Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-10

altuttthh.
hidden behind the center of the earth.
we saw its atmosphere completely illu-
minated all around i. with prismatic
lights. like a gigantic rainbow in the
form Of n ring.
Another shift in our course rapidly
carried us oct of the shadow of tine earth
and into h all p~ervading sunshine.
Then the great planet beneath us hung
urspCakable IN its beauty The outlines
II several Of the continents were clearly
disCernihle IN its surface, streaked aud
spotted with delicate shades of VARYING
color, and the sunlight flashed and
glowed IN long lanes across the convex
surface Of the oceans. Parallel with the
equator and along the regions Of the
ever blowing trade winds were vast belts
Of clouds gorgeous with crimson and
purple as the sunlight fell upon them
Immense EXPENSES of snow and ice lay
like a gli;t,ring garment upon both
land and sea around the north pole.
As We gazed upon this magnificent
spectacle our hearts bounded within Us.
This WAS our earth this was the planet
We Were going to defend-our home in
the traCSless wilderness Of space And
:; seemed ~ US indeed "A home for which
We might gladly expend wi last breath
y new determination 10 conquer or die
sprung up III our hearts, and saw Lord
Kelvin, after gazing AT the beauieous
scene which the earth presented through
his eyeglass. urn about and peer in the
direction IN which we knew that Mars
lay with Il sudden frown that caused
the glass To lose its grip and fail dan.
Glinc from its string upon his breast
Even Mr. Edison seemed moved,
Il am glad Thought Of the disinte-
orator. % he said Il shouldn't like to
STE that world down there laid waste
again
And il won't be" said Professor
Sylvanus Z. Thompson, gripping tho
handle of an electric machine, IL if
we can help il.
To prevent accidents it had been ar
ranged that the ships should keep n
considerable distance apart. Some of
them gradually drifted away until. on
account of the neutral tint of their sides,
they were swallowed up in the abyss Of
space Still II was possible To know
where every member Of the squadron
was through the constant Interchange
VI Signals These. as l have explained,
Were effected 10y means of mirrors flash.
ing back the light of the sun.
But, although II was now u~nceasing
day for us. YET there being no atmos-
phere TO diff use the suns light, the
stars Were visible to us Just as at night
upon the earth, and they shone with ex-
black background of the armament The
lights Of some of the more distant ships
ot cur squadron We're no; brighter than
the stars IN whose neighborhood they
seemed 10 be In some cases it was only
possible to distinguish between the light
OF a snip and that Of u star by the fact
that the former was continually flash,
ing while the star was steady in its
radiance
The most uncanny effect was produc-
ed by the absence of atmosphere around
us Inside the car. where there was air,
the sunlight, streaming through one or
more of the windows, was diffused and
produced ordinary daylight
But when we ventured outside we
could only sec things by halves, The
sidu OF the car that the suns rays touch
ed was visible; the other side was invis-
lille, the light from the tar not max
ing 1t bright enough To affect the eye
in contrast with the sun illumined half
As held up my arm before my eyes,
halt OF it seemed TO have been shaved
of lengthwisa; a companion ON the
deck of the ship looked like half n nan
So the other electrical ships near us APP
peared us half ships, only the illuminat-
ell sides being visible.
We had now got so far away that the
earth had taken on the appearance Of a
heavenly body like the moo Its coloSs
had become all blended into a golden
reddish hue. watch pvoispreGd near;y
It's entire surface. except at the poles,
where there Were bread patches Of