, 1873-12-28

ton, and y was noooHsnry to choose high
mountain. 30 the requisite mnterial1 worc takon
| to ono Of tho highest panka of tho Rocky Noun
tntns. It waa almost IA difficult 10 sot up this
to mako It. It was necessary to transport onor-
| NOUS atonos. Wcfghty. .pioocs Of forged mota1,
heavy corner stones, tho vast boctiona Of The
9aaas5 gaaas5 sst sa aes.,v s osSss s fss fss "hSS s
tho region Of otcrnnl SNOW. but Ill difficulties
wero sur1nonnte1, and, in loss than year from
| tho commencement of tho work. the great tolo-
roak.
II was now tho 22l Of November In ton aays
tho groat oyent would take plaoo. There was
only QUO thing now to be dono, and that was to
operation to stow away 400. 600 pounds Of gun
| cotton. But narbioano WAS equal to most dita-
| oulties, and ho had this cannon loaded under his
own oyes: The gan.ootton s vas brought t from
and tloso wore carried to tho mouth OF tho can-
non by workmon In their baro foot. They wcro
thon lowered to thctr position BY mesns Of.
waa allowed to DO used, aud tlroa wero forbidden
| within a diatance Of two miles. It WAS oven
necessary to guard against the hoat Of tho sun,
and so oil the work was done at night BY the
pfaced in ordor in the bottom Of tho cnnnon, and
iwcro all conueoted by wiroa In auch way that
thoy could be exploded BY monnB Of an electric
| battery. All tho wiroB wcro unitod In single
[ conductor, which run through q hole In tho aldo
OF the casting and thon through ono Of tho
yenta in tho atono lining, to tho surface OF tho
I oarth. Thoro this wiro waa supported on
telegraph posts for . distance Of two miles,
| whore It waa connected with powerful battery.
All that was necessary, thon, when everything
was In ordor, WAS to pross little button, and
tho 9o, goo pounds OF gun-ootton would DO In
On tho 28th Of November tho work Of clarg-
Ing the cannon with gun cotton WAS completed.
Nothing now remaincd to bo dono but to lower
the contca shell to its place IN the groat cannon.
Put, before thin =, waa DONE the paaaonger pro-
Dor Of Thermometers and bhrometers woro placed
In suitable oaso, and, to facilitate their obser-
Evatons on arriving at tho Moon, the travellers
nost
Il traveller to tho Moon should bo without. Tho
travellers also, provided pistols, rifles, powder,
md SHOT, for there was no knowing what ono
h susi sas and isa eGs ea ow sheys eca
they DO certain that they would not have to
build themselves lunar habitatton 2
Michel Ardan would have liked to have carried
some animals. He did not doeiro to take snakes,
or tgerB, OF alligators, for there might be moth
l Ing Of tho kind In the Moon, ard he would not
caro- to be tho noanB Of introducing them the1e
AL ho wanted to tako with him was a horse, or
an OK, or COW OF two But Barbicauo objected.
-
and lie did not want to try it Ut bis age. And
80, although Ardan thought 1t would DO a very
nice thing to have fresh milk Oh tho trip, 1t was
ngrcod to tako no animals but q couple Of dogs.
were packed away in tho shell, and Michel
somo earth to SOW them in. This was not al.
lowed, but ho took bundle Of young fruit treea
Of tho most approved varieties, which were caro-
fully wrapped in straw, for transplanting in lu.
| mar soil.
Uoaldos MI this, food enough for year was
pecod II tho pToeo0 %1ore were also ab1at
for two months. Tho travclora had no doub
they would find water on tho Moon, and foot
too, for that matter. They we're not so certain
however, About brandy.
como was brought to tho cannon's mouth, ant
elevated by enormous windlasscs. Horo wa.
do1icacy and danger. II those chains had bro.
ken, tho fall Of such an immense mass woule
surely have exploded tho gun-cotton, md the
sholl would hare travelled Nloon-ward vithou
waiting for its passcngora. But nothing unto
} ward happened; and, after several hours' work
ho shell was safely lowered to Its proper posi-
As eoon as this operation WAS satisfactorily
} completed, Capt. Nichol paid to President
Darbicane $4,000, the amount of tho third wager
Darbicano waa not willing to receive the moneI
1Io wished to pay all hia debts before Lie left th
! world.
The first day OF Docembor now arrived
rcss peEs1s asy nay TSs sod i s e.
, to tho Moon at o1nctly forty-slx. minute!
and forty seconds after 10 o'clock thai
eyouing, more than eighteen years wouk
olapso before tho Moon would again be found il
! A perfectly onormous crowd surrounded
Stones Hill. From every portion Of tho Unitet
States, and from various parts Of tho Old World
spectators were asaomb!ed..
t1oty m
horizon. Grandly and brightly Bho mounted the
skies, punctunl to d minute to her appointment
Mover did the Moon recoivo 80 magnificent s
woloomo. Chcer after cheor arose from five
Every ono waa nov wild with excite.
J mont. Before tho applause which greetod
tic Moon had died away, tho threo lunal
thoir appoaranco tho applause burst forth with
redonbled force and thon. impelled by national
, enthusiasm, tho whole crowd began to sing. il
laundering Y chorus, tho national air Of "Yankot
Doollo.'
At last the singing coasea; all sound died
away, aud everybody looked aud listened. Tho
, three travellers now approached tho mouth ol
tic cannon. Thoy ehook hands with tbeil
wopt; and, at this last moment, implorod to b
! allowed to go along, But Barbicane shook hit
head It was impossible.
The tlroo companions desccnded to tho shell
| They entered 1t, aud Bcrowed tho plate over tho
orinco in tho top. Than the windassos and lad
{ dcrs wore removed from the mouth Of tho can
non.
Everything was ready.
Two miles away, the civil onginoor, Alurchson
: stood, with Ills fuger ovor the button Of tht
7 electric battory.
. Tho sonco became awful people acarcel.
! darod to broathe. Eyery eye was centered OF
t tho gaping mouth OF tho great gun.
t Now thore were but forty seconds remaining
: Eaoh OF thcso seemed an age. At tho twentieth
q second tho crowd fairly troubled with neryou
4 exoltemont. Some people sohhod, some tainted
!, counting 'fthirty-ava thirty-six thirty
+ seven = tlrty-eight - thirty-nino - forty
7 FInEll!"