Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-17
RAILROAD TO THE MOON.
The Discovery that is Destined to
RevOlutiOnize the Railroad Bust
ness OF the WOrId-The Inventor
Explains its Beauties.

Virginia New Chronicle: At one of the
trials of the aerial railway in Virginia City,
there was present a pale, slight built young
man, who asked so many questions Of the in
ventor-so many, IN fact, and so pointed, that
the latter finally asked HIM If he had any prior
knowledge of the invention.
The pale young man replied that he had
not, but that he was perfecting an invention
which would prove to be one of the most i'm
portant of modern times.
Although closely pressed by reporters and
others present at the trial, he refused to make
any further statement concerning his inven-
ton, and the incident was soon forgotten.
About three o'clock on the forenoon of Feb
ruary I'D; as the shafts were being changed
at the Consolidated Virginia works, Chron-
tcte reporter, standing near the shaft, noticed
miner who had just come up the shaft,
whose face struck HIM as very familiar After
moments 1t st. thought the reporter became sat.
young man. Following him as he descended
from the changing room, the reporter adj
dressed him, when he exclaimed:
IL am glad to have met you, as l want to
explain my invention to you. was not ready
to speak when | met you at NJ Intosh's, some
months ago, as my invention was not per-
fected, and had no patent. But it is now
ready. | received a caveat from Washington
last week, and | don't mind showing up my
plan to you. If you will come with me to my
cabin will show you my invention and ex-
plain it.
The reporter accepted, and the cabin-only
two blocks distant from the mine-was soon
reached. Locking the door behind him, the
young man opened large chest, from which
he took a small model of an air-compressor
OF nearly the same pattern as those used in
the Comstock mines, but mounted on wheels:
also three four-wheeled cars, and delicate
ladder about four feet long and three inches
wide.
''This," said Alfred Marsden chats his
name) lis railway, and that is the train
You are probably aware that the nitrogen,
oxygen ozone, of which the atmosphere is
composed, can be both Iquifed and solidi-
fed separately. This is not much more diff
cult than COMPRISING air; it can be done by
the same process, and with the same kind of
machine, only the machine will have to be
much stronger, since whereas air in only
compressed to four atmospheres, will have
to compress each of the elements of which it
is composed to pressure equal to at least
one hundred thousand atmospheres.
This is all my secret. All my invention.
L propose to Equify the atmosphere and then |
solidify it. You can say that | propose to |
freeze it, if you will, and you will not be out |
OF the way; as that Is what it amounts to. |
The balance of my invention is simply the |
application of the railway principle on a stu |
pendous scale. / shall start my air-compres-
sor to work, the compressed air being elected |
IN the shape of molecules, that will have |
such strong affinity that they will unite the |
instant they are elected, and will form solid |
roadway upon which the rails will be laid in |
sections, the train advancing as the way is |
ready. There will be no delay, as the air |
will be compressed and elected instantly with |
the same velocity as a strong wind, and the |
train will travel at the rate of two hundred |
miles or more per hour.
As the c0mnresSod air will haua q faro-
perature of thIrty-fve hundred and sixty-four |
degrees below zero, no natural heat can melt |
It, and Will thus form roadbed that will al |
ways be smooth and compact 1t will never
get out of order, and will not cost a cent for |
repairs. will give it grade of forty-ive
degrees, SO for every mile of travel one will |
De gained IN hight. In a comparatively short |
time the moon will be reached, and commu-
nlcation can be established with this planet |
and all the Others
But what will you do when you reach the !
moon, which has no atmospheric" the re-
porter asked.
1.-The moon has an atmosphere, the in
ventor replied, otherwise how could any
thing live there?" He then resumed: THAT
Is the object of my invention. | have worked
at 1t for four years, and know that it can be
done. All | lack now is the money required
to carry out my plans. About one hundred
thousand dollars will do. That is nothing
"nClC TIC pIOulS are OOunQ 10 De gigantic.
The reporter said the room was very close,
and raised the window near where he sat as
nigh as it would go. The inventor continued:
when get to the moon l will take posses
'ion of 1t In the name of the company that |
will organize to cooperate with me- There
are vast deposits of diamonds, gold. silver,
,ellurlum, aud even the more precious metals
there, and as soon as the moon is reached |
will impress into our company's service all
the inhabitants of the new world before they
IAN recover from the astonishment which nv
arrival will cause. The third month after our
arrival we will declare dividends of from
fifteen to twenty million dollars per
month, payable in diamonds of the first wa
,er. We will revolutionlze the universe, and
nave gold for cents instead of copper, with
diamonds for currency. Will you Join in
he first trip made by mortals from the earth
% the moon? l want the trip to be we'll
written up"
The reporter assured the inventor that
lothlng would afford him greater pleasure
han to accompany him on the proposed trip;
md then, while the inventors attention was
iIrected to his machine the auilI-driyer
prang out Of the window and ran off as
witty as his legs could carry him.
London, Nav Is: Tatters6eiJ ~ 20 vuoolan |