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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1910)
12 THE MORXIXG OEEGOXIAX, TUESDAY, MAT IP, 1910. COMET HARMLESS, SAYS ASTRONDMEB Visit of Wanderer Bodes No III to Earth, Declares Pro fessor Daniels. DOUBT ABOUT SPECTACLE fast How Various Phenomena Will Appear Cannot Be Foretold. Ex actly Iletreat of Comet to Outer Space to Be Watched. HAIiEl"8 COMET RISES AT i:36 A. L WEDNESDAY. Haltey'a comet rises "Wednesday, 8:36 A. M.; Thursday. 2:38 A. M. Bun - rises. 4:42. Comet's speed "Wednesday, about 1685 miles a min ute. &y J. W. Daniels. Professor of 'Mathematics and Astronomy at Hill Military Academy. Those who are privileged, by rea son of their location on the earth, to view, as well as to experience, the phe nomena attending the passage of the earth and Its moon through the tail Df Halley's comet, should mke a study of this interesting visitor from its Very first appearance in the sky in Ihe east until it passes over us and takes its position in the western heav ens as an evening body. A glance at No. 1 of the accompany ing drawings will start the viewer as he saw the comet at about 3 . to 4 o'clock In the morning. May 7; from this time on for several days the tail of the comet may be observed to ex pand apparently, while the nucleus re mains constant in size, but slowly approaching the disk of the sun. As this expansion is only apparent because of its diminished distance from the earth, the matter or refracted light constituting the huge volume of the tall will be rapidly separated, partible from particle, and the Intensity of light reflected to the eye of the observer May 10, and therefrom for several days, will be decreased in proportion to the Expansion and approach of the tail. This means that the comet as a whole tan be best viewed between May 10 fend May 17. At the latter date the apparent expansion will be very rapid, the Intensity of light greatly dimin ished, and the area of the heavens cov ered by the cometary parts nearest the earth will be immensely enlarged until the entire southwestern sky is enveloped in the cometary matter and light, and the earth and its moon are about to enter rfor their eclipse during some hours, as represented in cuts Nos. 3 and 4. Cut No. 5 will present to the thoughtful observer many theories for speculation before he Is called upon to make the ac tual passage through the comet's tail. Inuring such passage, the viewer should Imagine himself at the larger end of a liuge megaphone, whose smaller end is the nucleus of the comet some 14,000,000 miles distant and apparently close to the solar disc; and the larger or speaking end at which he Is standing must be Imagined to extend beyond and back of him some 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 of miles. Looking through the entire length of this cometary megaphone, the observer will see, projected upon the disk of the Fun, a tiny spot, about one-tenth of the diameter of the solar disk in size, its motion imperceptible, but nevertheless eal, and the spot taking about the same time to make the transit as the section of the tail takes in passing upon, over, and to the other side of the earth and Its eatelite. Possible Aspect Day of Transit. This spot may be of any degree of vis bility. inasmuch as the nucleus of the comet may be more or less solid in char acter. If, like our moon, it is of such composition as to offer to the passage of the sun's light an opaque body, the spot will be black, its edges or limbs being blunted and dimmed by the overwhelm ing sunlight, and its blackness being to quite an appreciable extent lessened to the observer by the 14,000,000 miles of cometary matter through which, he is gazing at the nucleus-spot on the sun. It may be best not to anticipate too much in this respect, as there is little prob ability that the nucleus of the comet Is a solid body; and it is much more prob able that, composed of gases similar to those constituting the tail, although per haps in a more condensed form, its pro jection upon the sun's disk will scarcely be discernible to the naked eye, the pow erful light of the sun penetrating through the gases of the cometary head making the latter appear as a more or less dim ly defined, light-brown, nebulous stain. On either side of the solar disk, or, bet ter, on all sides of the comet-megaphone through which the observer is looking, the enveloping of the earth in the cometary matter may present phe nomena never before witnessed by human eye. What these phenomena will be no one can safely prophesy, and will depend in large measure upon the kind of matter constituting the comet, and especially the density of that matter in the head, or nucleus, when projected upon the solar disk. If, as is the latest thought, the nucleus is composed of gases in more or less condensed state, and these gases again of different kinds, each kind re flecting its own color across the heavens radiant from the sun; and if the sun, streaming through this gaseous .nucleus! oising it as a lens, and perhaps as a prism, magnifies and refracts cometary tints from the sun as a center, radiant In all directions athwart the sky, the spectacle may be such as imagination in Its wildest flights never pictured; but this must be left for final determination until the moment of our bath in the comet's matter. Retreat of Comet Into Space. The withdrawing of the comet from the regions of the earth and moon, after its rapid sweep over these globes, should be watched with the greatest interest; for this withdrawal will be accompanied by cometary conditions just the reverse of those marking the comet's approach earthward to the point of envelopment. The closing of the immense fan-shaped tail as It gradually leaves the earth, its apparent diminishing size, the tremen- dousness of Its swing and Its swift as cension nign -into the heavens mrain after its awful descent and swoon unon the earth, if its retreat from our vicinity is accompanied by such conditions of light as to render its flight into the sky visible, the gradual narrowing of the tail. the shortening of the latter by some millions of miles because of Its loss to the earth, and the slow but appreciable movement of the nucleus from the vt cinity of the sun, as if being repelled by the majesty of that powerful monarch all these phenomena will appeal to the thoughtful layman in astronomy, and will be of all-absorbing interest to the s "dent la this, the most sublime sub- DRAWINGS BY PROFESSOR J. W. ject the human mind is privileged to dwell I upon. Were the matter composing the comet's tail of the consistency of ordinary gases, the effect upon the earth would be such as would at least leave the earth bare of all things upon its surface. For the gale created by the speed of the comet's tail as it swings over the earth's surface must be added to the speed of the earth itself in Its orbit, if we would know the rate at which the wind made by the pas sage of the comet over our globe would blow. In the case of the comet, this speed Is about 1700 miles per minute, or more than 100,000 miles an hour; in the case of the earth, the speed is about 000 miles an hour, thus making, as earth and comet are going in opposite directions, a breeze blowing at the rate of- more than 160,000 miles an hour; a wind that nothing known to human ex perience could withstand. Happily, however, such is the composi tioin of- the comet's tail, that there will probably be no effect whatsoever mon the earth at Its surface, as the blanket of the dense atmosphere surrounding the latter will effectually absorb any effect produced upon the upper strata of the air. Indeed, it is presumable that such effect will be even less than that of a feather brushing against a wooden ball; but our globe will probably receive an Increment of matter from the brushing it will get at the hands of the comet, as the gravitation force of the earth will assert its superiority over that of the nucleus of the comet, and will .detain some millions of miles of the visitor as a permanent accretion to its own volume. These millions of miles and vast vol ume of matter thus detained will add little to our magnitude, as - the entire body added could be compressed to ordi nary density in a snuff-box; and this will be quietly assimilated with the rare outer strata of our atmosphere. The only fear we need harbor in this entire matter Is that the comet's passage over us will be so unostentatious as to render its detection at all quite prob lematical. FABER REPLIES TO EUSTER Architect Intimates Preacher Doesn't Understand Criticism. In sarcastic vein, A. H. Faber, a local architect, yesterday replied to the criti cism of Dr. W. T. Euster, pastor of the Sunnyside Methodist Episcopal Church, with whom he has been having some controversy of late on church buildings. Dr. Euster, who has built a number of churches, has said that "graft" enters into such projects ordinarily, but declares that he has made It possible to eliminate this by writing a book exposing all of the wiles of architects and contractors, which has led them to "jump" him. Mr. Faber yesterday replied as follows: WlKn -Mr. Euster abandons denunciation of Kraft, which exists only In his disordered Imagination, and takes up criticism, be at once gets over his head, and his nounder ings become grotesque. He attempts, I suppose, the old -witticism when he says that the Methodist Episcopal Church South shows three distinct types of architecture: Bad, indifferent, good. That he could go any deeper into architectural criticism than this is to be doubted. Let him name the three orders, if -he dare. I'll wager he could not tell gothic from Ro man, or Romanesque from renaissance. As to the cost of the church, the officials of the denomination have been eulogistic in their commendation of the economy of its construction and have said that for Its size and the materials entering into It. it has cost less than any of their builcwngs elsewhere in the United States. as ita ncmiKtlc nrotjerties. the most practiced speakers of the denomination, who attended the recent conference within its walls, and who have spoken in auditoriums all over the country pronounce It perfect. wall-UTin-wn musicians Professor Ooodrich, for example commends the build ing for producing an aunui of musical aounds the heaviest bass of the organ, or the highest note of the soprano voice being given ita full and correct value to the ear. , . Tk. t., nf ,! criticism reminds one of the efforts of the salesman who convinced the purchaser of a table cloth by pointing out to her that the "border ran clear around the edge, ana tnal tnt- rtnier wa ca&'-'-.j in the middle of the article. ui. ..atomonr Hint the design lacks In originality, and Is the work of a mere copyist, acquits me oi fore made that the .edifice is bizarre In style and unique In plan. I have grown so accustomed to having charged to my - ac count everything unusual or out of the ordinary in tne ftronueciurai " -almost a relief to be accused of conven tionality. That I have been guilty of some weird conceits I shall have to admit, but to have the parenthood of everything freakish thrust upon me n some. My thanks to Mr. Euster. I have grown to wonder it the man ever does know anything at all about what he undertakes to discuss. HOUGHTON TRIFLE HUNGRY Self-Starved Photographer Expects Soon to Eat. Believing that his lost appetite Is grad ually returning after 18 days of fasting, s Houehton. the photographer, says he expects to break his long fast within the next few days. He walked to work as usual yesterday morning and was at his studio attending his routine of duties. "This fast is getting monoton- ,e said last night, "and I expect to discontinue it in a few days. I am" still strong, but yesterday, ior me nrat time in two weeks. I experienced a slight sensation of hunger. Between Saturday night and Monday morning I lost exactly three pounds, which brings me down to 127 pounds, just 17 pounds lighter than when I commenced my fast." - . Mr. Houghton appeared pale and some what emanciated last night as though he Is keeping up only by his strong will power. He is receiving a large number of communications from adherents to the "Starvation for Health" cuit from all parts of the state, asking for informa tion and advice, DANIELS, ILLUSTRATING THE H ALLEY'S COMET. . 1 WWf iiii.il i ymmmfmpmmm..i..- mmmmmmmmmmm .---- - . - ""r- - " J - "- 1 -' I HI Ml ill I J I 1 'Present appearance of comet in the east'at less than 80 degrees angular distance from earth, viewed from outer space. 2 Apparent expansion of comet's tail as comet and earth approach each other, nucleus remaining nearly . constant in size, but approaching the sun. 3 Apparent wonderful expansion of comet's tail as comet and earth ap proach: nucleus apparently blunted. 4 Just prior to enveloping earth and moon; southeastern sky covered with cometary light and matter. 6 Possible appearance of heavens during passage of earth through comet's tall May IS, nucleus of comet concentric with sun, and sun as opaque dot on solar disk In transit: possible play of radiant cometary solar light; section of cometary cone; earth and moon seen from outer space during passage through comet's tail. 1 6 Comet's appearance just after earth has emerged from Its passage through comet's tail, comet drawing off from earth. 7 Comet east of sun, retreating into space. Will set after sun and be vis ible evenings until lost in space. May be so brilliant as to be visible at times in daylight, but doubtful. VISTA VIEW INVALID Charter Violation Found When Bill Is Rendered. COUNCIL COMMITTEE BALKS Settlement of Report Withheld Un til Exact Time Is Certified Sub stitute Viewer Makes All Pro ceedings Thus Far Illegal. Portland is paying out thousands of dollars every year to viewers on pro posed street openings with no returns. but the City Council 'committee on Judiciary yesterday afternoon refused to pay a hill of fiOO for a report on Vista . avenue until a more definite statement as to the actual time em ployed by the three men is at hand. Reports of viewers on many streets that have been proposed for opening in recent months have been challenged by the committee when the bills were presented, and yesterday Councllmen Cellars, Baker and Ellis declined to pay the bill presented on Vista ave nue by John Keating, T. Dinneen and W. A. Cadwell because the latter could not tell how much time they had given to the work. It also developed that one of the viewers was ill during the viewing of the avenue and that he substituted another man. This, ac cording to the charter, invalidated the entire proceeding, declares Assistant City Attorney Grant. This feature alone Is said to be suf ficient to condemn the custom of al lowing viewers to proceed on a street without any supervision whatever, for the proposed widening and extending of Vista avenue involved hundreds of thousands of dollars, and yet by the substitution of a viewer the whole pro ceeding was annulled. Had the view ers' report been adopted by the Coun cil and the work been ordered, it would have been thrown out of court on this one error, had any ' property owner raised the question. It was said. Messrs. Dinneen and Keating were present at the request of the commit tee to tell the exact amount of time each put in on the Vista avenue view ing. Both declined to ray. and when Councilman Ellis asked that Chairman Cellars put Mr. Keating under oath, the latter refused to swear to the time. Under the present system the street committee appoints the viewers and the claims for their services are acted upon by the Judiciary committee. It was but recently that Councilman Ellis brought to the committee's attention the discrepancies in some of the bills and forced some of the viewers to ex plain their charges. It has been found that many1 times they have charged APPROACH AND RETREAT OP more time than they worked; that they have not fulfilled the requirements of the charter In several respects and tnat their work In general is unsatls factory. That there will be a radical change in me system is believed certain. As sistant City Attorney Grant is work ing on a proposed amendment to tha charter, which will give the city power to go into court at the outset and con demn whatever property is needed for a street or for widening a street; a jury would then hear all parties and fix the damages and benefits and the verdict would settle the controversy. This Is the plan adopted by many cities throughout the country. Including Se attle. The committeemen expressed favor for this change at yesterday's session. LADY MACCABEES RALLY Representatives From 52 Hives Meet in Two-Day Session. Representatives were present from 52 Hives of the Ordef of Lady Maccabees yesterday morning at the opening of the two-day state rally in the hall of Orient Lodge, I. O. VD. F., at the corner of East Sixth and East Alder streets. Besides there were visitors from Utah, Michigan and Washington. Mrs. Alice Forges, state master, presided during the day. . At the morning session the supreme record keeper, Miss Bina M. "West, of Port Huron, Mich., and the supreme medical examiner. Dr. Ella J. Fitfield, were guests of honor at the rally. Committees were appointed fol lowed by the registration of delegates. more than 200 being present and regis tftritief. In the afternoon memorial exercises C3- . in honor of the dead members of the order were conducted. The funeral rit ual was exemplified by the officers and guards of Laurelwood Hive No. 58, of Arleta. With solemn ceremony the charter was draped by representatives of Queen Elizabeth Hive No. 24. A stirring address was delivered by Dr. Fitfield, supreme medical examiner. A question box was conducted by Su preme Record Keeper West. Last night there was an initiation of a class of nearly 100. Today will be devoted to Instructions, closing in the evening with a competitive drill. Addresses will be made by Supreme Record Keener West and . Dr. Fitfield. DELL EADS IS ACQUITTED Larceny Charge Disproved; Madras Bootlegging Case Dropped. PRINEVILE, VDr May 9. (Special.) Dell Eads was acquitted of larceny by a jury after it had been out five minutes. " The case of the State vs. Lloyd Johnson and J. T. Scott, who were con cerned in the shooting of George H. Russell several weeks ago, was dis missed on motion of the District At torney, Russell declining to appear against the men. Of the 10 ' Madras cases charging gambling and bootleg ging, not one true bill was found and the defendants have been - discharged. SOUVENIR NIG Tomorrow, Wednesday, Evening From 8 to 9:30 o'CIock You Are Cordially Invited to Attend Appropriate Souvenirs for Men and Women This event marks an Informal Opening and we desire to introduce to you our newly remodeled "STORE BEAUTIFUL." its modern fixtures just installed and the magnificent lines of wearables we handle- All these changes and alterations were made for the sole purpose of giving you better service, more comfort, convenience and to make your trading more pleasant. ON THIS OCCASION the ten winners of the prizes in the ROLL BUSI NESS OUR WAY contest will be announced. NO GOODS SOLD DURING THE EVENING EASTERN OUTFITTING CO. Washington at Tenth Street THE STORE WHERE YOUR CREDIT IS GOOD MAYOR THREATENS SUtTSTO CONDEMN Vexed by Broadway Bridge Delays, Simon Promises Speedy Action. COURT PROCEEDINGS DRAG Negotiations With O. R. & X. and Terminal Company Also Believed to Be "Unsatisfactory City in Position to Act. Unless the O. R. & N.' Company, through General Manager O'Brien, and the North ern Pacific Terminal Company, by Man ager Lyons, make known soon their atti tude toward the city relative to Broad way bridge concessions, it can be stated upon authority that negotiations by the city will end and condemnation proceed ings .will be begun. That Mayor Simon is chafing under the long delay, brought about in part by the railroad managers and in part by dila tory action In the Circuit Court, is known, and that he will not tolerate this situa tion much longer. While from the outset he has felt inclined -to treat with the rail roads on a fair basis, he also has been strongly favorable to rushing the Broad way bridge to completion, and it is cer tain that he will demand immediate ac tion, although he declines to make a formal statement to this effect now. Steps to Be Taken Soon. - "I will say that I intend to take steps to build the Broadway bridge pretty soon," said Mayor Simon yesterday morning. "Negotiations are dragging, and we are obliged to await the answers of the O. R. & N. Company and of the Ter minal .Company. Furthermore, I am vexed at the tedious and unnecessary court procedure. There never should be this delay. The suit questioning the validity of the Broadway bridge bonds Should be set down for trial in Circuit Court immediately and should be pressed to an issue and settled. We ' could then proceed, regardless of the action of the railroad companies." While the Mayor is reticent as to blaming any one. it is understood that he feels that City Attorney Kavanaugh should insist that Presiding Judge Mor row, of the Circuit Court, set the bond issue suit for trial at once and cease ac cepting "dilatory" pleas on the part of the attorneys for the opposition. This is the all-important case involving the Broadway bridge, and when it is cleared up the bonds will be sold, probably at advanced rates. Until then there is Just that much uncertainty as to the validity of the issue, although Mayor Simon de clares there is nothing of merit in the suit. Mayor Simon and a committee of the City Council, composed of Messrs. Wal- Comfort and New Strength Await the person who discovers that a long train of coffee ails can be thrown off by using POSTUM in place of Coffee The comfort and strength come from a rebuilding of new nerve cells by the food elements in the roasted wheat used in making Postum. And the relief from coffee ails comes from the absence of caffeine the natural drug in coffee. Ten days' trial will show any one "There's a Reason" for POSTUM lace, Menefee and Rushlight, have been carrying on the negotiations with the O. R. & N. Company and the Terminal Company as to concessions to the city, based on the proposed vacation of certain East Side streets, desired by the O. R. & N., and certain privileges wanted by the Terminal Cortpany on the West Side. While the details of the negotiations are not published, the Mayor and com mittee having felt that a certain degree of secrecy must be had until the com panies make known their exact attitude, it is regarded by city officials as appar ent that the railroads are asking plenty in return for what they may have to give to the city. It is believed from what little has been told that the offers of the two campanies are far from satis factory to the Mayor and members of the committee. Whatever may be the outcome of the negotiations between the railroads and the city, the right of condemnation is open and the city can proceed at any time to acquire its rights of way for the Broadway bridge In this manner. In this way, the city would pay whatever a jury in the Circuit Court determined. Should this occur, the O. R. & N. Com pany will have to buy outright from the city whatever rights it wants in the East Side, paying the cash, for the property needed, for its terminals or warehouse sites. m There is a bond issue of $2,000,000 for building the Broadway bridge and buying whatever property is necessary therefor, and the city is in a position to proceed with condemnation suits. Ticket Sajes to East Heavy. Yesterday was sale day in Portland at the offices of all Eastern railroads. These offices were literally jammed with people all day, purchasing tickets for a back-home trip. A real bar- It is a real delight to hear the .Vienna Quartet Theexquisite renditions of popular and classical music by this famous body of players are wholly charming. ' And they are reproduced with such abso-( lute faithfulness that you'll wonder at the perfection of Victor recording. 1 y Here are the six newest Victor.Records by this celebrated organization: ( Bine Dumhi Walts (31777) ..Strauss Serenade (5770) ............ I'lerae Southern Rose Waltx (31773) Strauss Bridal Sons from "Rustic Wedding Symphony" (31772) Goldmark Albumblatt (Opus 28) (5763) Grie Dollar Princes Medley (5756) ". Leo Fall Go today to the nearest Victor dealer's and hear these and other Victor Records. He will gladly play tor you any victor music ' Ask him for the Victor ?Aon . and double-faced. Same high difference is in nrice. Buy .- ' " u uic wmuuuiuDu Huus you. And be sure -..m. 1 a.1 r ;io near uie v XT ir:. t I y ii J 1 .1 Li- r r m. " u'-."J a u luc om ui Victor Talkin; Machine Co.. To set best results, nse only Sherman WHOLESALE AND RETAIL VICTOR MACHINES RECORDS AND SUPPLIES SIXTH AND MORRISON STS OPP. POSTOFFICE HT gain-day business was reported at all of the offices. It Is believed yester day's sales were greater than for any previous year at this season. The ex act number of tickets sold could not be learned. STATE JEWELERS TO MEET Two Hundred Delegates in Portland lor Annual Convention. With 200 delegates In attendance, the third annual convention of the Oregon State" Jewelers' Association win begin this morning at 10 o'clock in the conven tion hall of the Imperial Hotel. The meeting will be called to order by Presi dent F. M. French, of Albany. The ad dress of welcome on the part of the wholesale and manufacturing jewelry houses of Portland will be delivered by H. S. Tuthill. It will be responded to by L. W. Bruns, of Portland. There will be no session tonight, the attending delegates, who, it Is believed, will number 150, being given an opportu nity to visit theaters. Among those who are scheduled to speak today are President French, Sec retary Charles H. Williams, of Condon; E. J. Jaegar, of Portland; J. O. Watts, of Eugene, and reports of the president, the secretary and the treasurer, E. J. Jaegar. Tomorrow's programme includes ad dresses, the election of officers, selection of next year's convention city and wind ing up the convention with a banquet to be given by the wholesalers and man ufacturers at the Commercial Club. A Tondon hatter says that men's- heads grow annreciablv ur to the time that thelf nwnem ' are 5 year old. you want to near. Record catalog- which .1 v- : 1 quality only t double-faced fKiC I ( I V y . f J.)isii iciroia. . i . , M-.. nco U1ULJ III Camden. N. S. Victor Needles on Victor Records. ay-& Go.