Telegram-herald., 1890-03-15


from ths earth 70 the moon. aOw tho
gun ~.s - be en- m2l0yed 20 change tns
earth axis TIE cannon. always the
cannon: these Zunners Of the gun ci4o
h.a aothing elss ia their heads but tie
sanaon- They had real crease for
Ne cannon N4s tnIs brutal engine
again threatening the uniysrssf Yes,
80 are sorry 80 confess II, IL Was . can
AOn shich ~ss uppermost IA the mind
Of President Barbic2ne and his associ-
sssa After the Colunbiad OF Florida
they had gone on 20 the monster can
aOn Of the place X" We may almost
hear them shsat with loud voice:
Take aim a. Ehe moon" First act
Fire Change the axis OF the earth.
Second act. Fire And the wish
shich the whole world had for them
sas: To hell" Third act. Fire"
And really their scheme justified the
popular opinion
As lt vas, tAs publication Of this last
report Of the committee in the news
papers prod daced an effect OF which one
can scarcely form an idea The opera
tion 10 De tried by President Barbicane
and Captain Nicholl. IL Was very clear,
vas going % bring about one OF the
most disastrous interruptions in the
daily routine OF the earth. Every body
understood what the eOnseq uences OF is
would be. Therefore the experiment OF
Barbicane & Co. was generally cursed,
denounced, etc. In the Old as we'll as
in the New World the members OF the
" p. Z. A. had az the time only en-
smie4 IL there were indeed q few
friends left 10 them among their cranky
American admirers they were very few.
Regarding only their personal Sc
eurity President Barbicane and Captain
NichOll had acted wisely in leaving Bal
timore and America. IL was safe to be-
hevs that some accident had happened
20 them. They could not without Di-
vine punishment threaten fourteen hun
dred million Inhabitants by a change
wrought In the habitability of the earth.
But how vas it possible that the two
leaders of the gun club had disappeared
without leaving any trace behind them?
How could they have sent away the
material and assistants which wers
necessary to such an operation without
any one seeing them? A hundred rail-
road cars, IL IL was by rail: hundred
vessels, IL il was by water,
would not have been more than suf-
fcient TO transport the loads Of metal, OF
coal and OF meii-melonite. IL was en-
tirely incomprehensible how this de-
parture could have been made incognito-
However. 10 Was done And still more
serious IL appeared when it was known
after inquiry that no orders had been
sent To the gun foundries or powder
factories. or the factories which produce
chemical products in either of the two
continents How inexplicable all this
wasl WithouS doub. IL would be ex-
planned some day.
Al any rate. IL President Barbicane
and Captain Nicholl. who had mysteri-
ously disappeared, were sheltered from
any Immediate danger. their colleague,
Mr.. Mastcn, was under lock and key,
and had % face all the public indigna-
ton. Nothing could make him yield,
however. Deep at the bottom of the
cell which he occupied in the prison OF
Baltimore the secretary of the gun club
gave himself up more aud more TO
thinking Of those distant associates
whom hs WAS not able TO follow. He
pictured the vision Of President Bsrbi-
cane and his associate, Captain Nicholl,
preparing their gigantic operation at
shis unknown point Of the globe, with
nothing in their way. He saw them
build their enormous device, combine
- ~fk
jeotile which the sun would SO soon
count as one Of its small satellites This
new sss< WAS 20 have the charming name
"Scorbesta.' in gallant aeknowiedg
nent Of the love and esteem felt to-
wards the rich capitalist widow OF Eew
Park. J. T. Maston calculated the days
which would slspse before tho one on
phich the gun would BE- fred.
hwas already the beginning of April
In two mon tbs and a half the meridian
rtsr. after having stopped on the TrOpic
II Cancer, would 70 back towards tia
rrcpic Of Capricorn Three months
lAtsr IL would traverse the equatorial
line a. the fsll equinox
And then these seasons. which have
appeared annually for millions Of yesrS
and which have changed so regularly.
will bs brouEh. - Al end. For the last
time in fse- The sphere would nave sub
nitted 70 this succession Of days and
highs Truly. shis was msgni5cens
work. supe-human. even divine ]. I.
Naston forgos he Arctic region and The
exploration % the coal mines around
she Pole. aud ae only ssN. in his nj IA
svs. the cosmogrsphic consequences OK
me operation The principal object -
th~ association VAS now - make those
,aanres and displscemenss which ~ers
70 remodel the lace of be earth.
But thst was iust the point Did the
.srtb Wish . change her face az all
Was sue not still young and charming
With The one which God had given ner
a. she arst kour - her creation
Alone and ssfause ass In his prison
eel. nothing could induce ". Mssron
70 sueak shous the matter. 10 nstser
whst plan vas trfed TIE member -
the inquirinx committee u-zed him
daily 20 sres< and visited hiH- daily,
hut tsev could obtain nothing lt Vas
abcut tnis .i1,e that John PRESTIGE hs3
the ides - using Ar influence which
uirht possibly succeed. md this Tss
~ all cf Ms EranSelins scorbtt1
Fvsrv cne krew va Feelings the zsne--
So widow or tsrtafned - hr Assec-.
hcw devoted shs ras - hin ard That
uufin1 ed int-~eSs she hsd n this
- af.hrassd calculator Therefore sfrer
4elfN.ratioz - he crrnTni i-tee. Ma
E-snre IA Scorhitt wss authorized -