Подорож на Місяць
One Enemy v. Twenty-Five Millions of Friends
Theresultwastheentirereconstructionofthenavyofboththecontinents;astheonegrewheavier,theotherbecamethickerinproportion.TheMerrimac,theMonitor,theTennessee,theWeehawkendischargedenormousprojectilesthemselves,afterhavingbeenarmor-cladagainsttheprojectilesofothers.Infacttheydidtoothersthatwhichtheywouldnottheyshoulddotothem—thatgrandprincipleofimmortalityuponwhichreststhewholeartofwar.
NowifBarbicanewasagreatfounderofshot,Nichollwasagreatforgerofplates;theonecastnightanddayatBaltimore,theotherforgeddayandnightatPhiladelphia.AssoonaseverBarbicaneinventedanewshot,Nichollinventedanewplate;eachfollowedacurrentofideasessentiallyopposedtotheother.Happilyforthesecitizens,sousefultotheircountry,adistanceoffromfiftytosixtymilesseparatedthemfromoneanother,andtheyhadneveryetmet.Whichofthesetwoinventorshadtheadvantageovertheotheritwasdifficulttodecidefromtheresultsobtained.Bylastaccounts,however,itwouldseemthatthearmor-platewouldintheendhavetogivewaytotheshot;nevertheless,therewerecompetentjudgeswhohadtheirdoubtsonthepoint.
Atthelastexperimentthecylindro-conicalprojectilesofBarbicanestucklikesomanypinsintheNichollplates.
