Penny Blood: Serial Sensation and Working-Class Entertainment — page 159: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CHAPTER XI. THE REVELATIONS OF THE PLUMB-LINE. Mountains the “backbones” of continents— They have “ roots” —These are revealed by the plumb-line—Pratt's calculation of the attraction of the Himalayas— The actual attraction less than that calculated—His attempted explanation of the discrepancy—Sir G. B. Airy’s explanation more satisfactory—Pratt’s reply shown to be inconclusive—The result confirms the reasoning of the preceding chapter—The plumb-line reveals a greater density beneath oceans. _WE have now arrived at a point at which we may begin to test our theories by comparing the results of them with ob- served phenomena. ) In noticing the section on p. 132, which is roughly drawn to scale, we are at once struck with the importance assumed by a mountain range with reference to a continent, when the de- pression below the lower mean level is taken account of, as well as the elevation which appears above the level of the sea. The latter has been usually regarded as the sufficient expression of the magnitude of the range, and the importance of the highest mountains has accordingly been minimized, and they have been called mere wrinkles upon the surface of the globe. Wrinkles no doubt they are; but they must be regarded as thicker, than they appear above ground to be, in the ratio of perhaps 5 to 2, and they may be fairly called the backbones of continents. According to the consequences which we have traced, as resulting from their denudation, we are also led to look upon a mountain range as truly the parent of a continent, and to COLA @ NOOKS ACO