As we neared the coast, what had seemed to be a huge smokestack on the
point of the promontory that constituted the southern shore-line of
the bay, was revealed to our vision as a colossal tower, that in its
general appearance, was an exact duplicate of the strange tower we had
passed at the northern verge, at the point where we had escaped from
the ice. The material used, the style of architecture, and everything
about it indicated that it was erected by the same people and for the
same purpose.
We had now been speeding forward in a straight line for five hours.
We had covered fully 1,000 miles, and MacNair assured us that we had
been traveling slowly, in order to give us an opportunity to study the
topography of the country, as a whole, from an advantageous position,
at an average height of about four miles, though at times we had
ascended to higher altitudes, as Iola suggested, to so train our lungs
to an attenuated atmosphere, that we would experience less discomfort
from the lofty aerial flights we were destined to make.
MacNair now called our especial attention to the region of country we
were approaching. It was an agricultural district, and, evidently,
in a high state of cultivation. It looked like a vast prairie farm,
regularly laid out, in the shape of a parallelogram, extending from
east to west about thirty miles, and from south to north about fifteen
miles. Magnificent buildings appeared at regular intervals, surrounded
by beautiful grounds, and connected by broad boulevards, reaching
from one end to the other, and crossed by elevated roads at regular
intervals. On these magnificent highways, splendid carriages were
rolling, but no horses were in sight. Electric cars were continuously
moving both ways between these houses, the north and south lines being
elevated.
Airships of all sizes and designs, seemed to be ubiquitous, and were
moving in every direction. Children amused themselves on the shaded
lawns that bordered the boulevards, and in the flower gardens of the
highly ornamented grounds around the palatial buildings which appeared
in every direction. While this district seemed to be distinctively
agricultural, much of the surface was given up to parks, shaded
driveways, miniature rivers, artificial lakes, fountains, ornamental
gardens and orchards.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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