A Journey in Other Worlds [27]
I left outside in my trap," said
Ayrault, "when with your ideas we may arrive at something
definite," saying which, he left the room.
"He seems very cynical in his ideas of life and the world in
general," said Secretary Stillman, "for a man of his age, and one
that is engaged."
"You see," replied Bearwarden, "his fiancee is not yet a senior,
being in the class of two thousand and one at Vassar, and so
cannot marry him for a year. Not till next June can this sweet
girl graduate come forth with her mortar-board and sheepskin to
enlighten the world and make him happy. That is, I suspect, one
reason why he proposed this trip."
CHAPTER VII.
HARD AT WORK.
In a few moments Ayrault returned with pencils, a pair of
compasses, and paper.
"Let us see, in the first place," said Deepwaters, "how long the
journey will take. Since a stone falls 16.09 feet the first
second, and 64+ feet the next, it is easy to calculate at what
rate your speed would increase with the repulsion twice that of
the ordinary traction. But I think this would be too slow. It
will be best to treble or quadruple the apergetic charge, which
can easily be done, in which case your speed will exceed the
muzzle-velocity of a projectile from a long-range gun, in a few
seconds. As the earth's repulsion decreases, the attraction of
mars and Jupiter will increase, and, there being no resistance,
your gait will become more and more rapid till it is necessary to
reverse the charge to avoid being dashed to pieces or being
consumed like a falling star by the friction in passing through
Jupiter's atmosphere. You can be on the safe side by checking
your speed in advance. You must, of course, be careful to avoid
collisions with meteors and asteroids but if you do, they will be
of use to you, for by attracting or repelling them you can change
your course to suit yourself, and also theirs in inverse ratio to
their masses. Jupiter's moons will be like head and stern lines
in enabling you to choose the part of the surface on which you
wish to land. With apergy it is as essential to have some heavy
body on which to work, within range, as to have water about a
ship's propellers. Whether, when apergy is developed,
gravitation is temporarily annulled, or reversed like the late
attraction of a magnet when the current is changed, or whether it
is merely overpowered, in which case your motion will be the
resultant of the two, is an unsettled and not very important
point; for, though we know but little more of the nature of
electricity than was known a hundred years ago, this does not
prevent our producing and using it."
"Jupiter, when in opposition," he continued, "is about
380,000,000 miles from us, and it takes light, which travels at
the rate of 190,000 miles a second, just thirty-four minutes to
reach the earth from Jupiter. If we suppose the average speed of
your ship to be one- five-hundredth as great, it will take you
just eleven days, nineteen hours and twenty minutes to make the
journey. You will have a fine view of Mars and the asteroids,
and when 1,169,000 miles from Jupiter, will cross the orbit of
Callisto, the fifth moon in distance from the giant planet. That
will be your best point to steer by."
"I think," said Ayrault, "as that will be the first member of
Jupiter's system we pass, and as it will guide us into port, it
would be a good name for our ship, and you must christen her if
we have her launched."
"No, no," said Deepwaters, "Miss Preston must do that; but we
certainly should have a launch, for you might have to land in the
water, and you must be sure the ship is tight."
"Talking of tight ships," said Bearwarden, passing a decanter of
claret to Stillman, "may remind us that it is time to splice the
'main brace.' There's a bottle of whisky and some water just
behind you," he added to Deepwaters, "while three minutes after I
ring this bell," he said, pressing a button and jerking a handle
Ayrault, "when with your ideas we may arrive at something
definite," saying which, he left the room.
"He seems very cynical in his ideas of life and the world in
general," said Secretary Stillman, "for a man of his age, and one
that is engaged."
"You see," replied Bearwarden, "his fiancee is not yet a senior,
being in the class of two thousand and one at Vassar, and so
cannot marry him for a year. Not till next June can this sweet
girl graduate come forth with her mortar-board and sheepskin to
enlighten the world and make him happy. That is, I suspect, one
reason why he proposed this trip."
CHAPTER VII.
HARD AT WORK.
In a few moments Ayrault returned with pencils, a pair of
compasses, and paper.
"Let us see, in the first place," said Deepwaters, "how long the
journey will take. Since a stone falls 16.09 feet the first
second, and 64+ feet the next, it is easy to calculate at what
rate your speed would increase with the repulsion twice that of
the ordinary traction. But I think this would be too slow. It
will be best to treble or quadruple the apergetic charge, which
can easily be done, in which case your speed will exceed the
muzzle-velocity of a projectile from a long-range gun, in a few
seconds. As the earth's repulsion decreases, the attraction of
mars and Jupiter will increase, and, there being no resistance,
your gait will become more and more rapid till it is necessary to
reverse the charge to avoid being dashed to pieces or being
consumed like a falling star by the friction in passing through
Jupiter's atmosphere. You can be on the safe side by checking
your speed in advance. You must, of course, be careful to avoid
collisions with meteors and asteroids but if you do, they will be
of use to you, for by attracting or repelling them you can change
your course to suit yourself, and also theirs in inverse ratio to
their masses. Jupiter's moons will be like head and stern lines
in enabling you to choose the part of the surface on which you
wish to land. With apergy it is as essential to have some heavy
body on which to work, within range, as to have water about a
ship's propellers. Whether, when apergy is developed,
gravitation is temporarily annulled, or reversed like the late
attraction of a magnet when the current is changed, or whether it
is merely overpowered, in which case your motion will be the
resultant of the two, is an unsettled and not very important
point; for, though we know but little more of the nature of
electricity than was known a hundred years ago, this does not
prevent our producing and using it."
"Jupiter, when in opposition," he continued, "is about
380,000,000 miles from us, and it takes light, which travels at
the rate of 190,000 miles a second, just thirty-four minutes to
reach the earth from Jupiter. If we suppose the average speed of
your ship to be one- five-hundredth as great, it will take you
just eleven days, nineteen hours and twenty minutes to make the
journey. You will have a fine view of Mars and the asteroids,
and when 1,169,000 miles from Jupiter, will cross the orbit of
Callisto, the fifth moon in distance from the giant planet. That
will be your best point to steer by."
"I think," said Ayrault, "as that will be the first member of
Jupiter's system we pass, and as it will guide us into port, it
would be a good name for our ship, and you must christen her if
we have her launched."
"No, no," said Deepwaters, "Miss Preston must do that; but we
certainly should have a launch, for you might have to land in the
water, and you must be sure the ship is tight."
"Talking of tight ships," said Bearwarden, passing a decanter of
claret to Stillman, "may remind us that it is time to splice the
'main brace.' There's a bottle of whisky and some water just
behind you," he added to Deepwaters, "while three minutes after I
ring this bell," he said, pressing a button and jerking a handle