"Then, do you believe this theory?" I asked, somewhat surprised at the unusual interest taken by Captain Battell.
"Why not?" he responded. "I have always been among the few who treated every new thought with fairness and consideration, no matter what might be my own preconceived opinions. While not accepting every new fangled theory that comes along, I do not condemn, but investigate, with a view to ascertaining the exact truth. I will not knowingly twist and misrepresent facts and logical deductions therefrom, for the purpose of proving a pre-adopted creed. Hence I have given this theory an impartial hearing and justice compels me to admit that the arguments in its favor are well worthy of careful consideration. Scientists have all agreed that the earth is not a cold, solid body, and to account for its lack of density they assume that the center is expanded and diffused by heat. They further assume that it was originally a nebulous body entirely destitute of a solid surface. If this is true, then the centrifugal force generated by its rapid revolution on its axis would certainly throw its constituent elements outward toward the surface, thus tending to produce a hollow shell, the very thing claimed in this 'Theory of Concentric Spheres.' The operation of this mechanical law, which governs revolving matter, can be readily illustrated by placing a quantity of oil in alcohol of the same density. The oil at once assumes the globular form by virtue of the law of molecular attraction. Then insert a disk through the center of the globule and begin to turn it around. The oil at once begins to rotate on its axis and becomes depressed at the poles and bulged at the equator, just the form which the earth is conceived to be. Increase the rapidity of the revolution up to a certain point and the oil separates from the disk and becomes a revolving ring. Reasoning from these well-known mechanical laws, we are forced to the conclusion, that if the earth was ever a soft revolving body it must be hollow at the center, and it is not at all unlikely that there may be openings at the poles into this hollow space. So, we see that there is some logical foundation for this Hollow Globe Theory."