The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-06-22


unes, a pamphlet or two, a small,
square, wide-mouthed phial, hermeti-
cally sealed.
II watched him with profound Curl
osity, and took note of his slightest
movements. Having arranged his books
to suit him, and placed the phial in a
conspicuous position, he drew up his
chair closely to my own, and uttered, in
| half Kissing tone:
II demand one million dollars for the
contents cf that bottle; and you must
raise it for me IN the city of San fran
cisco within one month, or scenes too
terrible even for the imagin alton to
conceive, will surely be witnessed by
every living human being on the face of
the globe"
''fhe tone, the manner, and the alb
surd extravaganza of the demand, excl
ted faint smile upon my lips, which
he observed, but disdained to notice.
"My mind was fully made up that !
had maniac to deal with, and 1 had
prepared to act accordingly. But l
ascertsined at once that my inmost
thoughts were read by tho remarkable
man before me, and seemed to be antic-
ipated by him in advance of their ex-
preston.
"Perhars, said I, Mr.. Smmerfield,
you would oblige me by informing me
fully of the grounds of your claim and
the nature Of your discovery"
''rhis is the object of my visit, he re-
piled. claim to have discovered the
key which unlocks the constituent gas
es of water, and frees each from the
embrace Of the other, at one single
touch"
"You mean to assert rejoined, that
you can make water burn itself up?"
"Nothing more nor less" he respond,
ed, except this--to insist upon the con-
sequences of the secret, if my demand
be not at once complied with"
Now, suppose fling the contents Of
this small phial into the Pacific Ocean,
what would be the result? Dare you
contemplate it for an instant? do not
assert that the entire surface of the sea
would instantaneously bubble up into
| insufferable flames; no, but from the
nucleus of circle, of which this phial
would be the centre, lurid radii of flames
would gradually shoot outward, until
the blazing circumference would roll in
vast pillows of fire, upon the uttermost
shores. Not all the dripping clouds of
the deluge could extinguish it. Not all
the tears of saints and angels could for
! an instant check its progress. Onward
and onward it would sweep, with the
steady gait of destiny, until the conti-
nents would melt with fervent heat, the
| atmosphere glare with the ominous con-
flagration, and all living creatures, in
land, and sea, aud air perish in one uni
versal catastrophe"
Then suddenly starting to his feet,
he drew himself to his full height, and
murmured solemnly, I feel like a God
and recognize my fellow men but as
piglnies that spurn beneath my feet"
At this Parker states that he attempt
ed to reason with SummertieId upon
the absurdity of believing that he held
in his hands power so mighty, at which
the latter retorted with quotations from
the scriptures, Humboldt's Cosmos ,
and the works of famous astronomical
writers, proving that it was not only
possible for entire planets to be Destroy
ed by fire, but that such terrible events
had actually often occurred. This an
swer concluded, he handed Parker a
small phial, requesting him to open it :,
and smell Of its contents, the result he
ing that strong odor of potassium was
observed. At this Summerfield contin-
ued, 'of course said he, you are famil-
lar with the chief characteristic Of that
substance. It ignites instantly when
brought into contact with water
Within that little globule Of potassium
have imhedded pill of my own COM
osition and discovery. The moment it
is liberated from the potassium, it COM
mences the work Of decomposing the
fluid on which it floats. The potassium
at once ignites the liberated oxygen,
and the conflagration Of this mighty
globe is begun.
"Ies,' said T, "begun, if you please,
but your little pill soon evaporates, Or
sinks, or melts in the surrounding seas,
and your conflagration ends just where
it began"
But, sneered be, "the elementary
substances in that small vial recreate
themselves. They are self-generating,
and when once fairly under way, must
necessarily sweep onward until all the
waters in all the seas are exhausted"
Rising from my seat, went to the
washstand in the corner of the apart
ment, and drawing bowl full of Spring
valley water, l turned to SumEeriield
and remarked, words are empty, theor-
les are ideal-but facts are things"
II take you at your word" So saying
he approached the bowl, emptied it of
nine tenths of its contents, and silently
dropped the potassium coated pill into
the liquid. The potassium danced
around the edge of the vessel, fuming,
Kissing and blazing, as it always does,
and seemed OH the point Of expiring,
when to my astonishment and alarm a
sharp explosion took place, and in a
second of time the water was blazing in
a red, lurid column half way to the cell
ing.
For Gods sake" I cried, "extin-
guish the flame or We shall set the build
ing On fire."
Had dropped the potassium in the
bowl as you prepared it," he quietly re-