The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1891-07-18
EXHAUSTIVE.

IOF STORIES, On every trip tnere Is always
some one who has a special gift in that
direction. The last time ! went across
there was Mr.. Scott on board who told
us some OF his wonderful adventures
One day he said:
Il never take passage on steamer
until the very last moment"
why is thatF" some one asked. 81
should think you would sometimes run
the risk of not getting good room"
"Oh, don't mind that" answered Mr.
Scott, "what ! am anxious about is to
avoid Hobbs"
Who's Hobbs?" three or four asked
together.
Well, it's plain you never met him or
you wouldn't have forgotten him. Hobbs
is an inventor, who turns his intellect
towards marine improvements. The first
time ! met him he was crossing over try
ing to get his patent nonseasickable berth
adopted. The steamship company had
refused to put in the berths, but allowed
him to go on the steamer and put in a
berth if passenger wanted it in. The
consequence was that Hobbs made life q
burden for all of us. Some ordered in
the berths in order to get rid of his can
wasting and explanations The improve
ment generally made them so seasick
that they slept the rest of the voyage on
the sofa. 1t was an oscillating affair,
and the chances were that if you did
succeed in getting into it the thing
would pitch you out on the floor
before morning We worried through
that trip, but my next voyage
with Mr. Hobbs was terror AS
general thing have a room to myself
when cross, but this time found that
some one else was to be in with me. The
first day out came down to my room
and found it filled up with all sorts of
paraphernalia, so much so could hardly
enter. Some one was in the upper berth
and was stretching himself half way
across the room lacking canvas to the
ceiling
"Hellol" ! cried. what the deuce
are you upto? want you to understand
that this is my ROOM"
Mine. too" cried the other fellow,
with his mouth full of tacks. Then
looking down at me he dropped the tacks |
on the floor and shouted gleefully, "Hel- |
10, Scottl That you? Well. this is luck.
! didn't know but | would have some
stranger with me this time, so | hurried
to get through with my little plan before
he could object.
He was SO covered with dust that at
first | did not recognize him, but as he
jumped down | saw with horror that il
was Hohr' and | felt sure that would
have another siege with the oscillating
berth.
What is all this anyhow? Some new
improvement on the berth?"
mo, I've been studying this thing
since have been over here, and find !
that it is not the motion of the vessel
that causes seasickness at all No, sir.
1t is the foul air. You have noticed that |
when passengers stay on the deck they |
are not half so bad as when they remain |
in their staterooms. Now there is Just as
much motion on deck as in the state |
room, so it is evidently not the motion |
that makes the difference. Now what is |
i'll Why it is the fresh air. That's the
whole secret. I've perfected an exhaus-
tive apparatus which will keep the state
rooms and cabin as pure as the deck out
side. Like all great inventions it is very |
simple. All we have to do is to exhaust /
the air and there you are.
The first four days out we had an aw-
full time. Hobbs. worked at that thing
night and day There was no rest for
me, all the time he was at it, He talked /
He wanted to fix it so that
only certain amount of fresh air would |
get in, and he had arrangements for |
drafts and preventing the foul
air from the rest of the ship getting in,
and all that sort of thing. At last one
fifth night out-he announced |
that everything was completed and that |
he would get the pump attached that |
night or next day. fell into troubled |
and some time in the night |
up with strange feeling of OPP
preston. | found it almost impossibleto
breathe. ! lay there painting for few
moments, not knowing what was the
matter with me. The air seemed as
raretied as at the top of a mountain. All
at once l recognized new sound. 1t
was sound of suction, and the whole
flashed on me. hobbs had
started his internal machine and it was
drawing all the air out of the room. 1t
was exhausting the air faster than the
crevices let it in.
knew that if / was to save my life
must act quickly. / sprang from the