Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 16.djvu/426

 to the earth's surface, but in the outward direction of the radius of the circle of latitude of the place; a diagonal of a parallelogram is frequently shorter than either of its sides; the centrifugal force acting on a particle, due to the rotation of the earth, is never more than about the part of the force of gravity; the direction of the resultant of this centrifugal force and of gravity is always very nearly that of gravity; the intensity of this resultant is always less than that of gravity; and instead of increasing with the distance from the center of the earth it decreases. Perhaps these are points that make no difference in the value of Mr. Green's theory; but still they are worth the consideration of any one who proposes by contraries to upset the doctrines of such men as Arago, Faraday, Garnier, and Halley.

Not even the wonderful fact mentioned by Mr. Green, that "by inclosing an overflowing spring tightly, and allowing the inclosure to be terminated by a tube with an opening carried to a level below the fountain, the flow was increased"—not even this will overthrow the principles of mechanics, as any one who ever understood a siphon would know. Mr. Green says, "the flow was increased because the channel was increased, and the resultant of the natural forces with it." But if the resultant increases with the distance from the center of the earth, then why could he not increase the flow still more by running the tube to a great height above the fountain instead of below it? But even Mr. Green would hardly expect to increase the flow by such means. For it is well known that by confining the water of an artesian well to a tube in which it must rise above the ground, the natural flow is rapidly diminished as the height of the tube increases. The "American Cyclopædia" says: "The flow from this well (at Passy, two miles from Grenelle) began slowly, but on September 27th (three days after striking the water) had reached over 5,500,000 gallons per day. The yield at the mouth was greatly decreased when raised through a tube twenty-five feet high; a like result followed at Grenelle, where the yield was 440 gallons per minute at the surface, but decreased to 135 gallons when forced through a tube thirty-three feet high." Mr. Green will have to charge this great decrease of flow to something besides increase of friction; for it is easy to see that, if the tube were extended up just to the point to which the water would rise without flowing out, there would then be no friction. In fact, the laws of hydraulics and hydrostatics have something to do with the subject of artesian wells.

I have already mentioned some inaccuracies of statement in Mr. Green's discussion of Mr. Howell's article in "Scribner's Magazine." Mr. Green, finding that the difference of level between the surfaces of the water in Lakes Superior and Ontario is three hundred and sixtyfive feet, becomes certain that there can be no subterranean water connection between these lakes; for, he says, "If this channel exists as supposed, the surfaces of these lakes would find a common level,