Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-10-28
A NARROW ESCAPE.
Story Of a Maniac and His Inven-
ton.

There were dozen of us who were
waiting for a train that was loafng
along four or five hours behind time.
The junction where we were held un-
willing prisoners was a remote and
lonely crossing without any scenic at
fractions of any kind, and totally inno-
cent of any means of passing away the
time. Not a book or paper could be
bought, and the alleged restaurant
was a place in which to con-
tract an aggravated case of dys-
pepsia- We read the timetables and
computed the distances between the
stations on the various roads repre-
Bented; we got hungry and fell to talk
Ing of the hotels in various cities, I'M
til, satisfied with the Barmecide feast
our imaginations set forth, that sub
ject grew old; we criticised the rail-
way managers of the country and sug-
gested laws with dreadful penalties
for allowing trains to vary second
from the published time; we compared
our watches and each insisted that his
was just right and had not varied for
months, and still the train did not come.
Then with one accord we fell to watch
ing flock of pigeons that were flying
hhOAb SIO Vi OIlcm was d
tumbler. She would rise to height of
two hundred feet and suddenly her
wings would drop as if she were dead
and she would come tum bling over and
over until she would almost strike the
earth, when she would recover herself
and sweep up into the air only to re-
peat her performance. Among the
party there was a portly gentleman
rxyh0 la1s
birds action and his EXPLANATIONS of
delight were frequent.
THAT must be a glorious sensation
for the Bird" he said, ito fall as if
limp and lifeless, with the speed of an
arrow, knowing that she is in no dan
ger. l was reading not long ago in
some paper that men who have been
saved after falling long distances in
variably claim to have experienced
delightful sensation while dropping
through the air."
81 had a little experience in that line
short time ago." said another of the
party, who was dressed like a priest or
an Episcopal minister, land 1 assure
you my sensations were the reverse
of pleasant"
Here was a chance to kill time which
we were quick to avail ourselves of,
and half of us asked the gentleman to
relate his experience. He seemed per-
fectly willing to do so, and a moment
afterward we had disposed ourselves
on the edge of the platform and the
trunks that stood around, in as COM
Portable positions as we could find.
81 am clergyman" began the gen.
tleman, land among the members of
the church under my care is gentle
man who is an enthusiastic student of
electric phenomena, and to him the
world is indebted for a number of i'm
provements in the telegraph, telephone
and incandescent light, which is cred
tied to better-known inventors. Re-
Gently he has been investigating the
claims made that telephone pictures
were possible, and have become very
much interested in his researches,
though lay no claims to being an cleo
trical expert.
my friends office is in the twelfth
story of one of the high buildings in
Chicago, where my home is, and from
the windows there is distance of not
far from one hundred and fifty feet to
the pavement below. l have often
thought that there would be no shadow
of chance for a man who should fall
from one of these windows, little think
ing what was in store for me.
II frequently call on my friend be-
cause his talk is interesting, and be-
cause his office is high enough to be
about as cool a place as there is in the
city.
Zone morning about two weeks ago
| dropped into his Office just as he was
preparing to go out. He sat down, but
| insisted that he should not stay on
my account, and finally he suggested
that l stay till he returned, which he
said would be in the course of an hour.
l agreed to this and was soon deeply
interested in n new work which found
lying on the table.
81 had not been alone long when a
gentleman entered and saluted me, say
ing: Are you interested in electrical ap-
paratus?' answered that was to a
certain extent, and that my friend who
occupied the Office was an expert.
4 have something here that want
to show you,' said the stranger. 1T is
going to revolutionize the whole cleo
trical system of the country
L shall be glad to examine it, re-
piled, as he proceeded to unlock a
small metal box he carried in one hand.
From the box he took curious looking
machine that appeared to be made of
some metal resembling aluminium. It
was in the shape of box, on one side
of which was a funnel-shaped orifice
resembling the receiver of telephone.
The sides of the box were glass, and
inside was a complicated system Of
wheels Taking key from his pocket
the stranger wound the machine up
and the wheels began to run with as
tonishing rapidity. Little glass tubes
were inside the machine and a sub
stance which I surmised was quicksilver
was in them AS soon as the machine
| began to run, this substance began to
shoot back and forth with the rap idity
of lightning.
''Going to the telephone in the room,