Schaberle, who has al=o had personal experience of high levels in the Andes, does not favor them for permanent occupation. In his entertaining volume on this sub- ject Professor Holden emphasizes the a vantage of the moderate sltitude of Mount Hamilton, where transparency and good definition are often combined, and where general observations of a high order can be maintained. Thusa counter current of opinion against the loftiest peaks seems to nhave set in, As there is at present no known sirong- hold of transparency and steadiness of the first class, at least one high crest | frowning down upon the lower air and its dense turbulence should be given a fair and a full trial. A road to the summit, a substantial building and constant relays of observers habituated to high altitudes would gain for science the choicest possibilities of the and even if those occurred butoue day in the year the price would not. be exorbitant when the rate of ex- penaiture in other directions, both by Governments and by individuals, is con- | siderea. Rose 0’ BALLOBAY. I LI R LA LR R R R LR LA R L L L L ILLEELEEELS gxrm‘n‘ TETTTOOTBEEELBELB80 an"Q LERALLL) (292000000200000099992220000Q 4F a competent hydraulic 3 should be calied upon for a plan of irrigating system for the Desert of | essential to the purpose of the present | atmosphere. Mars. That particular knowledge is not | THE GREAT CANAL BUILDERS umummmmumfi engineer | to discuss the astronomical elements of | servers assert that they are canals, Buta canal implies water, and water implies an Here again arises a dispute Sahara, where the surface was a dead | article, and, besides, the information has | as to the physical condition of the Mar- level, be would provide for runnin watercourses from the source of w. cupply to the regions to be irrigated in | the most direct lines, in straight lines, | thus redocing the evaporation in transit | upon the ru6dy planet, and especial no- | the other to a minumum; and in order to make the | tice taken, under the most favorable op- | world-wide celebrity as careful observers utmost possible application of the water | portunities of proximity and instrumental | emphatically assert that they have not to the greatest amount of land, he would | aid, of the peculiar markings upon its sur- | only witnessed the formation of ice over the | been repeated!y set forth before the read- | tian surface. ing public. | Within the pastfew years a great deal | of intelligent attention has been bestowed | A spectroscopic study of Mars does not give support to the claim that Mars bas an atmosphere, at least not an atmosphere simifar to our own. On hand very many astronomers of Map os A RS on'Mercatags ProsecTion . Srowine CANALS. Sy TRERNT Degan—— From Olnervations Ty Flamrasrion wp o i884,5. errange for numerous small channels di- verging from the msin canal, which might take their departure at exactly opposite sides of the main waterway and 8o appear as crossing the main canal at angles de- termined by the object to be accom- plished. When an irrigating system like this was completed it woula be, found, naturally enoug, that during the sum- mer, or growing season, the land border- ing the canals would become verdang and where an intersection of one or amore canals oceurred there would be formed at such places 0a There wonld be nothing extraordinary in the construc- tion of such a system nor in its effects upon the hitherto desert area in the mat- ter of changing the appearance of the sur- face by reason of vegetable growths; the labor and its results would be perfectly natural, 1f the readers of THE CALL will take the trouble to look at the zenith about 8 or9 o'clock on a clear night just now, they will perceive a reddish looking star, some- what larger than those surroundingit, shining with a brilliant light. The star is tiie planet Mars, and its surface when viewed through a large telescope exhibits precisely what would be seen by an ob- server looking from a great distance at the desert of Sahara, were that desert invested with an irrigating system euch as is de- scribed above. It is not necessary here 1 face. One hundrea and thirty years ago Huyghens, a noted astronomer of his time, | observed these strange lines, but owing | to the crudeness of the telescopes at that | time he was unable to determine their | charscter. His discovery, however, awak- | ened great interest, and from tnat time | until now the investigation of the wonder- ful warkings has been conducted along | scientific lines by 1he most competent ob- gervers of the worla. Schiaparelli an- nounced in 1877 that the suriace of Mars was furrowed by what he tlen termed | “canals,” and at once arose a heated argu- ment as to whether Schiaparelli was to be believed or not. Observers who had not seen the linesdeclared that they could | not p.ssibly exist, but this class was speedily silenced by the fact that the lines persisted In being seen by any one who possessed a telescope of sufficient power and who chose to 190k for them Almost every year that has passed since Schlaparelli’s announcement has wit- nessed improvements in telescopic art. Instraments of better definition and more “far reaching” power have been devised, with the result that to-day we have a m of the surface of Mars. which is .actually more reliable than that we have of Africa. The lines over the face of the planet are there. They are on the planet’s surface, | and now the great problem is: What are they? The majority of competent ob- | the polar regions of Mars, and witnessed its subsequent melting, but have also seen clouds and mists pass over the face of the planet; so that notwithstanding the concinsions arrived at from the spec- troscpic observations made by some astronomers it is very probable that Mars has both water and atmosphere. The spectroscope has been lamentably disap- pointing in the investigations of many celestial bodies shining with reflected light, such as the moon, comets and nebulz. Professor Holden in 1888 snnounced that the long, straight lines visible in Mars were really canals. Flammarion, the famous French astronomer, who bas devoted patient, unremitting attention to Mars for the past dozen years, positively stazes that the lines are channels of actual water, but he does not assign to them an artificial origin. Latterly Percival Low- ell, who has been making a special study of the physiography of the ruddy planet, from his observatory in' Arizons, states that the markings are undoubtedly *‘lines of irrigation”; that is, they are water channels, ‘in which water flows during a certain season, and from which canals di- verge. 'About some geographical features of Mars astronomers are fairly well agreed, though observations made at different seasons of the planet give somewhat dif- ferent appearances. Flammarion shows the northern ard | southern areas of water to be separated by a | single land continent, which continues un- broken around the plapet save where it is furrowed by *‘canals.”” The probable fact is that the land surface of Mars is phe- | nomenally flat and level, and that at cer- tain times during the vernal season the | low, level lIand is inundated by the water resulting from the melting of the ice at the poles. We speak of ‘‘land” and ‘'seas” on Mars when, in fact, we do not yet know, except by inference drawn from terrestrial phenomena, that our geograph- ical definition of observed appearances on Mars is correct. The only positive fact is that these enigmatical lines are on the planet and are not an illusion. The lerge | ones proceeding from the spot called Lake Niliacus have been seen in the places | they occupy for more than 100 years. Those markings cross the face oOf the planet in long, regular lines. Some of them are thousands of miles in length and others buta few hundred. They vary much in width, some appear to be fully 200 miles wide, while others but 20, and are prob- ably much less. The width is measured by the observer by means of an instru- | ment called a micrometer, consisting of parallel lines of spider-web placed in the focus of the telescope. One or more of the micrometer fines can bs moved away from or brought nearer to other fixed lines, and the observer endeavors to so adjust the micrometer line as to enclose the image of the object he views between two or more of the micrometer lines and | s0 roughly approximate the width of the object by the proportion it bears to the known diameter of the planet. But if the Martian markings are actual water canals, then, if it should happen that a breeze was blowing across the surface of the canal at the time of the observation, the waves of water formed by the wind would reflect the light at all sorts of angles and consequently it would spread over the tield of view between the micrometer lines to a far greater extent than it would were it reflected from a perfectly placid surface. All observers agree in stating that Mars exhibits at its poles certain areas that change color from dark to white accird- ingly as the pole is presented to or away from the sun. These polar spots have been termed ‘‘icecaps,” because they ex- hibit precisely the regular cnhange of ap- pearance which would be produced by the formation and meltings of the ice happen- ing at the polar regions of our own earth. Now, while we cannot positively say that these polar markings are gctual icecaps, yet every observed phenemenon at the poles of Mars strengthens such’ conclu- sion. Accepting this deduction, we are forced to acknowledge that there is water on Mars, and consequentiy atmosphe: The true scientist is always conserva- tive. He must be so; he could not be otherwise, for the teachings of his entire scientific experience 18, that nothing js more liable to mistake than is human judgment. The natural consequence is that when you -ask the scientificman, is Mars inhabited? he replies, ;I do not know. Yet it is perfectly safe to say that nine out of every ten men, whose opportu- nities for observing the plane: Mars have been ordinarily good ones, confiaently be- lieve that the time will come when im- proved facilities will render it possible and easy, not only to prove the existence of the Martian inhabitants, bus to hold satisfactory communication with them. F. M, Croee, D, 8, C. mrnmf PS))fFE of the orevices of industry into E. which the Chinese on this coast A nave crawled, and which by reason of its small remuneration to the indi- vidual would not suggest itself to the American, is the business of prepari and polishing sea shells for ornament: | purposes and for tourist sale as souyenirs. The chief shell used for this purnose is that of the Haliotis, called in 8panish the abalone. There are three species of if, i i rodii, the black abalone, the red abalone or Haliotis rufescens and Haliotis splen- dens, the last being the most beautiful of “the species, so beautiful that an enthusi- astic naturalist of this coast once called it a “crystallized rainbow, rich in all the tints of the spectrum.’’ These shells are not found on the At- lantic coast, but until recently they have been abundant here and may be found from the foot of the peninsula of Baja California-to Kamchatka. Their present lack of abundance is due to the depletion of their beds by Chinese fishermen. Ex- cepting those shells which are polished and sold on the coast to the curio hunters, they are almost all shipped in their na- tive, unpolished state to' Cnina, where they are used to make buttous, jewelry, and for inlaid work in wood surfaces. The nacre which this fish deposits pro- duces the mother of pesrl of commerce and of the most beautiful variety. The fish has but one shell and grows to the length of nine incbes. Its back is quite smooth, spire very short, aperture aimost as broad as the shell. Its outer angle is perforated by a series of holes, rve or six in pumber, and through ufl-‘ the animal respires and gathers its food. It adheres to rocks by means of a strong central foot ana the power of suction which this ex- lerts is enormons; many a strong shell- gatherer has been caught in a dangerous predicament through thrusting bis hand between the shell and the rock when the foot s relaxad and baving the thing-close on him and beld thus againsta rising tide, only to be reseued by his com. CHINESE STREET MERCHANT REPAIRING HIS WARES. all very beautiful, called Haliotis Crache- | panions. In the interior center of the shell is a rough and corrugated scar, highly 1ridescent, of a pearly greenishthue. The flesh of this fish is edible, but not particularly palatable to the American. The Chinese prize it highly; they dry it and ship it to Chins, where it finds s ready sale, The Indians also lize it, and the old natives of California feasted upon it with gusto; at many places along the coast can be found large heaps of these shells, partiy decayed, yet still valuable for making pearl powder for use in ornament- ing boxes and frames; these shell mounds are remnants of Indian Haliotis fisheries n the past. - The abalone export trade to China has greatly decreased within the past few years owing to the decline of the quantity of the fish through the excessive fisheriea of the Chinese. In 1833 there were exported 2,600,000 of shells and meats valued at $55,~ 000. In 1892 tiris business had decreased to 404,547 pounds of dried meat worth §9351, with no report made upon the shells. Itis probable that the business of catch- ing abalones for Chinese export hasnot much farther to go before it will end. There will always be sufficient of these fish caught, however, to supply the Chi- mnxwrmnwrmmwxmflm‘a’m CHINESE SEA-SHELL INDUSTRY Gumxmmwmwummxummw nese polishers and venders. of the shells to the Eastern tourists, the artisans them- selves living principally upon the meats the shells contain. But perhaps the most beautiful small shell of the coast is the purple olive, Olivelia' biplicata, of which the Chinese make much use. -1t” hasa bluish-white, polished surface and purple mouth. The spire is short, with a distinct spiral groovs separating the whorls. The inner wall of the aperture is marked by a bulge of namel above and two smsll folds be- neath, which give the shell its name. Great beds of these shells, al! living, are to be found at various points on the coast if they are searched, for just below the sur- face of the sand at low tide. They are active little burrowers and throw up littie ridges of sand as they move. The gasteropodsalso furnish the Chinese with many of their curiously colored shells. These are all snail or slug like in shape and are very abundant. All of the shells are carefully cleaned and polished, but not boiled. Where the meat is large énough to make a morsel the Celestial re- tains it for food. It is & smail matter to him that the flesh is not ordinarily edible. Tne Chiness will generally eat anything that comes out of the water, and those who do the fishing live on some kinds of fish which the American would consider garbage. : The Chinese do not confine their prod- ucts to their own sales; they supply curio stores, and quantities of their poiished and curiously arranged shells of the Pacific are shipped East aud there often sold for “fancy” prices. 5 Joux E. BENNETT. e e £ A A3 B e e A A Ao e B e S LR e SR e R