The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-06-11
Aerial Navigation.

The doctrine of evolution. as well as the
teachings of geology. has taught men to
look upon long periods OF time as they used
TO upon a few thousand years. A pbiloso-
pher of the new school has demonstrated
logically that in the course of 50 many thou
saud years there will be no iron left upon
the earth. We do not remember how many
thousand years are allowed in this calcua-
ton; but the number is not material; let it
be admitted that there are in the world only
50 many decillionS of tons Of iron, and that
so many tons will be used up every year,
and every one most admit further that in a
certain number Of years there will be no
r"n left. Some time, however, previous TO
lis period at which iron would become a
lost metal it will have become so valuable
that none of it will be used for building rail.
roads. Railroads, therefore, will 60 out of
fashion, aud our rosterity will be RENTED
~ the condition of our ancestorS-they will
have no railroads to travel upon. But the
progress of scientific discovery and the im-
provements constantly made in the mechanic
artS forbid the idea that our descendants will
not have facilities for travelling as good as
those which we of the present day enjoy.
We iutuitiveIy concede that wisdom will not
die with us, and that the advances which
the world has made in applied science du-
ring the last fifty years will probably be
more than cqualled by the advances which
will be made during the next twenty years.
But how will the coming man travel?
Not upon the surface of the earth, for he
will scorn TO recede from railroads to stage
couches or horses. He will either find or
make way. lie will travel in the air.
And he will have the most agreeable, the
most rapid, and the safest mode of locomo-
ton ever enjoyed by mankind. Bridges will
be unknown, because unnecessary. Streams
will be no obstruction to travel. Routes will
no longer be crooked, but will be modelled
after that Of the bee. Hairbreadth escapes
from a watery death on the ocean, or from
the running of Of railroad train, or from
collisions between cars, or from defective
bridges, or from highway robbers, or from
guerillerOeS, or from the thousand and one
perils that DOW Deset tue traveller will
be unknown. One balloon will carry Ten
thousand barrels of flour from America to
Asia in few days, and so famncs will be
10 more. One balloon will carry so many
thousand people that everybody will be
able to take trip to Europe. Gen
enl GRANTS or rather JoRs FIsKE' S
universal republic will become possible.
The world will be Us easily circtnnnayiga.
ted a. the Atlantic is now crossed; and
every part of it VIII be accessible, or at
least every habitable part of it. The North
pole would be discovered if there were any
to be discovered. In fact, time would fail
Ills If We were to undertake to detail the
many changes and improvements that would
result from successful aerial navigation.
JoHS WISE proposes to start soon from
Boston, and another aCronaut to start soon
from Philadelphia, on voyages to Europe, if
they can can get the money needed TO en-
able them to construct and equip balloons OF
the requisite strength und capacity. We
trust that they will not have to ask in vain
for the few thousand dollars that are needed.
Let Us commence travelling in balloons at
once, and thus make our iron hold out
longer thun it otherwise would