"Jules Verne - In the Year 2889b" - читать интересную книгу автора (Verne Jules)

reproducing these forces directly from one another, and of reproducing one
without the others, should have remained undiscovered till less than a century
ago. Nevertheless, such was the course of events, for it was not till the year
2792 that the famous Oswald Nier made this discovery.
Truly was he a great benefactor of the human race. His admirable discovery led
to many others. Hence is sprung a pleiad of inventors, its brightest star our
great Joseph Jackson. To Jackson we are indebted those wonderful
instruments--the new accumulators. Some of these absorb and condense the living
force contained in the sun's rays; others, the electricity stored in our globe;
others again, energy from whatever source: waterfalls, streams, wind, etc. He,
too, invented the transformer, a more wonderful contrivance still, which takes
the living force from the accumulator, and, at the touch of a button, returns it
to space in any form desired, whether as heat, light, electricity, or mechanical
force, after having first obtained from it the work required. From the day these
two instruments were contrived should be dated the era of true progress. They
have put into the hands of man almost infinite power. As for their applications,
they are numberless. Mitigating the rigors of winter, by giving back to the
atmosphere the surplus heat stored up during the summer, they have
revolutionized agriculture. Supplying motive power for aerial navigation, they
have given to commerce a mighty impetus. To them we are indebted for the
continuous production of electricity without batteries or dynamos, of light
without combustion or incandescence, and for an unfailing supply of mechanical
energy for the needs of industry.
Yes, the accumulator and the transformer have wrought all these wonders. And can
we not to them also trace, indirectly, this latest wonder of all, the great
"Earth Chronicle" building on 253rd Avenue, which was dedicated the other day?
If George Washington Smith, founder of the Manhattan "Chronicle", should come
back to life today, what would he think when told that this place of marble and
gold belongs to his remote descendant, Fritz Napoleon Smith, who, after 30
generations, is owner of the same newpaper that his ancestor established!
For George Washington Smith's newspaper has lived generation after generation,
now passing out of the family, anon coming back to it. When, 200 years ago, the
political center of the United States was transferred from Washington to
Centropolis, the newspaper followed the government and assumed the name of Earth
Chronicle. Unfortunately, it was unable to maintain itself at the high level of
its name. Pressed on all sides by more modern rival journals, it was continually
in danger of collapse. 20 years ago its subscription list contained but a few
hundred thousand names, and then Mr. Fritz Napoleon bought it for a mere trifle,
and originated telephonic journalism.
Everyone is familiar with Fritz Napoleon Smith's system--a system made possible
by the enormous development of telephony during the last hundred years. Instead
of being printed, the Earth Chronicle is every morning spoken to subscribers,
who, from interesting conversations with reporters, statesmen and scientists,
learn the news of the day. Furthermore, each subscriber owns a phonograph, and
to this instrument he leaves the task of gathering the news whenever he happens
not to be in a mood to listen directly himself. As for purchasers of single
copies, they can at a nominal cost learn all that is in the paper of the day at
any of the innumerable phonographs set up nearly everywhere.
Fritz Napoleon Smith's innovation galvanized the old newspaper. In the course of
a few years the number of subscribers grew to 85,000,000 and Smith's wealth went