The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-02-08

summit Of the Hlmalayas. with ore
story rising above another up TO the
moon2 Now TO be so indisereet as 10
inquire how you expect TO enable your
workmen to breathe when they have
reached a certain height above the earth.
7 will take the bare figures you give, and
this is the result: supposing that gour
tower rises at the rate OF SIS feet a
/ year-whieh, with two or three excep-
items, is the greatest height ever yet
attained by any monument-It VIII
take 5000 years to complete it. Sup
posing that its annual progress is
/ three miles. you viii require $1,000
years In order to bring it to compile
tion in five years, it must rise at the
rate Of nearly $4,000 miles a year. It
! is. you see. a matter OF simple calcutta
tioas.7
A cold shower bath could not have
produced more chilling effect upon the
audience
We must have our money back
exclaimed a corn merchant
Yes. yes. let Us have our money
back" echoed scores Of voices.
In vain the president tried to restore
order.
He was about to put on his hat as a
/ sign that the meeting was dissolved.
when Norbert Mauny checked him with
sign that he had more to say.
Silence ensued at once.
1t does not follow that everything
is bad about the company, he said. 4
am far from so thinking. On the con
trary, must own that the problem it
proposes to solve has been working in
my mind for some years past. aud I
call it disgrace that humanity has not
yet conquered our near satellite. the
moonl I agree with Mr. Wagner that. II
We do not set about it. the matter viii
sssuredIy be settled BY our sons or
sran1sons, who will laugh at the i,iea
Of its having been deemed Impossible.
It is not the practioa5ility of the
scheme that I have criticised, but the
proposed plan of action. which seems 10
me to be equally puerile and impracti-
cable; whereas 1t would be eompara-
lively an easy task to overcome all din
eulties by other means"
How nowl" exclaimed Wagner. you
have your own little plan. have you2
Why on earth didn't you say so beforee''
Yes. answered Norbert; u have my
own plan, and I an ready TO lay if be-
fore the assembly if they wish me 10 DO
SO have come to Melbourne for that
purpose. But. first Of all. I must give
an account Of myself that may not be
looked upon as UtoDian.T
Yes. Yes. That's it, Speak OUT"
exclaimed the audience.
Encouraged by the applause he met
with. Norbert began by giving. with
! frank modesty OF demeanor. the broad
outlines and aims Of his life and studies.
The son of an inspector general Of for
ests. at the age of twenty-five he was
a pupil of the Astronomical Observatory
( of Paris He had accompanied the sci
eatifc expeditions to Tahiti and The Isle
of Kerguelen, and had had the singu-
larry good fortune 70 make the dis
eovery Of two hitherto unknown planets.
Inheriting soon aferward small in
dependent fortune. he was about TO
start on a fresh mission 10 Tasmania.
when he heard with surprise Of the new
company in course of formation at Mel
/ bourne.
Mauny himself had always been in
clined to these speculative dreams.
OFTEN and often he mad spent rights in
taking observations of the moon, and
as ne explored her continents. crateTs.
and valleys, and photographed every lit
lie detail of her surface, he had in
dulged in many a dream as to the pes
sibnity of reaching her distant shores
/ He had made 10 secret Of his Wild
theories. and had angered more than one
old astronomer accustomed only 10 the
routine Of daily observations in accord
+ ance with known rules of science. IN
vain did the young man point 10 the
gigantic strides made OF late in ply
steal science. until now clearer and more
detailed Impressions Of our satellite can
be taken with the telescope and camera
obseura than are obtainable OF the
I African continent
/ He had long thought that he had
solved the problem. The only difficulty
that stopped the way was the enormous
capital required But now the money
was at hand; and, though possibly the
subscribers could not claim it back, they
had an indisputabIe right to say how
/ it should be employed
Speak up, Speak up" was cried.
! Il come now. said the young orator.
/ slipping a glass Of water to my plan"