The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-20

Pardon me, will come to business.
AS told you,I am professor of sci
ence. and have made discovery which
is worth millions-yes, sir, millions.
"I need not tell you of the anxious
! days and sleepless nights it has cost me.
No matter; l have succeeded at last,
and you are tho first man l have ever
approached with my secret. L did not
do that until was satisfied you were the
safest one could find
"As he spoke he opened small bag
which he carried and took out three or
four walls to place upon the table.
Education based upon scientific re-
search, he remarked, has made u star
Ting advance within the past few years.
But no man has gone further into the
unfathomable depths than myself. You
have basin of water here. Pardon me
If appropriate it to my own use.'
II bowed i'll acquiescence. too much
surprised to speak.
HE quickly unsealed one of the walls
and poured its contents into the basin of
water Then from another he sifted
blush colored powder upon the surface
of the liquid, which no sooner had touch
w 'hO OOuSi tiittil ~ OtSdil ~ HISS, lOhul
and sparkle until there came n report
like pistol shot, and 81 column of lurid
flame leaped up to the ceiling started
back with cry of terror.
Don't be alarmed, he assured me,
with smile; "the water will soon burn
out
'The fire soon began to grow pale aud
to diminish in height, when it finally
died out altogether. and saw that tho
basin was empty.
"'How much do you think that secret
is worth?' asked my visitor, still show
ing his white teeth between his parted
lips.
"'What do you mean: cried.
Z" Sit down aud be composed, and I
will quickly explain Then as sank
into the nearest seat, at n loss what to
| do or say, he continued:
Seeing is believing, so I have shown
| to you what can do to impress upon
| you more deeply the power that pos
| sess. You have seen that basin of water
burn like 80 much Oil, and now you
will believe me when tell you that 1
have unlocked one of natures great Sc
crets and that the key lies in that small
| vial!
ellis demoniacal smile as he spol
made me shudder.
Il do not understandyou faltcred.
If you mean that you can burn wa
ter
Haven't done it, he cried. why,
man alivei don't you realize the impor-
lance of that secret? In those walls are
held the component agents able to sepa-
rate the constituent parts of water and,
| freeing the same, set them at war with
| each other, which must result in COM
| bustion and total humiliation.
Think of that and realize that hold
i'll my hand the destiny of the world.
| Let me throw ever so little of those Won
| derful properties into the Atlantic and
| dare you contemplate theresult? In one
instant nucleus of fire would be formed
to grow swiftly i'll size, separating the
| gases of water and feeding upon them
until the shores of Europe and America
| would be wrapped i'll n sheet of flame.
No deluge that ever drowned the
world could extinguish the conflagration,
but would rather transport the fiery le-
gions to the very pillars of the heavens,
and it would spread from shore to shore
and from ocean to ocean, until it had in
folded the globe in its SETTLING embrace.
Every creature of the sea, the air and
the land would perish-ay, the earth it
self would melt into fervent heat
During this startling speech he had
worked himself into fearful frenzy to
fix his intent gaze upon me as he cou-
cluded with n light that burned into nv
hai,,,r I fa1t I
ence of IL mailman.
oh, WE'LL l said, with what calm
ness could command, we won't antici-
pate so dreadful Il catastrophe as you so
wildly describe. But it is evident YOU
have made remarkable discovery. am
anxious to know just how you accom-
plished it,
Which is my secret he said, with
another smile, and l saw that my dis
passionate speech had had a soothing eff
feet upon him. The man was evidently
sane except on that one subject.
"'You are the most sensible man I
have met, he soon resumed, and am
going TO impart enough of my secret to
you SO you will act with good faith in
assisting me in IL direction where | am
powerless.
" 1t needs not my words to tell YOU
that water is composed of two gases,
hydrogen and oxygen, in parts as 2 to
l. United in that proportion these
elements are impervious to fire. Every
schoolboy knows that. But mix them III
any other proportion, and heat, flame,
combustion. are the immediate conse-
quence.
CHOW, | have discovered the key
which unlocks tho affinity holding to-
gether the constituent parts of water.
A few crainS of this nnlyder arc sufficient