NEUOFFENBARUNGThe material and construction of the second Earth (23 January 1847)
1. This second solid earth consists of a very peculiar mass, which, like the wood of a tree, is almost the same throughout; only, of course, it is somewhat less intense toward the interior, but the intensity toward the exterior increases more and more, which is also necessary; for where it is a matter of bearing great loads, the strength must be great. Towards the interior, however, where the polar forces act through the bowels of the earth, the density must decrease somewhat and be somewhat tough and yielding, so that it does not break under the enormous internal force, and the very palpable pieces of bowel do not suffer damage during their to and fro and up and down movement by a sensitive impact on the surrounding wall, which may be too solid; but towards the top, this second earth becomes extremely firm in it's artificial structure, which same firmness has already a full diameter of nearly 200 miles, which thickness is sufficiently strong enough to carry the whole third outer earth with all it's seas, countries and mountains with the same ease as the elephant carries a blanket spread over it.
2. What kind of material does this second solid earth consist of then? It will be somewhat difficult to explain this material to you, because nothing similar can be found anywhere on the surface of the earth, nor can it be, since the constituent parts of each earth are quite different, which you can easily see by looking at a nut, where the outer green rind contains absolutely nothing of the hard shell, just as the inner core also contains nothing, and each, even if connected to each other, is nevertheless completely separate. So it is also with the mass of this second solid earth. It is neither rock, nor metal, certainly not diamond, and still less any gold or platinum; because if this mass were something similar, it would firstly not endure the inner fire that flows out of the intestines. It would soon be melted and finally turned into cinders and ashes; just as little would it withstand the powerful passage of countless sources of fire and other destructive substances, would soon wear out and on the other hand weather in these passage parts, in which state it would then become incapable of further operations.
3. Is it perhaps a very peculiar bone mass? Certainly even less that than something else. It is most similar to the so-called asbestos, or rock wool, when together in solid mass; for this rock wool is almost completely indestructible in fire, as in all acids, although it can be dissolved chemically, and this is precisely the difference that causes the complete similarity between the solid mass of the second earth and our rock wool. Something similar to rock wool exists on the surface of the earth, as a certain type of pumice, which is not found anywhere else but near the South Pole, but which type of rock is not yet found in any learned natural history collection, because no naturalist has yet come so close to the South Pole, and if someone would succeed in approaching this extremely dangerous point of the earth, he would have to dig very deep into the ice to get such a piece, and secondly, he would have to know beforehand where such pieces of pumice are located, otherwise he would dig a mine into the ice for nothing. A granule of such rock would, of course, be worth more than a pearl weighing a centner, because of it's extremely brilliant colorful beauty and because of it's complete indestructibility; but this most precious dung of the earth is kept so carefully hidden precisely in order not to blind the metal- and mineral-addicted world even worse than gold and diamonds. This mineral, as said, is most similar to the mass of our second solid earth.
4. As far as the color of our solid earth material is concerned, it is more white-greyish towards the top, and would look like a pearl in the sunlight; further down, however, it becomes darker and darker, and has the most wonderful colorations, almost playing throughout like a so-called golden pearl shell. This material is also exceedingly heavy, and must be; for in it lies the main rotational momentum of the earth, which cannot be found useful for this purpose on the outer earth, which is more loose and spongy.
5. Now that we have uncovered something about the mass of this middle earth, we can proceed to it's construction. The clearest conception of this second solid earth, as far as it's artistic structure is concerned, can be shown to you best and most expediently by a competent observation of the bone of a brain shell, also by the observation of an ordinary nut, and therefore show – because these objects stand up next to you like teachers – who direct your eye with a finger or pointing pen to the structure, in which structure and organism you then easily find that concept, which you then have to extend enormously, and only in this extension get the true concept of how artisticly and functionally this solid earth is built; Because you have to remember that it would be very wrong, if someone would claim, when he compares two similar things, that he can therefore already form a concept of it – but he must first find a concept through comparative observation. Once he has found it, he must anatomically dissect and stretch it; only then has he formed an actual concept of the thing.
6. So now we want to get an idea of the artisticl construction of the middle solid earth; but how? This will not be so difficult. What the visible pores are in the bones, these are in this second earth widely extending channels, sometimes many fathoms in diameter, provided at various points with the most diverse kinds of closing valves. In some other places, several channels intersect at one point; each of them carries it's own fluid up to this point, where all the fluids unite in such a point of union, or secondary center of gravity, to form a completely new mixture, and from there advance again in many further channels as one and the same united fluid. All channels, however, are continuously provided with an innumerable number of closing valves, which open outwards and close inwards.
7. Why are these closing valves placed in the innumerable channels? These valves serve to prevent the nutritive and vitalizing juices, which are expelled from the viscera in different ways, from falling back into the viscera because of their weight; for every pulse beat of the great heart of the earth, drives the diverse juices into the innumerable organs. If these organs were not provided with a closing valve just where the juices entered, these juices, due to their weight, would fall back again; but as they rise into the organs, these valves open due to the pressure from below, and the liquids flow through. However, when the impact lessens and fetches new material, the juices that have been pushed into the organs press back on these valves, and in this way block their way back by their own weight.
8. That such a large earth-vein must have several such closing valves in it's not infrequently several hundred miles long course, goes without saying, because otherwise without several such support points, the liquid in such a long tube would become too heavy to be lifted further by the pulse push, and by it's heaviness, would break through and destroy an only closing valve. Large channels or large veins have, in addition to such end valves, large downward coils and separate pressure pumps, through which the pulse impulse is greatly assisted. You will also find similar valves in all veins of the animal-body world. You may only look at an anatomical work, or also through a microscope at a wood fiber, then you will find a lot of such closing flaps along the tube.
9. Think a little about what has been said so far concerning the mechanism of this solid earth, then you will get a quite useful knowledge of things in nature; and when you have become somewhat familiar with this first mechanical representation, then you will understand the next by far more artistic opening of this mechanism, all the more easily.