The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-24

E3@S
TEE PLIGHT OF TIE CnICKEES
you where to put thatwe1l there would
have been no danger Of this sort Of
thing"
The next day the optimist came to
me, his face fairly blazing with a new
idea. II rode over on purpose to urge
you," he cried, IF you should strike
hot water not to stop there. Go on,
and, by Georgel you may strike fire."
'Heavensl" cried.
"Oh, quite the opposite" said he,
"but do not let us joke. think that
would be the grandest thing of this
age. Think Of fire well with the
flames shooting up perhaps hundred
feet into the air!''
wish Phineas Co1welI had not been
there. AS it was he turned pale and
sat down on the wall.
"You look astonished.' exclaimed
the optimist, "but listen to me. You
have not thought of the thing as I
have. If you should strike fire your
fortune would be made. BY a system
of rehectors you could light up the
whole country. By means of tiles and
pipes this region could be made trop-
1cal. You could warm all the houses
in the neighborhood with hot air. And
then the power you could generate
just think Of it! Heat is power; the
cost Of power is the fuel. You could
furnish power to all who wanted it;
you could fill this region with indus
tries. My dear sir, you must excuse
my agitation. but if you should strike
fire there is no limit to the possibilities
OF achievement"
But l want water" said I, Sire
would not take the place of that"
sob, water is trihe," said he, "you
could have pipes laid from town. It is
only about two miles. But fire! No.
body has yet gone down deep enough
for that. You have your future in
your hands"
AS l did not care to connect my
future with fire this idea did not
strike me very forcibly, but it struck
Phineas Colwell. He did not say any
uulHS W Llc, puJ dltcI L udO kOuS ue
went to the well drivers.
III you feel them pipes getting hot"
he said to them, 81 warn you to stop.
have been in countries where there are
volcanoes and I know what they are.
There's enough Of them in this world
and there's no need of making new
ones"
The well driving had gone on and
on with intermissions on account of
sickness in the families of the various
workYnen. until it had reached the linn
it which had fixed, and we had not
found water in sufficient quantity, hot
OF cold, nor had we struck fire, or any
thing else worth having.
The well drivers and some special
lists were of tho opinion that if were
TO go ten. twenty or perhaps hundred
feet deeper. would DO very likely to
get all tho water wanted. But of
course they could not tell how far they
must go, for some wells were over a
thousand feet deep. shook my head
at this. There seemed to be only one
thing certain about this driving bust
ness, and that was the expense. de-
clined to 60 any deeper.
81 think" facetious neighbor said
to me, sit would be cheaper for you to
buy a lot of Apoliinaris water, at
wholesale rates, of course. and let your
men open so many bottles day and
empty them into your tank. You would
find that would pay better in the long
run
Ny opsimist was dreadfullY cast
down when he heard that l would
drive no deeper.
81 have been afraid of this" he said.
81 have been afraid Of it, and II circum-
stances had so arranged themselves
that l should have command OF money
i should have been glad 70 assume
the expense of deeper explorations. /
have been thinking great deal about
the matter, and feel quite sure that
even If you did not get water or any
thing else that might prove % value to
you. ii would be great advantage 70
have pipe sunk into the earth to the
depth OF, say, thousand feet"
What possible advantage could that
be?" asked.
Il viii tell YOU he said "You
would then have one Of the grandes.
opportunities ever offered 20 man Of
constructing a gravity engine This
woald be an engine which would be no
expense at all 20 run- L would rot
need fuel gravity would be the power.
II would work a pump splendidly. You
could start il when ycu liked and stop
il when zen liked"
Pump said /; what Is tie good Of
q puup without water
Ca, Of course. sou would hare %
have water" nc answered, "hut 70
matter how JON get - yoa ~ili have
70 pump Il mp TO yoar tank 20 Is 20
make Il circulate over vour honse.
Acg ~ -rays,y p2u1 wo1.a Go Tia