Florida

Barbican, the leader of the Gun Club, came up with a fantastic idea on how to solve the dilemma on where to have the gun, which is currently consuming the nation as Texas and Florida, as well as every newspaper in the nation, are at each others throats on where it should be. Florida. Because in Florida, there is one main city, Tampa. In Texas, there are six that would instantly fight over the cannon, making the problem exponentially worse. The Committee was unanimous in this decision. The Gun Club was sure to alert the Police before they announced this to the public because as soon as they did, the delegates where in the streets with their rifles at twenty paces. (meaning they were shooting each other at a duelers distance, it meant just that much) I find it amazing that everyone cared this much about the location. Instead of just being ecstatic over the concept and anxiously awaiting the shooting, the whole nation is bickering over every decision, even though it is still a private operation and not their decision to make.

Florida or Texas?

In this chapter of my book, From the Earth to the Moon, the committee that decided on the bullet, powder and gun meet again to determine where the launch will take place. They know it has to be in Texas or Florida, because those are the only states that extend under the 28th parallel. One of the four gentlemen, Marston, does not know that Texas is this far south and proposes that the US invade and annex Mexico in order to get there. His comment sets of a riot of laughter and comment s to the point where they are not able to accomplish anything that night. A tabloid hears of their indecision and jumps on the opportunity to publish their views. Soon the whole nation is siding with either Texas or Florida and many delegates from these states are in Baltimore, where the Gun Club is, and are literally fighting in the streets. Police have had to stop several delegates from engaging in rifle battles.