APPENDIX.
See [page 17], Mitchel Discovery.
The Reader will remember that the Professor stated that the alternating gravity currents—the secret of which the Lunarians so tightly gripped—could be applied only to metals and has no effect on organic substances. In order to get the use of these currents for moving or controlling such bodies, it must be acquired through the manipulation of the metals. Thus if a piece of metal be attached to a block of wood, according to the Professor, the greater quantity of the metal will control the movement. If a box be constructed of metal so as to hold non reversible materials of course they will share the movement of the metal.
The following account of the discovery by Professor Mitchell, taken from a paper of the period, is suggestive of a connection between that and the discovery by the Lunarians.
Sometime in the sixth decade of this century (19th) a very remarkable discovery was said to have been made by the celebrated astronomer, Prof. O. M. Mitchel, then of Cincinnati, and director of Dudley and Cincinnati Observatories. He discovered either a new metal or an amalgam, alloy or compound, which when formed into plates possessed the property of preventing the passage through it of the influence of gravitation. In short it effectually stopped the passage of the lines of force that constitute gravitation, so that if a cage or box were made of such material any solid body placed inside of it would lose its weight and not tend to fall. If a man were to get inside of such a box, he would find himself destitute of weight toward the ground. But if he should open the top of the box he would admit the influence of gravity from that direction, coming from the moon, planets or stars that might happen to be in that direction at the moment and it would at once commence to rise. Acting upon the obvious suggestions enforced by such experiments the Professor caused a cage to be built large enough to contain 4 or 5 persons, and in order to secure secrecy had it conveyed in pieces, together with all needed apparatus and stores, to a solitary and obscure circular hollow or depression in the valley of the Mississippi not far from Natchez, and called the Devil’s Punch-bowl. Here the cage was put together and the numerous openings in the plates on all sides covered by movable sliding lids of the same material, were carefully closed and secured, all the scientific apparatus, the provisions’ flasks of compressed air etc., were conveyed within, and lastly the voyagers themselves. By opening the ports in the direction of the moon they soon began to fall toward her. As they approached her, by a judicious manipulation of the sliding doors they were enabled to make a complete revolution around her. They did not land, reserving that adventure for another trip. On their return to earth they steadied themselves in a position some miles up, and allowed the earth to revolve under them until the Devils punch-bowl came directly beneath them, when they dropped into it. They dismantled and secreted their machine intending to return. Shortly after this the Civil war came on, during which Prof. Mitchel became a general in the service and died at Beaufort, South Carolina, October 30, 1862, and the secret of his discovery as I suppose died with him.
P. S.:—Notice! If any of the companions of Professor Mitchell on the above trip to the moon are still living they would greatly oblige the author by sending him their address.
Over Population. See [page 155].
Taking our stand in the future alongside of the men and women that will then be pressing their brains against the apparently insoluble problem of over-population, we will share their amazement at the insane panic that penetrated the American people of the 19th century to give away and on any terms to get rid of their magnificent domain and have it pass into the control and ownership of any undesirable bipeds that would take it as a gift. They acted as if they thought land was an encumbrance and something that was impoverishing and ruining the nation. If they had held out an exclusive welcome to the hardy and liberty loving people of the north of Europe, the stock that fought for liberty and independence in the first place, it would have been at least more rational. But under any conditions, why such a panic to fill up the country with people? Carlyle speaking of the prosperity of America 50 or 60 years ago said: “You may boast of your free institutions and your dimmocracy and all that, but America is prosperous, because you have a great deal of land for a very few people.”
He was right.