The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 24, 1898, Page 23

THE SAN FRANCOISOO CALIL, SUNDAY, JULY 24, 1898. Gitanie Deluge of Sand Now Jaking Astronomets to Take Advantage of the “Opposition” Shortly to Occur . in Mars to Study the Wonderful Phenomena ART of the surface of Mars is undergoing a change that is baf- fling our scientific men. This i3 the apparent movement of a large surface of the planet over another part of it, just as the out at the ocean beach in and covers a certain of Golden Gate Park if it is not check by proper barriers. For rity the locality on Mars has named the “Sand Sea’” by tron- . but there is no telling for cer- hat the true nature of the local- sand mous astronomer, Herr Karyll en years of study to upon it as the canals, be- ca he re permanent.” Herr Karyall has just published a pa- per on this subject, which attracting attention all over the world. It is a most learned document, tha goes deeply Into detalls and explains Ny points that have not appeared before. Referring to the Sand Sea Herr Karyll says: Among the changes on the sur: Mars, whether we refer to the ver ¥ slow riodic deformations of known points on planet’s surface or the variations in so-called canals and seas, which ha the cause in recent times of so m: s at explanation, there is one arance that is particularly worthy of It is the shifting of the east coast Sea of Band” on the surface of which also bears the name of t This eastern coast h: € and more from year to y &s {s shown in the diagram, as prov observations of the greatest reliabili mad e I¥T7 by the most eminent as- tronomers, such Schiaparelll in Milan, - in Madeira, Stanley Willlams in A iton, Lowell in Flagstaff, An- tonlado in Juvisy, Brenner in Lussinpic- colo, Walter Gall in Sydney, Molesworth the i 1864 and 1877 this 11, and on Its left side 1 something resembling a lake— cris Lake—which was seen to be 1 with the first-mentioned body spur. Toward 1577 the eastern “sea’” began plainly to ad- and 1882 the coast e distanee that sep- from the lake. From d the lake rapidly. t opposition of the iber, 1896, Moeris appeared ulfed in the “Sand Sea” t¢d In it. The most note- however, is that not the sea up the ment, © and retreated Finally planet to be tow: ard the righ volved in_ these moveme mated. The movement o east to west wy be the extent of t south must amount of twice as la Doubtless this proy Mars differs in many r of the earth, besides the ayel] n 't be esti- t from while from north to ached the great ng a region ANy or France, ¢ * ¢ that the nature of s from that s may ferences in the length of ¢ KBOWD dif- change of seasons and tha s ¢ 42y, the c“m;fip_ asons and the alternations of With ‘the same certainty assume that Mars will give not only our gwn astronomers but those of eyl Gut ure generation plenty of troupngespi s we completely understang "1::”",,1.'(9..&0"; characterfstics. The approaching OBORE tion of Mars Will give’ us s nag Abosks unity to erv & A % Sunity to observe ‘and measure “Fhess In order to comprehend the 2 ment and extent of this su-ci\l]edm:a\:(-l deluge it 18 only necessary to imagine we may also teparing the changes as taking place in our own country. From our knowledge of Mars this would be equivalent to a sand storm starting at the Rocky Mountains in 1864 and extending from Canada to Mexico. Imagine that it covered thickly all the western coast from Vancouver to Lower California and you will have an idea of what is supposed to have en place on Mars between 1864 and 1896. ~ithough the opposition of the planet Mars does not take place until Janu- ary 18, 1899, astronomers the world over are already making preparations to properly observe the event. On this occasion, when the sun, earth and Mars are in a direct line, a great deal of the most valuable information about our nearest planetary neighbor is expected to be obtained. The last opposition of Mars took place in December, 1896, on which cccasion science was enriched by a number of the most valuable facts. Since then, however, there has been great improve- ment made in equipment for taking ob- servations. The most noticeable of these is the great Yerkes telescope at Chicago, which it is confidently expected will be mounted and ready for work before that time. This telescope has already been tested in a rough manner, and it revealed more of the details of plane- tary space than ever the eye of mortal man had previously beheld. ' Work on the big new observatory is being rushed to completion, and when the telescope is properly mounted in its own delicate adjusting tower there is no telling what wondrous secrets of the starry heavens will be laid bare. ‘But the greatest ex- pectation is in connection with the planet Mars, for more is known about this celestial body than any other, and every bit of additional information is of the greatest importance. There are also a number of improve- ments in the other telescopes of the different observatories all ‘over the world. A great deal is expected of them by the men in charge, but even if they should be'disappointed in the perform- ance of thefr. instruments there is no doubt that a great deal new is sure to be learned anyhow, for the old tele- scopes are as good as they ever were and the surface of Mars is constantly changing: It is this phenomenon of change that makes Mars so interesting. Bver since a telescope streng enough to reveal the details on the planet was built a con- stant change of the surface has been noted. At first, with poor instruments, these changes could only be seen as a sort of film, but since the great tele- scopes of the world have been built they have been revealed as having consid- erable character. The great tube at our own Mount Hamilton has even made it possible to discern the structure on certain parts of the planet, and there is no doubt that in the present instance it will be fully able to cope with any new problem that may present itself. The reason that Mars can only be The famous astronomer Herr Karyll of Vienna, who has given important pape in the cut sho as erma observed to good advantage during the few hours of opposition is that at that time it nearer to the earth than at any other and presents the mest in- teresting face. Mars is in what is known to earthly astronc s as the “out circie. That is, its 1 on Is farther away from the sun than the earth's, and it revolves in a circle beyond our own planet. As there is considerable difference between the time it takes east of the two heav- enly bodies to travel once around the sun it must follow that for a certain time they get farther and farther apart until the limit is reached, and then gradually draw closer and closer to- gether until in opposition. At this moment the whole visible surface. of the planet is flooded with the light from the sun, so that it can be studied through the telescope to the best ad- vantage. The hours for observation are best between midnight and dawn, as then the planet is at its brightest and occuples the best position. The real “opposition” of the planet lasts only an instant in reaiity. But a few hours before this opposition and a few hours afterward are always fa- vorable for study. It is then that all the telescopes of the world are turned on our neighbor: and for all we know. their telescopes may be turned on us. But if such an event, or events, were possible the astronomers of the two spheres would be taking observations of two distinctly opposite phenomena. The astromomers of Mars would be ob- serving us as a ‘“transit”’ while we were observing them as an “opposi- tion.” They would appear to 1is as a world flooded with light, whirling through the blackness of stellar space. To them our earth would appear as a tiny black orb, traveling across the brilliant disk of the sun. We could watch them for hours until they passed “beneath” .our horizon. They could see us for only a few moments. First we Wwould appear as a circle of light, something like the new moon, then as a black spot in front of the sun, and again for a few moments as a circie of light to afterward fade away into darkness. ‘Whatever the earth astronomers may know about Mars, it is most like- ly a good deal more than the Martian astronomers know about the earth. The reason for this is very simple. ‘When we are close to them we are In darkness on account of having the sand b grmany Astronom hopes’ of gathering data to throw m: a of Sand.” The document throw s moved forward from he world over are e light on this phenormenon. sun on the other side of us. When it S0 happens, that we do appear to them as flooded with light, we are on the opposite sid of the planetary circles—nearly 0,000,000 miles aw: and consequently, could not be seen to great advantage. Unless, indeed, the Martians have telescopes so powerful as to make ours as mere opera glasses when compared with them. This, however, is not likely as far as we can judge from events taking APTAIN was’one of the first to fall be- fore Spanish bullets in ambush “BUCKEY” O'NEILL at’ Santiago. The Rough Rid- ers are mourning a gallant comrade, a soldler who died with “his boots on” and his face to the enemy. Theirs is not the only sorrow for this man whose many-sided disposition makes him a fit representative of the Western type. All over the land hearts will grieve for the loss of Buckey O'Neill, Arizona miner, scout, Judge, Sheriff, Mayor, gambler, dead shot sol- dier, hero and all-round- “hail fellow, well met.” He was a man without fear. The greater the danger, the greater the dif- ficulty, the more keen he was to be in the thick of it. He bucked like a wild steed at every obstacle that stood in his way, thus earnink the name by which he was best known. His real name was William Owen O'Neill. He was born of Irish par- ents, and was graduated from the Na- tlonal Law School of the District of Columbia. . The West appealed to his love of ad- venture and thither he bent his foot- steps. Then commenced a life so strange and varied that it reads like the yellow covered dime books that boys devour. For months he tracked train robbers over the desert, through perilous gorges and dangerous abysses, finally capturing them single handed and earning the reward offered by the rail- road. vears to the study of Ma light on a numbe 64 to 1896, buryi > preparing for the approaching opposition of “BUCKEY " has just publishe of points. The dotted g a territory twice as 3 Mars in place on the surface These events are th planet, which have been previously referred to. If there are inhabitants on the surface of Mars, and they are responsible for the chang are surel e ing place ag will they s ly could learn a great deal from u even in ordinary engineering, to say rothing of building telescopes. Of 23 course it all depends entirely on just what these changes really are. But they certainly appear to be similar to such as could occur on the surface of the earth. Perhaps at the next oppo- sition the great Yerkes telescope may settle the question definitely for us. These remarkable changes on the surface of Mars have occupied the at- tention of the greatest astronomers that ever lived. .Of course the near- ness of the planet during the period of opposition has acted as a stimulas to this. Something new has been found out at each period. The most important of modern times was the discovery of the “canals” by Schiaparelli. So startling was this discovery, which seemed to be a proof of the habitation of the planet by mortals of some degree of intelli- gence, that only a few astronomers For a long time the dis- or was credited with having a id imagination. But at the next tion his claims were verified and credited it. cove anals” are markings so accu- Place on the Planet fl\ars. 1Is the Drift | of the of Sand Burying the Famous Canal of the Planet? that it seems impossible that they could be the work of chance. In some instances they were parallel and in others perfect circles. At times some appear very-strong and at others weak, Just as if they contained water at dif- ferent stages. They also appear to be made on a definite plan. Just what they are has not yet been proved to the entire satisfaction of scientists. It is a notable fact that the canals do not appear in that portion of the planet where the sand sea is. Although the theory of the sand sea is generally accepted a number of other theories equally as tenable have been aavanced and received with favor by learned men. The most important of these is that what appears to be sand is in reality a vegetable growth that the inhabitants have induced by irri- gation. The directions taken by the canals are pointed out as strong proof of this. And the fact that the surface is red is held to be no proof that it is not vegetable. The fact that grass is green on the earth is no proof that it is not red on Mars, if it exists at all. Concerning the mental powers of the inhabitants of Mars, if they do exist, these phenomenon are surely an indi- cation. If common red sand blown by the wind has been allowed to cover hundreds of thousands of square miles it must be conceded that the people are far behind us in brain power. If on the other hand they have succeeded in “re- claiming” a mountainous country by a system of irrigation, then surely they are our equals, if not our superiors. Even if it is ever shown conclusively that they built the so-called canals they have accomplished greater won- ders than has ever been done on the earth. One of these canals, named the “A’thye,” is nearly 2,000 miles long and as straight as a ruler. If one like it in size were constructed on the earth it would reach from San Francisco to the Mississippi River. Should it ever be shown that the canals are the work of nature, then surely is Mars a wonderful planet. O'N ‘With the money obtained at such risks of life he bought a newspaper, the Arizona Miner, which he sold shortly afterward, and started the Phoenix Herald. Then newspaper life began to pall on him. He thirsted for the thrill of danger and the excitement of adven- ture. He found both at the mines. But the mblers, social outcasts, des- peradoes and adventurers respected Buckey O'Neill. His aim was steady and his nerve was true. Men who were not looking for trouble never tri- fled with Buckey O’Neill. He was al- ways the friend of the poor, the weak and the oppressed. Luck was against him at ‘the mines and he deserted them to return to Prescott, and established the Hoof and Horn, a cattleman’s paper. . He had as an assistant a man of similar, fiber. Quick Jackson could shoot true, tree a robber, set type and do anything well that he was called on to do in the West. Both men had a passion for gambling. Bvery Satur- day night after accounts were made up they sat down. in the office to a game of poker. The boys about town had a habit of dropping in to see how things were going. For neither Jack- son nor O'Neill would stop as long as they had a cent to ante. When his money gave out Buckey would put up his coat and vest; when everything else ‘was gone he would stake the paper. Part of the time Buckey owned and edited the Hoof and Horn, and Jack- son was an assistant on salary. The other half of the year Quick Jackson owned and edited the Hoof and Horn and Buckey O'Neill was an assistant on salary. It all depended on how the Poker game went. CiLL rate and geometrical in their courses OF THE They made it a rule of the game that all stakes must be laid on the table. Often Quick Jackson sat with Buckey's money, jewelry, hat, coat, vest and bill of sale of the paper piled up in front of him. As often Jackson lost his all and Buckey went home tri- umphant. One night, when Jackson had noth- ing mere to lose, and Buckey’s passion for betting was stHl unsatisfied, he went to a saloon and played faro. He soon lost all his money and with the fever still on played away Jackson's which he had won a short time in the poker game. Now, Jackson patticularly wanted a chance to win back this watch in a poker game, and so he determined to get even on Buckey for playing it away and not giving him the first chance to recover ‘it. Jackson quietly bided his time. The first night that luck was with him he evened up the score. After winning Buckey’s money, vest, coat and overcoat, he suddeny said he had an appointment and gathering up his winnings departed before ‘‘Buckey” had a chance to realize what he was doing. . Hitherto the losing man had always been allowed the use of his clothes un- til he could win them back. On this night the snow ‘was a foot deep and the night was bitterly cold. Buckey, sans hat, sans coat of any sort had to plow through the snow and beg a coat at one store, borrow a hat at a second, and steal an umbrella at a third. Buckey appreciated the Jjoke but he never risked a second one by playing Jackson's property against faro or any other game. The next turn of Fortune's wheel ROUGH RIDERS. brought Buckev the office of Sheriff of Yavapai County. His reputation as a fearless upholder of justice was thoroughly lived up to. He was the best shot in the Territory and became the terror of lawbreakers. That he did not lose his life in some of the desper- ate fights in which he engaged seemed miraculous. He held various other offices, the last one that of Mayor of Prescott. The only vote against him in the election was his own. He had long since given up drinking and gambling and had married a gentle, sweet woman to whom he was devoted. When the call for “arms” sounded over the land “Buckey” formed a company of men ready to do and die for their country. They were proud of their gallant leader. “Buckey” rode away at the head of his rough riders, to the front. He wrote to a friend a letter from San Antonio, in which he said: “I am ready to take all chances. Who would not gamble for a' new star on the “flag”? This time he had put up his life and lost. But though he was cut off so soon in the fray, he had already dis- tinguished himself. At Baiquiri, in making the rough landing to the shore, two privates fell from the lighter into the sea. In a second ‘“Buckey,” who saw their danger, jumped overboard and swam toward them. But the light- er swung round and crushed both men before he could reach them. Buckey died at the head of his com- pany in the thick of the fight. He fell fighting for his country as had his father before him, who was Captain John O'Neill of the famous Irish bri= gade of the war of 6L