Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-07-17

be accomplished indefinitely upon this
new axis, as if no daily movement had
existed previous 10 the shock. AT
present this movement is made around
the lines of the Poles, and in comhina-
ton with the accessory force produced
by the recou there was created new
axis, the pole Of which moves from the
present TO the amount of a quantity
called TX In other words. IL the cam
non is fred al the moment when the
vernal eQuinox-one OF the intersections
of the equator and the elliptic--is at the
nadir of the point of shooting, and If
the recoil is sufficiently strong1to dis
place the old pole % degrees Is minutes,
the new axis becomes perpendicular to
the direction OF the earth's orbit, the
same as it is for the planet Jupiter.
What the consequences we're expected
to be We already know, as President
Barbicane had indicated them at the
meeting of the 22d Of December. But.
given the mass Of the earth and the
quantity Of momentum which she pos
sesses, is it possible 10 conceive a piece
of ordnance SO strong that its recoil will
be able TO produce a modification in the
actual direction Of the real pole, and es-
pecially to the extent Of % degrees IS
minutes? Yes, if cannon or a series
Of cannons are built with the dimensions
required by the laws of mechanics, or,
in lieu Of these dimensions, If the in
ventors were in possession Of an explo-
sive strong enough to impel projectile
with the necessary velocity for such a
displacement.
Now, taking as basis model the can
non of "a centimeters of the French
Marine Corps. which throws a projectile
OF $50 Kilograms with an initial velocity
OF 500 meters 9 second, by giving TO this
piece Of ordnance an increased dimen-
sion of 100 times-that is, million
times in volume-it would throw pro
iectile of $50, 600 tons; or. in other words,
il the powder had strength sufficient to
give TO the projectile an initial velocity
5000 times greater than that Of the old
black powder used for a cannon the de-
sired result would be obtained. In fact
with a velocity OF $500 kilometers
a second, a velocity sufficient to 60 from
Paris to St. Petersburg in one second,
there was no doubt that the recoil of
the projectile, acting against the earth
would put every thing again in state
Of quietude Well, extraordinary as il
may appear, J. T. Maston and his asso-
ciates had in their possession exactly
this explosive, OF a nearly unlimited
| power, and of which the gunpowder
used TO throw the ball of the Columbiad
towards the moon gave but faint idea.
| IL was Captain Nicholl who had discov-
cred it. The substances which entered
into it's composition were only imper-
| fectly entered in the notebook OF Mr..
Maston, and he merely named 1t ''meli-
melonite. All that was known was
that it was formed by the reaction of q
melimelo Of organic substances and
azotic acids. No matter what the ex-
plosive was, with the power which IL
| possessed il was more than sufficient TO
throw projectile weighing $50, 600 tons
outside Of the earth's attraction, and it
was evident that the recoil which ii
would produce to the cannon would have
the effect Of changing the axis, dis
placing the North Pole 20 degrees and
2s minutes, bringing the new axis in the
direction of the elliptic, and, as a conse-
quence of this, efTecting all the changes
SO Justly dreaded by the inhabitants OF
the earth.
However. there was one chance for
humanity TO escape the consequences OF
this trial, which was to provoke such
revulsions in the geographical and eli
matte conditions of the globe. Was it
possible TO build a cannon Of such d.
mansions that it was to be a million
times greater in volume than the one Of
twenty-seven centimeters? 1t was
doubtful. That vas just the point and
one of the reasons for thinking the at
tempt of Barbicane e. Co. would not
succeed. But there was the other pos
sibility, for it seemed that the company
had already begun to work on their
gigantic project. Now the question
arose, where was their place of opera
| tions? No one knew, and consequently
it was impossible to oyertake these au-
dacious operators. 1t was we'll
| known that Barbicane and Nicholl
had left Baltimore and America.
They had gone away two months
ago Where were they? Most certainly
at that unknown point Of the globe
where the operations we're under way
for their grand object. 1t was evident
that this place was indicated on the last
page of the notebook of j. 7. Maston.
On this point there vas no doubt But