The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-06-08

"But all this" replied, sis pure, base
less, protitless speculation"
''Not so fast,n he answered And then
| rising, he seized the small phial and
handing it to me requested me to open it.
confess did so with some trepidation.
''Now smell it,
| did So
''What odor do you perceive?n
Potassium" replied.
"Of course" he added, ''vou are IA
miliar with the chief characteristic of that
substance. II ignites instantly when
brought in contact with water Within
that little globule of potassium | have
imbedded pill of my own composition
and discovery. The moment it is liber-
ated from the potassium, it commences
the work of decomposing the fluid on
which it floats. The potassium at once
ignites the liberated oxygen, and the con-
tlagration of this mighty globe is begun"
Yes said j, ''bcgun, if you please,
but your little pill soon evaporates or
sinks, or melts in the surrounding seas.
and your conhagration ends Just where it
| began"
| "My reply to that suggestion could be
made at once by simply testing the ex-
| pertinent on small scale, or q large one,
either. But perfer at present to refutc
your proposition by an argument drawn
! from nature herself If you correctly
remember the first time | had the pleas
ure of seeing you was on the island of
| Galveston, many years ago. DO you
remember relating to me at that time an
incident concerning the effects of 4 prairie
on fire, that you had yourself witnessed
but 4 few days previously near the town
of Matagorde? If | recollect correctly
You stated that on your return journey
from that place you passed on the way
the charred remains Of two wagons loads
of cotton and three human beings that the
night before had perishcd in the flames;
that the three slaves, the property OF u
Mr.. Horton, had started few day before
to carry u shipment of cotton; that q
norther overlook them on the trceless
prairie, and y few minutes afterwards
they were surprised by beholding u line
of rushing fire, surging, roaring and ad
vancing like the resistlcss pillows of an
ocean swept by 4 gale; that there was
no time for escape, and they persisted
terribly in fighting the deyourng ele-
ment ?n
"Yes, l recollect the event"
Nov, then, wish areply to the simple
question, did not the Single spark, that
kinded the coniagraton consume the
negroes and their charge? No? But
what did You reply, of course, that
the spark set the entire prairie on fire !;
that each spear of grass added fuel to the
flame, and kMdled by degrees u conha-
grafton that continued to burn so long as
it could feed on fresh material The
pillule in that phal is the little spark, the
oceans are the prairies, and the oxygen
the fuel upon which the fire is to feed
until the globe perishcs in ineNtinguish-
able flames. The elementary substances
in that small phial recreatc themselves :;
they are self-generating and when once
fairly under way, must necessarily sweep
onward, until the waters in all the seas
are exhausted. There is, however, one
great difference between the burning of 4
prairie and the combustion Of an ocean ;
the fire at first spreads slowly, for the fuel
is difficult TO ignite; in th. last, it flies
with the rapidity of the wind, for the
substance is oxygen, and the most inlam-
mable agent in nature
Rising from my seat | went TO the
washstand in the corner Of the apartment,
and drawing 4 bowl half tull Of Spring
Valley water, | turned to Summerlield
and remarked. ''Words are empty,
theories are ideal-bul facts are things =
II take YOU at your word" 50 saying
he approached the bowl, cmpticd it OF
nine-tenths of its contents, and silently
dropping the potassium coated pill into
the liquid. The potassium danced around
the edges OF the vessel, luming, Kissing
and blazing, as il always does, and seem
ed on the point of expiring, when, TO my
aStOnishment and alarm a sharp explosion
took place, and in n second of time the
water was blazing in a red, luril column
halfway to the ceiling.
s'For Gods sake" | cried. cxlingus
the flames or we shall set the building on
fire y
"IIad dropped the potassium into tho
bowl as you prepared it, he quietly re-
marked, ''the building would indeed have
been consumed.' Lower and lower fell
the tlickering flames, paler and palel
grew the blaze. until finally the fire went
out, and rushed up to see the effects oi
the combustion.
Not a drop lot water remained in the
vessel, Astonishcd beyond measure at
what had witnessed and terrified almost
to the verge Of insanity. | approached
Summerlied and trembinglv inquired,
ITO whom, sir, is this tremendous secret
known?n ''To myself alone,n he respond
ed; land now answer me 4 question, is
it worth the money ?n
Ii is is entirely unne cessary to relate in
detail the subsequent events connected
with this transaction. | will only add Il
general statement, showing the results of
my negotiations. Having fully satisfied
myself that Summerlicll actually held in
his hands the fate of the whole world
with its millions Of human beings, and by
experiment having tested the combustion
of sea water, with equal facility as fresh,
I next deemed it my duty TO call the at
tention OF 4 few Of the principal men in
San Francisco to the extreme Importance
of Summcrfeld's discovery.
A leading banker q bishop, q chemist
two State University professors, Il physi-
clan, a Judge and two Protestant dvin cs
were selected by me to witness the cXper-
iment on 4 large scale. This was done at
a small sandhill lake, near the sea shore.
but separated from it by Il ridge of lofty
mountains, distant not more than ten miles
from San Francisco, Every single drop
of water in the pool was burnt up in less
than fifteen minutes. We next did all
that we could to pacify Summertield, and
| apI tn inl,Inn him TO loWn,. bis