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

| Instead of answering such questions
Engineer Alcide Pierdeux tried to find
which would be the countries and direc-
tions, figured out by Mathematician
| Maston, in which the test would take
place-the exact point of the globe
| where the work would begin. As soon
as he should know this he would be
master of the situation and know ex
actly the place which would be in the
most danger. 1t has been mentioned
| before that the countries of the old con-
| tinent were probably connected with
| those of the new across the North Pole
! Was it not possible, it was asked in
Europe, that President Barbicane and
| Captain Nicholl and j. T. Maston had
| considered only how to save their own
country from i'll consequences which
might come from the shock? He was
Yankee-it was pointed out they were
all Yankees-and particularly this man
Barbicane, who had created the idea
of going to the moon. In any case it
was argued that the whole New World,
from the Arctic regions to the Gulf of
! Mexico, would not have to fear any
| thing from the shock. 1t is even prob
! able on the other hand that
America would profit immensely
by it and gain some territory.
"Who knows what is lying in
the two oceans which wash the Ameri-
can coast? Was it not probable that
there was some valuable territory which
they wished to take possession OFF"
asked people who never saw any thing
| but the dark side of question. rs il
sure there is no danger? Suppose j. T.
Maston should make a mistake in his
calculations? And could not the presi-
dent have made mistake when he came
to put the apparatus in working orderp
| This might happen to the smartest peo-
| pie. They might not always put the
! bullet in the target, or they might neg
lect to put the cannon-ball into the can
non" were the comments of these nerv-
GUS folk. This uneasiness was fomented
by the European delegates. Secretary
Dean Toodrink published several ar
ticles in this line, and even stronger
ones were put by him in the Standard.
| Jan Harald put some in the Swedish
| journal Aftenbeadt, and Colonel Boris
| Karkof in Russian journal which had
a large circulation. Even in America
opinions differed. The Republicans
were friends of President Barbi-
cane, but the Democrats declared
themselves against him. A part of
the American press agreed with the
! European press. And as in the United
States the papers had become great
powers, paying yearly for news about
twenty millions of dollars, they had
great influence on the people. In vain
! did other journals of large circulation
speak in favor of the N. P. p. A. In
vain did Mrs Evangelina Scorbitt pay
as high as $40 line for articles showing
the advantages of this invention. In
vain did this ardent widow try tn
| demonstrate that every thing was per.
! fectly correct, and that J. t. Maston
| could never CON nit an error in hgur-
! ing. Finally America took fright in
the matter and was inclined to be gov
erned by Europe. But neither President
Barbicane nor Secretary Maston of the
gun club seemed TO care what was said.
They did not even take the trouble
to correct the different articles. They
let people say what they liked and did
not try to change their minds at all.
| They were too much occupied in prep
arations for the immense undertaking.
| 1t is indeed strange that the public, who
were at first so enthusiastic and so GER
| tain of success, should SO suddenly turn
| and 60 against this operation.
! Soon, however, in spite of the money
Mrs. Evangelina Scorbitt spent on the
matter, the president and secretary OF
| the club came to be considered danger
Gus characters by the people of the two
worlds. The Government of the United
States was asked officially by the Eu-
ropean powers to interfere and examine
the matter. The originators were to
| openly show their ideas and by what
means they hoped to accomplish what
they intended. They would have to in
| form the Government which parts of the
world would be most in danger, and,
in short, tell every thing which the pub
| lie demanded 70 know. Tie Govern
ment at Washington was compelled to
do what they were asked. The uprising
/ Of public sentiment in the Northern,
Southern and Middle States of the
| Union did not allow them any other
/ course. A commission Of engineers,
mechanicians, mathematicians and ge-
ographers we're appointed = fifty
| in all, presided over by John PRESTIGE
/ by the act Of the 18th of February, with
full power to do any thing which they
considered necessary in the matter. At
first the president Of the society re-
ceived orders to appear before this COM
| mittee. President Barbicane did not
| respond. Agents went to his house in
Baltimore, but the president was gone
/ Where was hep No one knew. When
/ did he depart? Six weeks ago, on the
/ 18th Of January, be had left the city,
and the State If MARYLAND as we'll in