arer could
throw off the tubes connecting him with the air tanks in the car. Another
object which had been kept in view in the preparation of these suits
was the possible exploration of an airless planet, such as the moon.

The necessity of some contrivance by means of which we should be enabled
to converse with one another when on the outside of the cars in open
space, or when in an airless world, like the moon, where there would be
no medium by which the waves of sound could be conveyed as they are in
the atmosphere of the earth, had been foreseen by our great inventor,
and he had not found it difficult to contrive suitable devices for
meeting the emergency.

Inside the headpiece of each of the electrical suits was the mouthpiece
of a telephone. This was connected with a wire which, when not in use,
could be conveniently coiled upon the arm of the wearer. Near the ears,
similarly connected with wires, were telephonic receivers.

An Aerial Telegraph.

When two persons wearing the air-tight dresses wished to converse with
one another it was only necessary for them to connect themselves by the
wires, and conversation could then be easily carried on.

Careful calculations of the precise distance of Mars from the earth at the
time when the expedition was to start had been made by a large number of
experts in mathematical astronomy. But it was not Mr. Edison's intention
to go direct to Mars. With the exception of the first electrical ship,
which he had completed, none had yet been tried in a long voyage. It
was desirable that the qualities of each of the ships should first
be carefully tested, and for this reason the leader of the expedition
determined that the moon should be the first port of space at which the
squadron would call.

It chanced that the moon was so situated at this time as to be nearly
in a line between the earth and Mars, which latter was in opposition
to the sun, and consequently as favorably situated as possible for
the purposes of the voyage. What would be, then, for 99 out of the 100
ships of the squadron, a trial trip would at the same time be a step of
a quarter of a million of miles gained in the direction of our journey,
and so no time would be wasted.

The departure from the earth was arranged to occur precisely at
midnight. The moon near the full was hanging high over head, and a
marvellous spectacle was presented to the eyes of those below as the
great squadron of floating ships, with