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BEWARE! END OF THE WORLD ONLY 12,000,000 YEARS AWAY! By G. FREDERICK WRIGHT, A. M., LL. D. Then the Sun Will Shrink* Lose Its Heat and Inhabitants of the Earth Will Freesce and StarnJe to Death• State Capital News Breezy Gossip, Notes and Doings of Interest at Springfield. EASONING from the princi­ ples of the pretty gener­ ally accepted nebular hy­ pothesis the end of- the world is to be reached very gradually through the increasing reign o f c o l d a n d t h e l e n g t h e n i n g o f t h e e a r t h ' s d a y . F o r i t i s e v i d e n t t h a t t h e j j u n c a n n o t k e e p o n r a d i a t i n g h e a t a t High 'Brotved Scientists Ha*)e It All Worked Out--"Things Are in a Had Way," Warns Adherent of fiebtilar Hypothesis -- World's Center Giving Forth Warmth May SaxJe \7s for a Time, Hut \7ltimate "Destruction Is Inevitable, Wise Ones Say. sun will have become so far cooled off that we shall be indifferent to everything else that happens. Another limit to the future of the habitable portion of , the earth is brought to light by the rapid prog­ ress of erosion that is going on all over the land surface of the world. Wallace estimates that one foot of SUN' flOOU I2> ooo . ooo YEAR-S 5", 000*0 00 veAf* V T h a - t w i l l BE \se*T VNEE.K < H0WNt£e JOY I! Five MIL6S BPLOW AWO FOUR. HUNOR-C® DEtfEFei ABOVE IT FeeU / AS, I F i TH-l$ _ ee rue PLACE \ W0W/.7, } tfiA- ME 7H£>Y W/LL. UMknown WHEN s tWBTfR --• HAVE S£EN EECfUESjen yow VtHETHeR- I T f $ THUS YOU ARC GofrfvS o u r d * r //V /ZoOtf-000. ye\*.s / l tT h/ /L- /\fOT AL WAY'S Oe T/HJ3~7, ij,» ngr^y-wpr Springfield.--The appointment of a commission to inquire into the condi­ tion of the blind in Illinois was among the more important acts of the state board of charities at its meeting. Among the things that the-commission is expected to do is to formulate plans for the employment of the adult blind and to improve the efficiency of the public methods of caring for the blind. It will endeavor to Induce the attendance at the state Institution at Jacksonville of an estimated number of 100 blind children who are not now enjoying its benefits. 'The commission is expected to report its findings to the board of charities to be transmit­ ted to the governor and the Forty- sixth general assembly. Mrs. Clara P. Bourland of Peoria was made chair­ man of the commission and the other members are: Superintendent George W. Jones of the Illinois School for the Blind, Jacksonville; Trustee C. D. Babb of the Illinois School for the Blind, Homer; Trustees Joseph E. Otis and Edward J. Nolan of the In­ dustrial Home for the Blind, Chicago; a member of the Chicago Woman's club; a member of the Chicago board of education; Dr. William H. Wilder, a member of the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago; Dr. Elmer E. Hagler, Springfield, and Dr. J. T. Mc- Anally of Carbondale. -dLfi* the present' rate, or, indeed, at any rate, forever. As Lord Kelvin has Weil said, we know that the sun is •cooling Off just as certainly as we should know that a hot stone which we encountered in a field was cooling <off, though sg had not seen It long -enough to measure the rate of its •cooling Heat is not a permanent quality of any known object. The sun must be losing its heat, and hence in time will become a cold and lifeless •object If tilings continue to go on as they now do, astronomers tell us, the sun will lose its life-giving heat long before 12,000,000 years have elapsed. T.iko all other cooling bodies, the sun must be diminishing in size. Its diameter must be contracting. Newcomb estimates thai in lesB than 5,000,000 years the wun's diameter will contract to one- *ialf its present length, so that the aun will occupy only one-eighth of the *pace it now occupies. It is hardly possible for it after that to continue to furnish as much heat as it does now, but it must then cool off with ereat rapidity. £ This reasoning is based on the supposition that 'the sun is not yet a solid body, but is so hot that its mass is still in a gaseous state. But the force • of gravity upon the sun is so great that the gas is compressed into a much smaller proportionate com­ pass than it is on the earth. The force of gravity on the surface of the sun is 27 times that on the earth, so that a man weighing .150 pounds on the earth would weigh nearly two tons on the sun. So great is this pressure of gravity on the gases of the sun that are they reduced to one-quarter the •density of the solid nucleus of the earth. But so long as the nucleus, of the sun continues to be .gaseous it will continue to grow hotter as it dimin­ ishes in size. Sot soon, however, as it loses suf­ ficient heat to allow the material to take on the •solid form, a crust will be formed and the radiat­ ing heat will rapidly diminish. Probably, also, the heat radiated will diminish long before that time, even though the sun* is growing hotter, be­ cause of the diminishing size of the globe. The only way that the astronomers can see to avoid this slow paralysis of the sun, and so of the whole solar system, is that lately proposed by Prof. J^angley in a sensational article depicting what "would happen if a dark world moving at an incred­ ible speed in space should come so near our sun that the two would collide. In this case the origi­ nal heat of the sun might be restored, but the ca­ tastrophe would practically produce such an ex­ pansion of its volume and such an increase of its radiating power that everything on the earth would be burned up, producing about such phenomena as *re described by the Apostle Peter. Indeed, the re­ semblance between the wordB of the apostle and the theory of the Washington astronomer was as striking as it was unexpected, so much so that some readers may not know from which Source the fol­ lowing quotation is taken: "The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works therein shall be burned up." But the suggestion of the astronomer was pure speculation. There are no apparent signs of any such approaching catastrophe as Dr. Langley sug­ gests as possible. At any rate, we may settle down to the conclusion that so far as astronomical forces are concerned the present order of things will not be disturbed for three or four million years. But an equally gloomy prospect is before the world in the distant future from another cause which is in slow operation. The length of the earth's day is slowly increasing through the re­ tarding influence of the tides produced by the moon. To be sure, this effect is so slight that It has not been directly perceptible since accurate methods of measuring the time of the earth's revolution on its axis have been observed. But that It must be taking place is as sure as that friction wiy stop a railroad train when the steam is turned off. The tides raised by the moon's attraction are distributed by the continents so as to present many anomalies, but when considered In them­ selves they act the same as a wave three feet high constantly running in an opposite direction to the revolution of the earth, and so by friction re­ tarding its motion. Astronomers are agreed that similar tides produced on the moon have reduced her revolution on her axis to a period of 28 days. Eventually the revolution of the earth will be reduced so that our day will be several times long­ er than now. When that time comes the nights will be so cold that nothing can stand it, and if they could the days will be so hot that what was left by the cold would be. destroyed by the heat. But that time, also, is eo far in the future that the present generation may put it out of their minds. This catastrophe will not arrive for many million years yet. Indeed, before that time arrives the the earth's surface is, on the averagei washed away by the streams every 3,000 years and deposited at the bot­ tom of the ocean. This amounts to more than 300 feet in a million years. As the main elevation of North Amer­ ica Is 748 feet, and that of Europe 671 feet, it follows that by the operation of present forces Europe will be washed into the sea in 2.000,000 years, and America in 3,000,000 years. What providence has in store for us after that, no man knows. If the sunk­ en portion shall rise at the end of that period, as it did at the end of the coal period, there will be dry land to lire on, but it is doubtful If it have such stores of iron and coal as have blessed the present race of human beings. There are two other sources of heat to which we may look with much con­ fidence and hope. It was more than a dream of Ericsson to invent an en­ gine which could be run by collect­ ing the direct riflys of the sun through immense sun-dials, thus generating the heat necessary to set in motion the wheels of industry. But the' suc­ cessful carrying out of his plans would necessitate the transfer of our great manufacturing centers to the rainless regions of the world where perpetual sunshine prevails. It, therefore, will not be impossible that the desert of Sahara and the sandy wastes of Central Asia shall in the future usurp the place now assumed by the localities in proximity to the great coal fields of the world, while the latter become • overgrown with briars and brambles like the mounds of many an ancient center of civilization. Still another possible source from which we may draw infinite quantities of heat and power is to be found in the heated center of the earth. As we descend below the surface of the earth, the temperature rises on an average of one degree in 60 feet. At a depth of two miles, therefore, the temperature of boiling water would be reached, and at a depth of five miles a temperature of more than 400 degrees. It would, therefore, not seem by any means impossible to bore into the earth deep enough to make a portion of its heat available for all ordinary purposes. The world, however, is concerned with impend­ ing catastrophes nearer at hand. The prosperity of the present time Is largely due to the rapid­ ity with which we are using up the reserved stores of nature upon or near the surface of the earth. Thus geology, while it opens up to mankind the stores of good that are burled for safekeeping in the depths of the earth, points to their limited quan­ tity, and calls upon men to use them economically and leave as much as possible for future genera­ tions. Wastefulness of these limited stores is a sin. At the same time it gives the philosophical student of history a sobering view of the destiny of man. Nothing is more certain than that man has not been always on the earth, and that he is not always to stay here." The world is like a transcontinental railroad train and the human race like a passenger who gets on at one end and has to get off at the other. Out of mystery man came and into mystery he goes. The visible world Is a passing show. All that is unchangeable lies in the world of the unseen. (Copyright, 3908, by Joseph B. Bowles.) State Regains Lead. Illinois has regained its old position Of second place among the coal pro­ ducing states, a position it held from 1883 to 1906, when it was supplanted by West Virginia. The United States geological survey just has completed a compilation of statistics regarding the coal mining industry in the United States and its report shows last year was the banner period for Illinois, both in the matter of production and value. The total production for the year was 61,317,146 short tons, having a spot value of $54,687,382, an increase of 9,837,032 short tons, or 23.72 per cent. In quantity, and of $9,924,320, or 22.17 per cent, in value over 1906. The Increase in the production of Illinois in 1907 was due to a heavy demand for coal and to the renewed activity in mining after the recovery from the ef­ fects of the suspension on April 1, 1906. During this suspension practical­ ly all the important mines of Illinois were idle, and 49,792 men out of a total of 61,988 in the state were unem­ ployed for 68 days. In West Virginia the suspension affected only a small number of the mines for about 30 days. ; As a" result of these conditions the production of West Virginia in 1906 | exceeded that of Illinois by 1,810,246 short tons, and Illinois dropped back to third place. In 1907 the production of Illinois surpassed that of West Vir­ ginia by 3,225,563 short tons. State Reports on Finances. According to reports which have been compiled since the close of the fiscal year for the state government, the finances of Illinois are good. On January 1, 1907, there was in the state treasury a net balance of $4,342,750.20, or $2,284,750.77 more than the balance on hand two years before. Net balance on hand in the state treasury on Jan­ uary 1 for the biennial periods preced­ ing 1907 have been: 1906 .12,057,999.43 1903 2,812,315.49 1901 1,820,272.53 1899 1,786,606.27 1897 175,487.03 The balance on hand July 1, 1907, was In fact more than twice as large as was ever before in the state treas­ ury at the beginning of a legislative fiscal year, excepting In 190^, when the balance was $2,812,315.49, which the balance on hand Jaly 1, 1907, ex­ ceeded by $1,530,434.71. On July 1, 1907, the net balance on hand in the state treasury was $5,162,643, and there was due the state treasury un­ collected taxes, fees and other items amounting to $1,132,414, making an aggregate balance due to and in the state treasury of $6,295,057. RICHES AND TROUBLES. Advice and Comment on the Subject by Philosophic Uncle Rufut. "My frens," said Uncle Rufus, as he •at down in a sunny spot on the steps Of the grocery, "make no mistake about riches. No man eber gits to be wuth a millyun dollars dat his trub- bles don't begin de next day. He's got to git his h'ar cut once* a week and shave once a day. He must keep his backed day and night, and -if hiB necktie works around under his left ear he loses his poslshun in so­ ciety. "You and me know dat two-shillln' suspenders hold up our trowsers as well as a p'ar costln* six dollars. De millionaire knows it, too, but he's got to pay out $5.75 extra cause he'« in de swim. In our mind's eye We see de rich man seated in a red velvet chair. "In all de y'ars dat I knowed a sartln rich man sunthin' was alius happenin' to him. While I waB gwine on foot his hosses run away and broke bis | laig. While I was injoyln' my kitchen | stove his steam pipes busted and killed i his cook. While my cabin was too small game for thunderbolts one cum along and tore half de roof off his bouse. While me'n de old woman was grubbin' along by ourselves be had to have 16 of his relations in de house. My dawg wasn't wutft 15 cents, but he llbcd on. His dawg was wuth $250, and he was alius glttin' lost or plzened. j "Dat millyonaire had no show to eat onions, make lasses candy or popcorn. He nebber slid down hill, went rabbit huntin' nor drank cider out o' a jug. If he eber sot down of an evenin* wid his shoes off to take comfort his wife dragged him off to de theater or his barn took fire. While I saved up $100 in ten years, and am libin' to-day, he spent $20,000 a year to run his house fur de same time and died wishin' he could have had hoecake and bacon for breakfast ana had de teiicity or wear-in" a patch on each knee and two behind him." County Ballot to Be Lenghty. Voters of the city of Springfield and Sangamon county will be presented with a piece" of paper resembling a sheet when they go to the polls on August 8. The local election commis­ sion is considering the question of whether the ballot shall be one long sheet or the names ot the candidates shall be printed in columns. If the names are in one row, the length of the ballot will be six feet. The Re­ publican ticket will contain 63 names and there are 54 Democrats In the race. It is the intention of the elec­ tion commission to have the sample ballots ready for distribution several days previous to the primaries. The ballot that is to be distributed in th? country precincts will be arranged by County Clerk Opel. Music to Be Feature. The state board of agriculture In­ tends to make the musical feature of the coming state fair one of the prin­ cipal attractions. A number of th<? best bands In the state have been en­ gaged for the occasion, including the UIino% Watch Factory band of Spring­ field, Goodman's Fourth Regiment band of Decatur, Jeffries' Concert band of Jacksonville, Spencer's Mili­ tary band of Peoria, the P. & O. Fifth Regiment band of Canton, Gibler's band of Mattoon and the Marine band of Danville. Clear the Capitol Debt. The residents of Macoupin county are planning a jubilee in 1909 when they will pay off the last installment of their famous courthouse indebted­ ness. It has required 40 years to dis­ pose of this burden and there is gen­ eral rejoicing that the end is at last in sight. It has been no satisfaction to the people of Macoupin county to possess the most costly courthouse of any rural community in the United States. They never boast of the% dis­ tinction. Instead they are still en­ gaged in trying to figure out where the million and a half dollars went which were necessary to pay the con­ tractors. This problem has occupied ablb mathematicians for four decades and the answer is yet unknown. Com­ menced in 1867, it will be 1909 before the final bond Is paid* the yearly in­ stallments for the last ten years being $60,000, with accrued interest. The payment this year is $65,100. The last payment, to be made next year, will be $62,700. The total cost of the Macoupin county courthouse, as paid to contractors, was $1,668,000. The interest paid out in the 40 years that the burden has been carried, will bring the total cost of the citadel of justice up to $2,000,000. As to the total population of the county by the last census Is only 42,000, the lack of proportion is evident. SfATENlWSNOTES f&lpUNTS OF HAPPEN ING8 |n£ ILLINOIS FOR A WEEK. 1 FORTY: HURT IN WRECK Some Are Fatally Injured When Inter- urban Cars Meet Head-On at Lovedale Station--Crash Occurs on a Curve. Lovedale.--Forty persons were In­ jured, some of them fatally, and more than a dozen so severely that they had to be taken to hospitals, in a head- on collision between two Aurora, Elgin & Chicago cars at LoVedale station. The disaster occurred when the coaches were each running at a speed estimated at 40 miles an hour and the crash when they came together was terrific. The two cars were telescoped, the wood in them smashed to splin­ ters, iron twisted and gnarled out of all semblance to its original shape and seats thrown yards away. Passen­ gers, among whom were nearly 50 women, were thrown through windows and tossed to the side of the tracks several feet away. Just after the wreck occurred the cars caught fire from the trolley wire and began to smolder, but the uninjured passengers soon put out the blaze with water from a near-by rivulet and dragged the wounded to places of safety. From there the injured were taken to Aurora and near-by farm houses in automo­ biles and farmers' wagons. FORMS ESTATE IN TRUST. Ex-Secretary P*eses Away. Wilson C. Garrard, who resigned as secretary of the state board of agri­ culture last September, owing to fail­ ing health, died at his home in this city the other morning. Dedicate $100,000 PontJae Hospital. Pontlac.--The new St. James hos­ pital in this city was dedicated by Bishop O'Rielly of Peoria and assist­ ants under the auspices of the Knights cf The hospital coat ap­ proximately $100,000. It was named In honor of Father DoUard *f PonUap. Electric Line Declared Off. Decisive action was taken In regard to the construction of many electric interurban lines in the state but in one or two instances the projects have encountered opposition. The interur­ ban line from Paris to Chrisman has been declared off on account of in­ surmountable obstacles and although a large amount of the stock had been placed the certificates were returned to the owners. W. B. McKinley, head of the Illinois Traction system, has of­ fered encouragement for a line from Mattoon to Champaign by way of Villa Grove, Camargo and' Tuscola. W. G. Higdon of St. Louis has received promises of a majority of the right of way between the two points. After a conference with the city officials of Urbana and Champaign the directors of the Chicago, Kankakee & Cham­ paign interurban have announced that arrangements have been made for their road to enter Champaign. The road is already in operation between Kankakee and Chicago and the stretch between Champaign and Kankakee is all that Is needed to open up a through line from Chicago to St Louis. Niedringhaus Will Discloses Plan at Granite City. Novel Cook Campaign Is Opened. The Republican campaign in Cook county for the primaries August 8 opened with a rush. Both candidates for the Republican nomination for governor have been making speeches in Chicago, and great interest in the campaign's being manifested. There will be 172 candidates on the Repub­ lican primary ballot, which, of course, will be headed by the state ticket. Out­ side of the state candidate the seek­ ers after nomination in Cook county are particularly interested in pros­ pects of the general election in Novem­ ber. A nomination for them and de­ feat at the November election is not desired. As a result of this feeling county candidates naturally sympa­ thize with those candidates for office down-state who are working for the party as well as for themselves. Granite City.--The will of the late W. F. Niedringhaus, founder of this city, was filed for probate. The value of the estate is not given or estimated in the will. The will provides that a trust company be formed to be known as the W. F. Niedringhaus Trust com­ pany, to manage the estate. The di­ rectors of this trust company are to be the sons--George W., Albert W., Oliver B. and Lee I. Niedringhaus and they are to select by l|t one of their broth­ ers-in-law to serve as the fifth director. The trust company Is to give, first to the widow, Mary, the Niedringhaus homestead at 5105 Lindell boulevard, and its stable, horses, automobiles and household goods and is to pay her a yearly income of $20,000. Through Fire for Powder. Assumption.--William Donovan, a miner employed by the Assumption Coal company, risked his life when he dashed Into the blazing office of the company and carried out 150 pounds of dynamite and a small keg of gun­ powder stored there. Electric light wires, which became crossed, caused a blase. Searches for Perfect Man. Elgin.--"I am searching for a per­ fect mau, and he shall become ruler of the universe," said Alice Engler, who claims Peoria as her home, when ar­ rested here. This statement was made after she had visited many Elgin stores and solicited funds to assist in the "cause." Oldest Resident Fifty Years Wedded. Hillsboro.--Mr. and Mrs. William H. Hayes observed the fiftieth annivers­ ary of their wedding. Mr. Hayes it the oldest living man born in Mont­ gomery county. He was born near here 72 years ago. Corn 8how Enthusiasts at Champaign. Great Interest centered in the trip of the Corn show special which left here over the Illinois Traction system for Champaign. At the invitation of Dr. C. G. Hopkins of the college of agriculture of the university, the mem­ bers of the chamber of commerce and their friends spent the day in visiting the experimental fields at the uni­ versity and incidentally in booming the great corn show to be held here next autumn. The arrangements made for the entertainment of the visitors at Champaign and Urbana were on a generous scale. Lunch was served at the university and supper at Urbana. Firemen Gather at Tourney. Many cities of Illinois sent teams to participate in the twentieth annual tournament of the Illinois State Fire­ men's association. The meeting was held at Lincoln where the association was organized a score of years ago. The prizes given total $3,000, and 2,000 men In uniform attended the gather­ ing. The events in which entries were made follow: Horse wagon races--Urbana, Clinton, Decatur, Lincoln, and Monmouth. Hook and ladder races--Areola, Maroa, Edwardsville, Polo and Gibson City. Horse team races--Peru, Riverdale, Sandwich, Charleston, Mount Pulaski, Venice, Madison and Farmington. Many to Return to Work. Upwards of 15,000 will be re-em­ ployed within the next 30 days In the large factories and foundries of south­ ern Illinois, which have been working short-handed following the financial depression of last year, according to data just made public by the East St. Louis Commercial club. More than 1,500 men were put back to work 1^ this district in a week, many large firms resuming operations with a full force. It Is believed conditions in the vicinity of East St. Louis will have be­ come normal by the end of August. Soldiers of Troop D Leave. Troop D, First Illinois cavalry, und*f command of Capt. Charles A. Wrir, went to Chicago, where It joined 'he other troops under the command of Col. Milton J. Foreman. They to«>k a long cross-country march. In foimer years It has been the custom of the troops to spend a week of drill: at Camp Lincoln, near this cfty, but l>ir? year the program was altered TheM w«ro 600 men. 700 horses, two Ambu­ lances and 22 wagons in the line oi Coal Crushes Off Two Toes. Virden.--John Bodvest, a miner at the Royal Colliery Coal company, had two toes crushed off by falling coal in the mine. He also received severe scalp wounds. Boy Drowned at Macomb. Macomb.--Ernest Nelson of Tennes­ see was drowned while trying to swim across Creeked creek at Crawford, four miles east of Plymouth, in 16 feet of water. Greenview Secures School Head. Greenview.--Miss Esther Pfeil of Arenzville, former teacher in the local high school, has been engaged as prin­ cipal of the school at a salary of $80 per month. Pana Man Withdraws Candidacy. Pana.--C. E. Springston has with­ drawn his name as. a candidate for the Republican nomination as state's at­ torney of Christian county. "Beats" Ride on Train; Killed. Quincy.--Clyde Young, a Hannibal, Mo., youth was run over by a train, on which he attempted to "beat" a ride, and Instantly killed. Lightning Kills Farmer Boy. Xenia.--Clarence Mullen, ten years old, was Instantly killed by lightning while at work in the field during an electrical storm. Beardstown Carnival Date Fixed. Beardstown.--The annual carnival, fish-fry and home coming will be held here August 17-22. Swamp Hides Demented Boy. Dahlgren.--The town and surround­ ing country were excited over the fact that Arthur Dalo, son of J. W. Dale, a druggist here, disappeared from home. He was demented and slept in the swamps and lived on blackberries and water. Bryan's Second Cotisln Dead. Windsor.--Mrs. EHza Jane Bryan Cleghorn, a second cousin of William Jennings Bryan, died at her home hero. She was 81 years old. The fu­ neral was hel<i at Greenup, III. Risks Life for Uncle. Galesburg.--Miss Selma Swanson * rescued her uncle, John Swanson, from death under fast mail No. 9 on the Santa Fe. The train was running 40 miles an hour and Swanson, who is 80 years old and deaf, was crossing the tracks. City Would Own Want. , Lincoln.--Lincoln may have a mu­ nicipal water works plant. The pro­ posed embodies thsMssiilris ui $160,000 in four per cent, bonds, paya- W* in from three to twenty years.