THE END OF THE WORLD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14386, 31 May 1907, Page 8

THE END OF THE WORLD.

M. Camille Flammarion indulges in tin apocalyptic vision of the end of the world in the March nunibor of " London." It k a series of vivid descriptions of what might be expected should a comet dash into the earth at a speed of 93,750 miles per hour. What would happen depends upon the composition of the comet. If it were a massive body, M. Flammarion thus describes the catastrophe that would ensue:—" A continent broken in half, several nations swallowed up, an immense volcano vomiting forth from the bowels of the earth, vast countries submerged by the sudden eruptions of the water of the sea —all these results might possibly happen from the terrible crash." A WOULD GONE 3IAD WITH JOT. Supposing the encircling comet wer«t to absorb the azote from our atmosphere, all human life would terminate in a paroxysm of joy:—"ln this case there would be caused a nervous state of most violent excitement to all human beings. First of all it would be char-. acterised by a very agreeable feeling of ; comfort. Life would be fe.lt as an incalculable benefit even by the neurasthenics, by those generally depressed, and by the melancholy. None would dream of committing suicide, or of murdering his neighbour. A perfect harmony, a gentle fraternity would reign in all hearts, which same would only be animated by the most elevated motives. The wicked, the jealous, the crafty, the dishonest would cease to exist. Mankind would no longer recognise itself, and would believe that it had returned to the Golden Ago. These glorious days would become brighter as the azote of the atmosphere decreased. An exuber-; ant mirth would follow moderate re-1 joiciug. Everyone would be gesticulating speaking loudly, singing bareheaded, and it would seem an infernal babel, since the beasts, being subject to the same influences, would commence to roar. Men, women and children would doubtless perish whilst dancing fantaatioally hand in hand, and tho earth's last day would be a frantic revel. All beings would expire in a paroxysm of joy." WOULD EXPLOI3E LIKE A BOMB. The mere friction resulting i'rom tho impact of the two bodies would be soviolent that the temperature of the earth would increase by several thousands of degrees. M. Flammarion describes the end of the world under these circumstances in a ttaesago that vividly recalls the tales of the iNorso mythology, where the Sun God destroys the world m a raging fire:—"An enormous fire would buret forth in the atmosphere, and would rapidly set the groundalight. Forests, gardens, plants, buildings, towns and villages, all would burst into flame, like a bunch of dried herbs. The snow and ice of the poles being instantaneously melted, would become reduced to vapour before even having regain- ' ed the ocean. All fish would be cooked j in the seas, lakes and rivers, whose j waters would at once commence to boil. ■ Man and beast, suffocated by the burn-; ing blast of the comet, would fall as-' phyxiated before the flames could reach them, and would soon after be cremated. An inconceivably violent evaporation would launch into tho atmosphere an enormous quantity oi water that would fall in the form of a rain of boil-' ing drops on tho terrestrial furnace. I Electric phenomena, whereof our most, terrible, stories can give us no concep-' tion, would add their very numerous manifestations to the disorder of r\aturo. Blue Sanies, lightning, tho yel-low-green, violet-red flamea of the dif-, fering gases would be burning together; and bursting from the 'terrestrial fur-, nace; it would indeed be a marvellous fireworks display to observe from Mam or Venus. Fmallv, the water of tho centre of the globe, having been transformed into steam by « tolerably prolonged ebullition, and finding no vent, would burst open tho earth iil:ea bomb with a deafening roar." Fragments of this shattered world would wander about the heavens, & pua« ale to the wise men of other distant' humanities.