[LB048421], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to G Herbert Simpson, April 6th, 1891
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB048421
Transcription
April 6, 1891. Master G. Herbert Simpson, East Berkeley, California. Dear Master Simpson, Your very interesting latter of 27th ultimo has been received in the absence of Mr. Edison. With reference to the subject matter thereof, I would say that you are not the only only one who has been longed to visit other globes than our own and hoped that journeys to the planets would be made possible, At present the difficulty is to obtain sufficient force to throw a car beyond the limits of the Earth’s attraction; for although Mr. Jules Verne did this in his novel “From the Earth to the Moon” (which I dare say you have read), his cannon would produce, to say the least of it, a very severe shock to the persons inside the shell. If it were possible, however, to get safely beyond the limits of return attraction, it seems likely that a car could be landed on a planet by careful selection of the moment. I am afraid the danger involved in such an attempt is likely to prevent its being tried just yet, because if the car were a little too early or late it would wheel around the planet aimed at in almost endless circles, not to speak of the difficulty of maintain life on arrival. Yours very truly, (Signed A.O. Tate) Private Secretary.