The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-02-08
a JOURNEY TO VENUS.
dow Long IL Would rake u Fast Express
Train To Reach the Planet.

Train To Reach the Planet.
Let MS for moment suppose certain
railways TO be built: one around the
world in a perfect circle, others TO var
ious points in the solar system And
we will further suppose that the trains
on the railways could be kept going al
the rate OF sixty miles an hour for any
required length OF time. that their
passengers could do without food or
could be supplied with an abundance
OF il; that the bodies OF such passen-
gers could be made capable of endur-
ing the various changes OF air, tenn
perature and other climatic conditions
10 which they would be exposed.
And on our world thi, kind OF travel
would be comparatively easy, and
would take next 10 no time. In twenty
four hours the passenger could travel
LAO miles. or considerably farther
than from New York 10 Chicago. In
forty-eight hours he could travel as
far as from Boston 10 Liverpool; and
In less than seventeen days he could
go round the world. But, as regards
the journeys in space, "A difficulty in
most cases insuperable would stand in
the way. In order TO visit any but
very few OF the nearest bodies in space.
the travellers on our celestial railways
would need 10 have their lives very
greatly prolonged. Were they TO set
out for any distant part OF the system,
they all would die before they had
fairly begun their journey. A voyage
10 the moon, TO Venus or 10 Mars
would. under the above conditions, be
possible; to any other body in the sys-
TEN il would be impossible.
The journey TO the moon would be
comparatively short. Our companion
is distant about 100000 miles; or. in
round numbers. its distance contains
ten times as many miles rs are con-
tanned in the carth's circumference.
Travelling at the rate of sixty miles
an hour and never stopping, it would
take between lG6 and l67 days TO reach
the journeys end. Compared with
other heavenly distances, this Is
mere nothing; but compared with the
distances actually travcrsed by the
average man, it is very great indeed.
Few ever travel at sixty miles an hour.
and then only for short periods, and at
considerable intervals Many, prob
ably the majority, OF those who live 10
good old age cover less than 2i0, 900
miles during their whole lives. A
great traveller might do it in, say, fif-
teen years. For even a conductor or
engineer Of an express train, il would
require several years.
Let us now take trip 10 the planet
Venus. our next nearest neighbor.
This will be a much more formidable
undertaking. We have seen that
succession of tho longest journeys over
this earth would form but short and
passing episodes in n lifetime. We
have seen that, on one OF our imaginary
always. the traveller could circle the
world in less than three weeks. We
have seen, not only that "A journey TO the
moon is quite possible TO the passcn-
gers by our celestial railway. but that
equal and even greater distances are
often Travelled on earth. But n trip 10
Venus would be n very different matter
Venus. as already stated. il about 26.-
100000 miles away; or, at sixty miles
an hour, without stopping, she is dis
tant n journey not OF three weeks, or
six months. but of some fifty years
On the imaginary railway, such "A
journey would be possible. for "A great
many persons live longer than fifty
years But in real life no one ever has
travelled. and no one ever will travel.
any thing like so far. No human being
ever has travelled 5000. 600 miles; and
IL is safe 20 say that no one ever will.
To complete this measure OF journey
ing would require an average Of l00.-
600 miles year for fifty years. Some
few, perhaps, in all their lives. may
have Travelled 1000, 900 miles. but
these are probably very rare cxcep-
tions. SO we sec that no one ever has
Travelled more than a small part OF the
distance 20 Venus. Yet, compared
with other bodies in the system, this
star may be said 20 be almost a next
door neighbor.-D. &. Robertson. in
st. Nicholas.