COLLISION WITH A COMET.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12771, 18 April 1910, Page 1

COLLISION WITH A COMET.

Sir Robert Ball in "The Times" publishes the text of a reply he haa sent to an inquirer who expressed alarm as to the possibility of collision with the comet. The letter ran as foUows : — "My dear , A rhinoceros in full charge would nofc fear coUision with a cobweb! and the earth need r.o fc fear colUsion with a comet. "In 18G1 we passed through the t-nil of a comet and no one knew anything* about it at the time. "For a hundred million years life has been continuous on this earth, though we have been visited by at least five comets every year. If comets could ever have done tho earth any harm they would have done it long ago, and you and I would not bo discussing comets or anything else. "So far as I can learn we may be in the tail of Halley about 12th May and I sincerely hope we shall. ' "I think Sir John Herschel said somewhere that the whole comet could be squeezed into a portmanteau. • ' "Robert S- Ball."