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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, DECEMBER 1, 1882. 39 Mcuntifin. Written ipeclally tor the Southern World. COMETS. The Phenomena of their Tails—Why Hew Ones are Constantly Discovered— Their Origin and Purpose. Prom what has already been said we read ily arrive at the conclusion that comets have thelrorigin in the agglomeration of meteoric fields. Where these meteoric fields come from is a question as yet unsettled, and one that may never be settled. That meteoric fields do exist we know, and we further know that there are such collections of this matter as to lead us to no other conclusion than a primordial evolution of some charac ter. But when we observe a comet passing its perehilion in close proximity to the sun, and behold its wonderful exhibition of me teoric drift-volume expanded on all sides, alternately, as it makes its circuit of the sun, we are not left in doubt as to the origin of the body in the periodical agglomerations of the matter which it exhibits to our aston ished gaze. The formation of a new comet might re quire a period of indefinite ages under some circumstances. But in many instances, as has been intimated, the formation might be quite recent. In case the meteoric swarm was some considerable distance from the sun at its nearest point, it would not be apt to come in contact with other drifts of the same matter, while two or more swarms moving in the same path, or passing their perihelia at about the same distance from the sun sooner or later must come in col lision. Those whose orbits cross each other at equal distance from the sun are likely to come into contact at some time, and when we consider the immense outlay and volume of these drifts, it is no speculation to say there must be repeated collisions between them. My statement a few weeks ago intimating that a new comet might become visible sud denly by two or more invisible bodies crowd ing each other at their perihelia, in their passage of the sun, I hardly suspected would so soon be demonstrated mathematically in the passage of three visible bodies in orbits r-so-near alike, and with-a perihelion element so close that for a time, a doubt was created as to their identity as separate bodies. Sooner or later these comets will either form one body or revolve around each other, if there is no mistake in the calculations of the as tronomers. And I do not think that there can be any doubt even now that the wonder ful comet of 1882, yet visible, carries with it the evidence of captured worlds of this char acter. If the comet of 1843 does not return in 1880-7,1 shall think that our present vis itor is that body with a retarded motion and other striking features of a lost identity due to its conquests in the regions of space. But I can not admit, as yet, that a retarded mo tion, or orbital contraction in any way tends to bring one of these bodies close to the sun at its perihelion. On the contrary I hold to the opinion, which I regard as of such im portance as to repeat it here, that any short ening of the major axis of the orbit increases the length of the minor axis, though not proportionately. Probably fifteen ycarsago, or more, I laid down this law, which I can not yield until I see it refuted by the facts themselves. If it turns out to be a fact that the comet of 1882 is that of 1843, it will be confirmatory evidence of the position as- ) aumed by me. Some writers with less regard 1 for their reputation than inclination forsen- I sational speculation, persist in the unfound, ed statement that the comet of 1882—the present visitor—plunged into the sun, when the measurements prove that It passed nearly 800,000 miles from the centre of that lumi nary. One of the most eminent astronomers, Oould, of South America, saw the body pass the sun, which he could not have done if it had plunged into it. Even Proctor, follow ing the sensational report of Bors, goes wild on the subject of this comet and yields to the most childish speculation about it. We are gravely told that in its passage of the sun, the present comet was fractured by a collision with it, and is scattering its frag ments in space around it. What evidence is there of this? Biela’s and other comets are cited as precedents of similar results. It is well known in astronomical circles that Blela’s comet did not approach near the sun. Its perihelion point was at least 83,000,000 miles away from that body, and if we sup pose it was divided, as is said, no collision was necessary to produce such a result—no such collision did produce it Heretofore I have briefly outlined an explanation of the various phenomenal exhibitions and results following the passage of one of the grand bodies of the sun, and as all this phenome non enters into the theory of a comet’s forma tion, I will sum up the causes which account for it without a resort to a speculative col lision which has no foundation in fact I have intimated before a problem for mathematicians as follows: “If 400,000,000 meteors annually fall upon the earth’s surface, how many would fall on the semi-surface of a sphere equal on all sides to the earth’s orbit?” Can we esti mate them? These meteors move around the sun in some way; and if they are not taken up by the inner plannets, they move around the sun either independently or in clusters, where they do not belong to a com etary volume. The perihelia of these drifts are near the sun, and we must conclude that anybody passing near the sun and outward beyond the planetary confines, passes through one after another of many of these meteoric zones. How deep these fields of meteors lie around the center of their motion cannot be esti mated. How they crowd each other it is im possible to ascertain. But one thing is known—that they are flowing in and out on all sides of our planetary system. It is inconceivable how such streams of them can move in and around the center of light and heat to our system without grouping together in nebulous formations, sometimes forming nebulous cometulet, hoveri ng in the neighbor hood of the sun, or moving in orbits in in terplanetary space. This I believe is the case. Bodies of a similar character have passed through the earth’s atmosphere. Around the sun they, probably, exist without num ber. When we consider the vast stretch of cometary orbits and the nearness at which some of these approach the sun at the peri helion, it is not so inconceivable how one of these blazing orbs of night should come up out of the grand day of the sun’s light cloth ed with the royal robes of a new attire, and holding right and left, on exhibition to a wondering world the evidence of that hom age to the king of day, it has secured on en tering his immediate presence. But whether the comet gathers around it new material in breaking through the realms of the sun’s me teoric zones, or from independent drifts of this matter constantly intercepted along its orbit, or otherwise, its own mass will warrant a rational solution of the problem of all phenomena connected with its passage toand departure from thesun; and it is of no great force in the issue of this solution whether the phenomenal displays are due to add! tional accretions of new substance, or are a part of the primordial formation of the comet thrown off in its passage of the sun. My own view is that the phenomena we wit ness are to be atributted to both these causes; and that it is not unlikely in some instances, if not injtll, the new cometulet ob served in the region of the primary body are re condensations in the field of the vast volume of nebulous matter taken up or thrown off by the comet as it departs from its perihelion. If re-condensations take place on the surface of the comet, and these are observed in protuberances, or large de tached portions, why not assume that similar results follow, at a great distance from the head, of the nebulous matter surrounding it I While I hold that the attenuated vol ume in which the head of the comet is situ ated is not visible, except by refraction, yet where this congregates in a given point in a state of higher condensation, it may shine by reflection. The peculiar shape of these smaller bodies is such as to indicate a re condensation of volatile or expanded mass, arranged in the direction of tbe molecules. If we suppose that comets' tails to condense suddenly, the body thus formed would be elongated in shape, instead of spherical in its form. Portions of the tail may be so dense os to shine by reflection or solar light without reflection as this matter, or portions of it condense after leaving the sun. Then the explanation of the phenomenon of Blela’s comet’s division must be sought for in one of two ways. Either the primary woh carrying a new formation with it gath ered in its orbital round, or else it exhibited a process of the condensation of its own ex panded volume, or of some part of it, as it settled down on its surface; just as the pro tuberances of comet 1882 began to exhibit themselves after that body had receded far enough from the sun’s heat for re-condensa tion to reach a positive character of force, and which led some observers to the conclu sion that the comet was dissolving. There was nothing to justify the breaking up of Biela's comet. Neither the heat of the sun, nor the motion of the body can be assigned as a cause. Unfortunately the incident of the disappearance of Blela’s comet has given strength to the delusion that this body at least was disintegrated, and most numer ous have been the graveyard lectures of the wreck of worlds for this reason. But like Sexel’s comet, Biela’s and, perhaps, others are adding to the asteroidal belt, or are lost among the planets to add to the glory of their satellite kingdoms, or it may be have added to the attendant array of other comets to give glory and grandeur to the complex sys tem of their formation. Oxo. R. Gather. Aahville, Ala. GBEAT ELECTRIC DISTURBANCE. On the 17th of November, an electric storm extended throughout the United States and the Eastern Provinces of Canada, the most pronounced and wide-spread for years if in deed paralleled in some respects at anytime. It first began to be felt about 4 o’clock in the morning and increased in intensity until 9:45 when communication from every di rection was cut off. It extended from New York to a point beyond Omaha, and from Kansas City north to the terminus of tele graph communication. The storm seemed to go in successive negative and positive waves, alternately neutralizing currents on tbe wires or increasing their intensity to such a degree os to burn everything up. Duplex and quadruple! wires were rendered useless. At Milwaukee the atmospheric electricity coming on its wires from the country had such dynamtic power as to suf fice to keep an electric lamp burning. At Cincinnati the wires were heavily charged, a flame appearing when the contact was broken. At Cleveland, Ohio, the weather was rainy and muggy although usually elec tric Btorms occur when the atmosphere is clear and dry. One line was worked with a metalic circuit by making a loop with two wires. At Nashville, Tenn., at intervals the wires were worked solely by tho auroral current. The needle in the Galvanometer oscillated in the most eccentric manner, varying as much as 80 degrees. At Toronto, tbe measurements at the observatory showed that in less than 2 minutes time the horizon tal force of the earth’s magnetism changed nearly one-tenth of the whole. At Yank ton, fully two-thirds of the sky was ablaze with icrial light of many colors. Tbe aurora at Omaha and Cheyenne was very brilliant, tbe illumination being as bright as day. At St. Paul, the heavens were blood-red in color and the display grand and fearful. A mes sage was sent from Bangor to North Sidney 700 miles distant without the use of a bat tery. An idea of the great force of the electrical current can be obtained from the fact that from 300 to 400 cells are used in the batter ies between Louisville, Ky., and New York, and with their combined force the influences in the atmosphere could not be overcome. The telegraph company devised a new trick to beat the aurora, when, on account of the great induction, it was impossible to work with one wire; they discovered that by taking two wires from the ground, between any two given points, and joining their ends together (instead of the same being ground ed,) a circuit was formed that could be suc cessfully worked. In this way eight wires between Chicago and Buffalo were made to do service as four. At St. Paul that night a brilliant aurora, extending over the whole heavens, was visi ble. Both red and white light showed,and the play of colors was rapid and vivid. Prof. T. W. Tobin, Ph. D., of the Poly technic Society, gives to a reporter of the Louisville Courier Journal tbe following exr planatlon of it. “Can you give me any explanation of it, Professor?,’ asked the reporter. “I think I can,” said the scientist. “You see the atmosphere surrounding the earth is a grand reservoir of electricity generated and kept supplied by the sun’s influence. In the temperate zones, the clouds become the centers of accumulation and equalize the forces by lightning discharges, with accom panying thunder. In the Arctic and Ant arctic zones, the atmosphere is in auch an at tenuated condition that these discharges take place in quiet, solemn aurora. These beautiful phenomena may be initated in vacuum tubes made familiar in popular lec ture experiments. It is a common occur rence to the northern traveler to witness these sublime discharges of electricity in high latitude where lightning is unknown. Hence it seems to be an essential condition that a highly attenuated atmosphere must be present, and attenuated atmosphere in this instance means coldness. Occasional displays have been observed in latitudes as low as this, but only under very favorable circumstances—that is, a clear and dark sky. In that instance they indicate that the upper atmosphere must be in a condition of cold ness approaching an Aretio climate. “Many of such discharges have undoubt edly taken place and escaped observation owing to their occurrence in the day-time or during a clouded night Since the travers ing of the earth by telegraph conductors means have been afforded for detecting these mysterious currents at all times, and during the past twenty-four hours one of such power has undoubtedly passed over this continent— and probably not been confined to it alone— which has neutralized the most powerful artificial battery that science could invent. That it was an aurora that traversed the earth in the daytime, and almost during the passage of tbe sun over the meridian in the central portion of the continent, is amply verified iu the dispatches that reached us last night from the Northwest, that describes the heavens as being ablaze with electric light.” “Has this occurrence any scientific val ue?” "Yes, the deduction we arrive at from this phenomenon is an interesting one, and important in science, as well as commerce. It is to the effect that tbe whole of tbe atmos phere in the Northern Hemisphere has been, from some unexplained cause chilled down to very low temperature.;;Let me en deavor to explain by a diagram.” The Professor caught up his pencil and drew the following: “The outside line.” he explained, “shows the recent passage of the aurora. The in side line, the usual discharge when the air is in its normal condition. The inner circle is the outside of the earth with the zones. N is the North Pole; 8, the South Pole; E, the equator; A, the Arctic circle, and AN, Ant arctic circle, L being the latitude of Louis ville. These arrow-pointsshow the directions of the discharges. “Observations made by numerous and careful authorities go to show that these ex treme discharges are precursors of severe cold, and when taking place, as in this in stance, indicative of a cold winter. Wheth er we shall experience such a sequence from the phenomena is yet to be proved, but is probable, as far as science and observation are concerned, and should be looked for and provided against.” Gas is an institution of the utmost value to the artisan; it requires hardly any atten tion, is supplied upon regulated terms, and gives with what should be a cheerful lights genial warmth, which often saves the light ing of a fire. The timo is, moreover, not far distant, I venture to think, when both rich and poor will resort to gas as the most con venient, the cleanest, and the cheapest of heating agents, and when raw coal will be seen only at the colliery or the gas works. In all cases where the town to be supplied is within say about thirty miles of the colliery, the gas-works may with advantage be plant ed at the mouth, or still better at the hot- tom of the pit, whereby all haulage of fuel would be avoided, and the gas, in its ascent from the bottom of the colliery, would ac quire an onward pressure sufficient probably to impel it to its destination. The possibili ty of transporting combustible gas through pipes for such a distance has been proved at Pittsburg, where natural gas from the oil district is used in large quantities. The quati monopoly solongenloyedby gas companies has had the inevitable effect of checking progress. The gas being supplied by meter, it has been seemingly to the advantage of the companies to give merely the prescribed illuminating power, and to discourage the invention of economical burn ers, in order that the consumption might reach a maximum. The application of gas for heating purposes has not been encourag ed, and is still made difficult, in consequence of the objectionable practice of reducing the pressure in the mains during the-day-time to the lowest possible point consistent with pre vention of atmospheric indraught. The in troduction of the electric light has convinced gas managers and directors that such a policy is no longer tenable, but must give way to one of technical progress; new processes for cheapening the production and increasing the purity and Illuminating power of gas are being fully discussed before the Gas Insti tute ; and improved burners, rivaling the electric light in brilliancy, greet our eyes as we pass along our principal thoroughfare*.—