end to it. He summoned his colleagues to a meeting, and the solution he proposed to them was profoundly wise, as will be seen.
“In view of what’s been happening between Floridaand Texas,” he said, “it’s obvious that the same difficulties will arise among the towns of whichever state is chosen. The rivalry will simply pass from the genus to the species, from states to towns. Texas has eleven towns that meet all the necessary conditions. If Texas is chosen, they’ll all fight for the honor of having the project, and they’ll only make more trouble for us. But Florida has only one town, so I think our choice is clear: Florida and Tampa!”
When this decision was made public it was a crushing blow to the delegates from Texas. They flew into an indescribable rage and personally challenged each member of the Gun Club to a duel. Only one course of action was open to the city authorities, and they took it. A special train was assembled; the Texans were put aboard it whether they liked it or not, and they then left the city at a speed of thirty miles an hour.
Despite the rapidity of their departure, they still had time to hurl one last sarcastic and threatening remark at their adversaries. Referring to the narrowness of the Florida peninsula, they claimed it would not be able to withstand the shock of such a great explosion and would be blown to pieces the first time the cannon was fired.
“Then let it be blown to pieces!” the Floridians replied with a laconicism worthy of ancient times.
* The declination of a heavenly body is its latitude in the celestial sphere; its right ascension is its longitude.
CHAPTER 12
URBI ET ORBI
O NCE THE astronomical, mechanical, and geographical difficulties had been resolved, the question of money arose. An enormous sum would have to be procured for the project. The necessary millions could not be provided by any single person, or even by any single country.
Therefore, although the project was American, Barbicane decided to make it a worldwide undertaking by asking for the financial cooperation of every nation. It was both the right and the duty of the whole world to take a hand in the affairs of its satellite. The subscription that was opened for that purpose extended from Baltimore to the whole world,
urbi et orbi.
This subscription was to succeed beyond all expectations, even though the money was donated, not lent. It was purely a disinterested operation which offered no chance of profit.
But the effect of Barbicane’s announcement had not stopped at the borders of the United States: it had crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific, invading Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. American observatories immediately entered into communication with foreign observatories. Some of the latter—those in Paris, St. Petersburg, Cape-town, Berlin, Altona, Stockholm, Warsaw, Hamburg,Buda, Bologna, Malta, Lisbon, Benares, Madras, and Peking—sent their congratulations to the Gun Club. The others waited cautiously.
As for the Greenwich Observatory, it took a firm stand that was supported by the twenty-two other astronomical establishments in Great Britain: it boldly denied the possibility of success, and stated its agreement with Captain Nicholl’s theories. Thus, while various learned societies were promising to send representatives to Tampa, the Greenwich staff held a meeting at which Barbicane’s proposal was unceremoniously brushed aside. It was simply a matter of English jealousy, and nothing else.
All in all, the reaction was excellent in the scientific world, and from there it passed to the masses, who, in general, were keenly interested in the project. This was an important fact, since the masses were going to be called upon to subscribe a large capital.
On October 8, Barbicane had issued an enthusiastic manifesto in which he appealed to “all men of good will on earth.” This document, translated into all languages, was highly successful.
Subscriptions were opened in the main
“In view of what’s been happening between Floridaand Texas,” he said, “it’s obvious that the same difficulties will arise among the towns of whichever state is chosen. The rivalry will simply pass from the genus to the species, from states to towns. Texas has eleven towns that meet all the necessary conditions. If Texas is chosen, they’ll all fight for the honor of having the project, and they’ll only make more trouble for us. But Florida has only one town, so I think our choice is clear: Florida and Tampa!”
When this decision was made public it was a crushing blow to the delegates from Texas. They flew into an indescribable rage and personally challenged each member of the Gun Club to a duel. Only one course of action was open to the city authorities, and they took it. A special train was assembled; the Texans were put aboard it whether they liked it or not, and they then left the city at a speed of thirty miles an hour.
Despite the rapidity of their departure, they still had time to hurl one last sarcastic and threatening remark at their adversaries. Referring to the narrowness of the Florida peninsula, they claimed it would not be able to withstand the shock of such a great explosion and would be blown to pieces the first time the cannon was fired.
“Then let it be blown to pieces!” the Floridians replied with a laconicism worthy of ancient times.
* The declination of a heavenly body is its latitude in the celestial sphere; its right ascension is its longitude.
CHAPTER 12
URBI ET ORBI
O NCE THE astronomical, mechanical, and geographical difficulties had been resolved, the question of money arose. An enormous sum would have to be procured for the project. The necessary millions could not be provided by any single person, or even by any single country.
Therefore, although the project was American, Barbicane decided to make it a worldwide undertaking by asking for the financial cooperation of every nation. It was both the right and the duty of the whole world to take a hand in the affairs of its satellite. The subscription that was opened for that purpose extended from Baltimore to the whole world,
urbi et orbi.
This subscription was to succeed beyond all expectations, even though the money was donated, not lent. It was purely a disinterested operation which offered no chance of profit.
But the effect of Barbicane’s announcement had not stopped at the borders of the United States: it had crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific, invading Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. American observatories immediately entered into communication with foreign observatories. Some of the latter—those in Paris, St. Petersburg, Cape-town, Berlin, Altona, Stockholm, Warsaw, Hamburg,Buda, Bologna, Malta, Lisbon, Benares, Madras, and Peking—sent their congratulations to the Gun Club. The others waited cautiously.
As for the Greenwich Observatory, it took a firm stand that was supported by the twenty-two other astronomical establishments in Great Britain: it boldly denied the possibility of success, and stated its agreement with Captain Nicholl’s theories. Thus, while various learned societies were promising to send representatives to Tampa, the Greenwich staff held a meeting at which Barbicane’s proposal was unceremoniously brushed aside. It was simply a matter of English jealousy, and nothing else.
All in all, the reaction was excellent in the scientific world, and from there it passed to the masses, who, in general, were keenly interested in the project. This was an important fact, since the masses were going to be called upon to subscribe a large capital.
On October 8, Barbicane had issued an enthusiastic manifesto in which he appealed to “all men of good will on earth.” This document, translated into all languages, was highly successful.
Subscriptions were opened in the main
Similar Books
