Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-03

| the generators OF mysterious dCStruCti,
forces that the Mar;iun~ had produce
with the object i discovering If pes.
blc thc sources oi : = 'owor,
suddenly from Edisan's labor;
| tory at Orange flash startling int
licencr that he ha, only discover,
TIE manner in which the invaders hu
been able to produce ;hc mighty encrgi,
which they employed with such tcrrihl
eject. IN; that, seiug further, lie hH
found Il way To overcome them,
The glad news was pricllly circulate
throughout the civilized world. Luckil
the Atlantic cables had not been q,
siGry,d " the Mar,gins, 20 that cen
nuuicatiun lctvtyu the eastern ar,
w,st,rn continents was uninterrupted
1t MAS u ir,uu day fer America. Eve
while the MaliaiuS iird hr0n upnn H.,
earth, carrying everything before them
demonstrating To the confusion Of H.
most optimistic tina; there waS u.
possibility Of ,tauuiHs against them, ,
feeling, Il cuui.GtnC, had manifested 1t
sylt in France, Ia minor extent j.
England and particularly in Russi
that the Nm, rlcans might discuyt
means Ia meet and master the invader.
Now, it seemed, this hope and CXput
tation WEI, 20 Ire realized Too late.
Is true, in n certain Sen>c. hut not to
late Tn meet the new invasion whi,
the astronomers had announced was in
ruUinc. The effect WAS aS wonderful
and ird,scri,an!o as that Of the de
sltnd,ncy which hut a little while be
tore had uv,rSproud the world. ca,
could almost hcar The universal >ilh g.
rclict which went up from humanity
To- relief SucCC, d,d CUuiiGCnce-s
quickly u"yS The human spirit rocovc,
liz, an elastic sprinr when pressure j.
released.
LIT them come, " was the almc.
joyous cry, eve shall be ready f.
them now. The Americans have solve,
the problem. Edison has placed H.,
means # victory within orr power"
Looking back upon that time Row.
recall with thrill, thu pride that stii
rrd me AZ the thought that, after al
the inhabitants Of the earth were
match for those terrible men from Mar.
despite all the advantage which tn,
had gained from their millions of yea
oi prior civilization and science.
As good fortunes, like bad, new
colAo singly, the news Of Mr. Edison
discovery was quickly followed by n,
GitiCnal glad tidinGs from that lalcr
tory OF marlI!s in the lap Of the Oran.
mountains. During their career Of con
quest the Mdrtians had astunishod q
inhabitants q the earth no less vi
their lying machines, which navisai
our atmosphere as easily as they h,
that III their native planet, than wi
their more destructive inventions. Thu,
tying machines in themselves had Civ,
them an enormous advantage in Il
contest. High above the GcSulation III.
they had caused To reign on the surfa,
II the earth and out Of the range
our guns, they had hung safe il the N
per air. From the clouds they had droI
ped death upon the earth.
Now rvmor declared that Mr.. Ediso
had invented and perfected flying ms
chine mach more complete and MAJ
aEcahlo than those of the MartianS h.
been. Wonderful stories quickly four
their Way into the newspapers concerl
Ing what Mr.. Edison had already ac
cCmplished with the aid Of his mod,
electrical balloon. His laboratory WA
carefully guarded against the invasio
of the curious, because he rightly f..
that premature announcement whici
should promise more than could b. at
tually fulfilled would al this critica
JunctUie plunge mankind back G.ail
into the gulf oi despair ont of Whic
they had just begun To emerge
Nevertheless, inkliugS Of the truth
leaked out The dying machine had
been seen BY many lcrsons lowering by
night high above the Orange hills ana
disappearing in the faint starlight as if
!, mad gono away into the depths Of
space, ont # which it would re-emcro,
before the morning light had streakld
the east and H. seen settling down
again within the walls that surrounded
the laboratory oi the great inventor. AT
length the rEmur, gradually deepening
INTO "A conviction, spread tEa; Edison
himself, accompanied ny IA few scientific
friends, had mad" an experimental tri
To the muoL. AT Il time when the ,uirit
oi mankind Was less profoundly stiu,,
such story would have been recci,
with complete incr,dulity, hut nov
rising IN the wings If the new huI.
that was buoying up the earth, this oX
trSurdinary rumor became "A day star o.
truth Ia the nations.
Ana II WAS true. | had myself bee
one of the occupants of the ear Of tn
lying ship of Syace on that night wh,l
IL silently left the earth and rising on
Of the great shadow of the globe spc
On TO the muon, We had landed upu!
the Scared and desola' face os tn,
earth : satellite, and Lul nat there ~,
greater and more interesting events IN,
telling Of which must not he delayed
should undertake To describe the partic
ulars OF this iirst visit of men 10 anotht
world,
But, as | have already intimatou, TIN
was only an experimental "trip. BY vi,
lung this little nearby island in ii
,c,.n slac Mr.. EdisGa simply wishc
Ia demonstrate the practicability Of h.
invention ara IL convince first of
himself and his scientific fri nds that
was possible for men-mortal men-t
quit aud 10 revisit the earth Mt tho
will. That aim this experimental III
triumphantly attained.
1t would carry me into technical d.
tails that would hardly interest Ia,
reader to describe the mechanism Of Nj