Путешествие на Луну
The Fete of the Casting
Onasignalgivenbyacannon-shoteachfurnacewastogiveventtothemoltenironandcompletelytoemptyitself.Thesearrangementsmade,foremenandworkmenwaitedthepreconcertedmomentwithanimpatiencemingledwithacertainamountofemotion.Notasoulremainedwithintheenclosure.Eachsuperintendenttookhispostbytheapertureoftherun.
Barbicaneandhiscolleagues,perchedonaneighboringeminence,assistedattheoperation.Infrontofthemwasapieceofartilleryreadytogivefireonthesignalfromtheengineer.Someminutesbeforemiddaythefirstdribletsofmetalbegantoflow;thereservoirsfilledlittlebylittle;and,bythetimethatthewholemeltingwascompletelyaccomplished,itwaskeptinabeyanceforafewminutesinordertofacilitatetheseparationofforeignsubstances.
Twelveo’clockstruck!Agunshotsuddenlypealedforthandshotitsflameintotheair.Twelvehundredmelting-troughsweresimultaneouslyopenedandtwelvehundredfieryserpentscrepttowardthecentralwell,unrollingtheirincandescentcurves.There,downtheyplungedwithaterrificnoiseintoadepthof900feet.Itwasanexcitingandamagnificentspectacle.Thegroundtrembled,whilethesemoltenwaves,launchingintotheskytheirwreathsofsmoke,evaporatedthemoistureofthemouldandhurleditupwardthroughthevent-holesofthestoneliningintheformofdensevapor-clouds.Theseartificialcloudsunrolledtheirthickspiralstoaheightof1,000yardsintotheair
