The purely scientific attraction was suddenly intensified by
thefollowing incident：
We have seen what legions of admirers and friends
Barbicane‘sproject had rallied round its author.There was，
however，one singleindividual alone in all the States of the Union
who protested againstthe attempt of the Gun Club. He attacked it
furiously on everyopportunity，and human nature is such that
Barbicane felt morekeenly the opposition ofthat one man than he did
the applause of allthe others. He was well aware of the motive of
this antipathy， theorigin of this solitary enmity，the cause of its
personality and oldstanding， and in what rivalry of self-love it
had its rise.
This persevering enemy the president of the Gun Club hadnever
seen. Fortunate that it was so，for a meeting between the twomen
would certainly have been attended with serious consequences.This
rival was a man of science， like Barbicane himself，of a
fiery，daring， and violent disposition； a pure Yankee. His name was
Captain Nicholl，he lived at Philadelphia.
Most people are aware of the curious struggle which
aroseduring the Federal war between the guns and armor of
iron-platedships.The result was the entire reconstruction of the
navy of boththe continents；as the one grew heavier， the other
became thicker inproportion. The Merrimac，the Monitor， the
Tennessee，theWeehawken discharged enormous projectiles
themselves，after having been armor-clad against the projectiles of
others.In fact they did to others that which they would not they
should do to them that grand principle of immortality upon which
rests the whole art
of war.
Now if Barbicane was a great founder of shot，Nicholl was a
great forger of plates；the one cast night and day at Baltimore，the
other forged day and night at Philadelphia.As soon as ever
Barbicane invented a new shot，Nicholl invented a new plate；each
followed a current ofideas essentially opposed to the other.Happily
for these citizens，so useful to their country，a distance of from
fifty to sixty miles separated them from one another，and they had
never yet met. Which of these two inventors had the advantage over
the other it was difficult to decide from the results obtained. By
last accounts，however，it would seem that the armor-plate would in
the end have to give way to the shot；nevertheless，there were
competent judges who had their doubts on the point.At the last
experiment the cylindro-conical projectiles of Barbicane stuck like
so many pins in the Nicholl plates.On that day the Philadelphia
iron-forger then believed himself victorious，and could not evince
contempt enough for his rival；but when the other afterward
substituted for conical shot simple 600-pound shells，at very
moderate velocity，the captain was obliged to give in. In fact，these
projectiles knocked his best metal plate to shivers.
Matters were at this stage， and victory seemed to rest with
the shot，when the war came to an end on the very day when
Nichollhad completed a new armor-plate of wrought steel.It was
amasterpiece of its kind， and bid defiance to all the projectiles
of theworld. The captain had it conveyed to the Polygon at
Washington，challenging the president of the Gun Club to break it.
Barbicane，peace having been declared，declined to try the
experiment.
Nicholl，now furious，offered to expose his plate to the shock
of any shot，solid，hollow，round，or conical.Refused by the
president，who did not choose to compromise his last success.
Nicholl，disgusted by this obstinacy，tried to tempt Barbicaneby
offering him every chance.He proposed to fix the plate within two
hundred yards of the gun.Barbicane still obstinate in refusal. A
hundred yards？ Not even seventy-five！
“At fifty then！”roared the captain through the
newspapers.“At twentv-five yards！ And I’ll stand behind！”
……
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