midnight
On the morning of the thirtieth of April , the interest of the whole world was centred generally upon Bolton , and particularly upon the little spot of black earth enclosed by a ring of Bessemer furnaces in the midst of which lay another ring , a ring of metal , the mouth of the great cannon , whose one and only shot was to save or lose the world . At a height of two thousand feet , twenty airships circled at varying distances round the mouth of the gun , watching for the one _ Flying Fish _ which had not been accounted for in the final fight . The good town of Bolton itself was depopulated . For days past the comet had been blazing brighter and brighter , even in the broad daylight , and the reports which came pouring in every day from the observatories of the world made it perfectly clear that Lennard 's calculations would be verified at midnight . Mr Parmenter and his brother capitalists had guaranteed two millions sterling as compensation for such destruction of property as might be brought about by the discharge of the cannon , and , coupled with this guarantee , was a request that everyone living within five miles of what had been the Great Lever pit should leave , and this was authorised by a Royal Proclamation . There was no confusion , because , when faced with great issues , the Lancashire intellect does not become confused . It just gets down to business and does it .