The Moon-Voyage

The Moon-Voyage

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moon-Voyage, by Jules Verne
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Title: The Moon-Voyage
Author: Jules Verne
Release Date: July 12, 2004 [EBook #12901]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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MOON-VOYAGE ***

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THE MOON-VOYAGE.
CONTAINING "FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON," AND
"ROUND THE MOON."
BY
JULES VERNE,
AUTHOR OF "TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE

SEA," "AMONG THE CANNIBALS," ETC.
ILLUSTRATED BY HENRY AUSTIN.
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
"FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON."
I. THE GUN CLUB
II. PRESIDENT BARBICANE'S COMMUNICATION
III. EFFECT OF PRESIDENT BARBICANE'S COMMUNICATION
IV. ANSWER FROM THE CAMBRIDGE OBSERVATORY
V. THE ROMANCE OF THE MOON
VI. WHAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE AND WHAT IS NO
LONGER ALLOWED TO BE BELIEVED IN THE UNITED
STATES
VII. THE HYMN OF THE CANNON-BALL
VIII. HISTORY OF THE CANNON
IX. THE QUESTION OF POWDERS
X. ONE ENEMY AGAINST TWENTY-FIVE MILLIONS OF
FRIENDS
XI. FLORIDA AND TEXAS
XII. "URBI ET ORBI"
XIII. STONY HILL
XIV. PICKAXE AND TROWEL
XV. THE CEREMONY OF THE CASTING
XVI. THE COLUMBIAD
XVII. A TELEGRAM
XVIII. THE PASSENGER OF THE ATLANTA
XIX. A MEETING
XX. THRUST AND PARRY
XXI. HOW A FRENCHMAN SETTLES AN AFFAIR
XXII. THE NEW CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES
XXIII. THE PROJECTILE COMPARTMENT
XXIV. THE TELESCOPE OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
XXV. FINAL DETAILS
XXVI. FIRE
XXVII. CLOUDY WEATHER
XXVIII. A NEW STAR
* * * * *

"ROUND THE MOON."
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. CONTAINING A SHORT ACCOUNT
OF THE FIRST PART OF THIS WORK TO SERVE AS PREFACE
TO THE SECOND
I. FROM 10.20 P.M. TO 10.47 P.M.
II. THE FIRST HALF-HOUR
III. TAKING POSSESSION
IV. A LITTLE ALGEBRA
V. THE TEMPERATURE OF SPACE
VI. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
VII. A MOMENT OF INTOXICATION
VIII. AT SEVENTY-EIGHT THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND
FOURTEEN LEAGUES
IX. THE CONSEQUENCES OF DEVIATION
X. THE OBSERVERS OF THE MOON
XI. IMAGINATION AND REALITY
XII. OROGRAPHICAL DETAILS
XIII. LUNAR LANDSCAPES
XIV. A NIGHT OF THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR HOURS
AND A HALF
XV. HYPERBOLA OR PARABOLA
XVI. THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
XVII. TYCHO
XVIII. GRAVE QUESTIONS
XIX. A STRUGGLE WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE
XX. THE SOUNDINGS OF THE SUSQUEHANNA
XXI. J.T. MASTON CALLED IN
XXII. PICKED UP
XXIII. THE END
* * * * *

FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON.
* * * * *

CHAPTER I
.
THE GUN CLUB.
During the Federal war in the United States a new and very influential
club was established in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It is well
known with what energy the military instinct was developed amongst
that nation of shipowners, shopkeepers, and mechanics. Mere
tradesmen jumped their counters to become extempore captains,
colonels, and generals without having passed the Military School at
West Point; they soon rivalled their colleagues of the old continent, and,
like them, gained victories by dint of lavishing bullets, millions, and
men.
But where Americans singularly surpassed Europeans was in the
science of ballistics, or of throwing massive weapons by the use of an
engine; not that their arms attained a higher degree of perfection, but
they were of unusual dimensions, and consequently of hitherto
unknown ranges. The English, French, and Prussians have nothing to
learn about flank, running, enfilading, or point-blank firing; but their
cannon, howitzers, and mortars are mere pocket-pistols compared with
the formidable engines of American artillery.
This fact ought to astonish no one. The Yankees, the first mechanicians
in the world, are born engineers, just as Italians are musicians and
Germans metaphysicians. Thence nothing more natural than to see
them bring their audacious ingenuity to bear on the science of ballistics.
Hence those gigantic cannon, much less useful than sewing-machines,
but quite as astonishing, and much more admired. The marvels of this
style by Parrott, Dahlgren, and Rodman are well known. There was
nothing left the Armstrongs, Pallisers, and Treuille de Beaulieux but to
bow before their transatlantic rivals.
Therefore during the terrible struggle between Northerners and
Southerners, artillerymen were in great request; the Union newspapers
published their inventions with enthusiasm, and there was no little
tradesman nor _naïf_ "booby" who did not bother his head day and
night with calculations about impossible trajectory engines.

Now when an American has an idea he seeks another American to
share it. If they are three, they elect a president and two secretaries.
Given four, they elect a clerk, and a company is established. Five
convoke a general meeting, and the club is formed. It thus happened at
Baltimore.