The Saturn
Presentation of this planet and its moons, including ring and creatures
- Chapter 13 -
The shores of the oceans. Danger through storm floods. The moons and the rings as the originators of floods. The lower species of ocean animals. The giant blue mussel.
To this point we have learned almost everything about the formation of the country itself, the rich vegetation and the waters and how all this can be properly used. Now we will turn from the kingdom of the elementary metallic vegetables and water sphere, which is the primary basis for the animal kingdom, to the animal kingdom itself.
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Before we deal with the actual animals, it will be necessary to inspect the regions of the ocean shores, which are the main housing for the greatest variety of animals. On earth, the shorelines of the oceans are the most populated regions, with a few exceptions, because of the access to the water and because it is very convenient to do business and have a transportation system on the shores of the oceans and water systems, provided these regions are not located on cliffs or reefs or sand and mud. But on the shores of the oceans on Saturn this is quite different. On Saturn no human being lives within 40 geographic miles of the shores. The reason for this is that the lowland is not inhabited up to 40 miles inward because no one is safe from sudden flooding. On earth the ocean is subject to periodical ebb and tide; much more so is this the case upon such a large planet. The tide rises in the same proportions to this planet as it does in all things on earth and everything that is on it.
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The reason why the tide on Saturn does not rise always to the same level is because of the seven moons of Saturn which all have a considerable influence on the planet itself. This influence occurs in those times when all seven moons are on one and the same side of the planet, as a result of the different speed in their orbits; therefore the ocean water rises higher than usual on that side of the planet. Since in your case only one moon orbits one planet, it would be imprudent to attribute ebb and tide to the moon, although regardless of that the earth's moon does exert an insignificant influence. But this influence of the moon on the earth does not even account for 1 inch when the natural rise in the level of the ocean water accounts for 6 feet. However, on a planet like Saturn the natural rise of the ocean water is a determining factor; add to this the fact that one moon raises the level by 1 inch and seven moons by 7 inches. You must apply these inches in proportion, as everything else on Saturn is proportionate to earth. You will quickly come to the conclusion that 7 inches, after you deduct all the other usual effective causes, are responsible for 420 feet. Add to this the natural rise in Saturn's ocean water of 360 feet during tide, and that will tell you how high the water of the ocean rises at times in the regions of the shore.
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If the ring above the ocean did not have such a beneficial effect upon the waters of the ocean, the lowland and some of the plains would be endangered for thousands of miles. But a peculiar phenomenon occurs during the time of tide through the attractive force of the ring the ocean water very seldom invades farther inward than 40 geographic miles, because during the tide the ocean forms actual mountains of water under the rings. So the water draws together, forming these mountains, as if it did not want to intrude too far inland.
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These mountains of water greatly resemble the waterspouts on earth, but with the difference that on account of the attractive force of the ring they quite often reach ghastly heights of 100 geographic miles. Therefore, during high tide, navigation is as good as impossible. Because when a ship is seized by such a waxing mountain of water it is lifted with such indescribable ferocity and speed that as soon as it has reached the highest peak it is thrown downward with such a thrust that one cannot speak of a happy and unscathed return. It happens, but very rarely, that in some areas the accumulation of water is so high that it almost reaches the ring.
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Nevertheless, even the most insignificant accumulation of the ocean is very dangerous for ship and crew. Because whenever these accumulations occur, the ocean water whirls at an indescribable 5peed. If any ship comes within the range of such dancing mountains of water, the ship is pulled upward to the water crest in the beginning, when the whirl is still slow. The whirling increases as the water rises higher and higher; this is how it happens that a ship that has been swept along is thrust to such tremendous depths or else destroyed by the power of the whirling water. The diameter of such a water mountain, even of medium size, is anywhere from 20 to 50 geographic miles at its base, 10 to 20 geographic miles at the middle, and 1 to 2 geographic miles at the top. The gyration of the water in the middle of such a mountain has such a speed that one gyration takes from four to five minutes, whereas at the top it takes anywhere from one to one and a half minutes. Now you can imagine the power of the thrust that this mountain has! If a ship is on the surface of the ocean and, just below the ship, the peak of such a water mountain begins to form, the ship is lifted to ghastly heights. However, if the ship comes into the whirling current of this water mountain, it is then raised to the level of a particular water wave and is thrust far away downwards.
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This explanation has been absolutely necessary, before beginning with our description of the animal kingdom, because we have learned that on account of these circumstances the shores of the Saturnian oceans are not habitable. What will be shown, however, in this great act of nature, is the prime generation (abiogenesis = spontaneous generation) of the animal kingdom, because through this occurs a phenomenal mating act through which the atomic ether animalcule are admitted into the water, where they multiply from class to class, until they reach a level which you on earth call the kingdom of the amphibians. On this celestial body, this animal class forms an orderly transition from water animal to land animal. Therefore the shore-land is the first level, on account of the proper sequence of stages, regarding the continued development on which the water animals can cross over from the water to land. If we want to examine the animal kingdom on Saturn, we must therefore begin in the order wherein it actually has its origin.
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Therefore the water of the oceans is the first habitat of the animals. Which kind of animals do we discover first on this celestial body, namely in the ocean waters? Even there, the order is the same as on earth.
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The first class of animal consists of countless amounts of extraordinarily small white worms, which are so tiny that millions have adequate room in one normal drop of water. The second class is a larger class of worm which is already equipped with two arms. Even these are not visible to the keen eye of the Saturnites. These animalcule of the second level consume many thousands of the first species every second, and through this pattern their life into its own. The third class is a kind of elongated gray worm about the size of nematodes, namely the anguillula aceti. This animal class is very voracious and nourishes itself from the two lower classes and thus incorporates their life into its own. The fourth class are species of worms which have two heads and already have a length of 2.14 to 2.25 mm; towards the girth they are a little thicker, so that their shape is similar to a crescent roll. This animal only consumes its predecessors. The next class differs already from the previous ones by gender. In the preceding classes no difference in gender existed. This animal, however, on account of its two heads is structured in such a way that it unifies within itself the male and female principle, indicated by its two heads. The next or fifth class already consists of a kind of four-armed reddish coleopteron. This animal has a visible length of 4.28 to 4.50 mm and a body width of about 1.07 to 2.12 mm; it is a glutton because it eats all the preceding classes in countless amounts and thereby incorporates their life into its own. That is how, in the case of a thousand such levels of such living beings, one always enters into the other until they are accepted by the class of the crustacean.
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The class of the crustacean is just as plentiful; what appears first is the mussel, then the snail.
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Amongst the shell fish, the one that should be mentioned is the giant blue mussel, which quite often reaches such a size that, were you to see it on earth somewhere in an ocean, you would think it was an island, covering an area of 1 to 1 ½ square geographic miles. This mussel constitutes the final level so far as mussels are concerned. Its death is caused by little snails. The giant mussel is their source of food, and they eat their way into it from all sides. When the mussel is consumed in this manner, the shell is either thrown onto a smaller island or onto the shores of the mainland through the ebb and tide, where the inhabitants gather these valuable shells. These mussels are secured in the earth in such a way that several rain trees are planted between two mussel shells and, in these large mussel basins, the rain tree water is gathered in the most economical manner.
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The outer side of this giant mussel is not particularly beautiful, its color being dark green. However, the inside is much lovelier; it is similar to bright shining gold covered with a beautiful azure blue. Therefore, when you look at this mussel water-basin, it is magnificent when filled with the water from the rain trees. The people of Saturn like to bathe in this water, because it has the greatest purity, as it is saturated with an ethereal fragrance. Its scent is similar to nardus oil on earth, which is also among the most fragrant on earth.
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You will probably ask: How do the Saturnites move such a giant mussel? This is accomplished in a very simple manner. The mussel shell is not as heavy as you might imagine, because below the ring the objects are not as heavy as on any other region of Saturn, whether in northern or southern latitude. When the inhabitants of Saturn find this mussel, they open it up by using wedges and levers. They clean the shell carefully, close it again and glue the openings all around with a special kind of water paste. Then they wait with their ships for a little tide; this then lifts the mussel, which they have secured with a strong rope to their ship, and they begin their voyage inland on one of the rivers with a speed of which you have no concept. Under these circumstances, a Saturnite uses his mighty willpower to the fullest extent. Therefore you should not be surprised that the Saturnites transport objects from place to place which you would not dare to move because of their size and weight. This will be pointed out in a much clearer manner when other opportunities arise.
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In the next chapters we will examine the animal kingdom more closely, but for today, I say Amen!