Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-24

ergy- The great sanitarium which lifted
Its rude but imposing proportions out of
the wilderness and poured an almost con-
unuous stream of black smoke from its
thimney stack. held a varying population.
some of whom were women, and all of
whom were Hendricks agents. Sixteen
miles away was another large house. reach
90 on the surface by almost impass-
able and tOrtuous road of rocks, but ac-
eessible TO all the inmates of the sanitarium
In less than half hour by underground
means and corrected by telephone and
telegraph of the latest and incest ADJUST
ment along the same subterranean pas
sageS.
The shaft from the sanitarium to the
labyrinth beneath had been perfected by
The most consummate mechanical skill of
Laport, and it was hidden from casual OBJ
,eryation by the most cunning adjus tment
81 materials That end of the house which
covered the descent had cost Hendricks
and Laport more thought and ingenuity
han all else. The shaft had been enlarged
and fitted with an iron lift down to the mar
row passage that led from it to the arena
The circular steel cage which fitted into
The shaft could be turned round from be-
low, SO that it's iron door that furnished
In exit into the passage would be on the
opposite side against d solid wall of rock,
and the passengers, if enemies, would have
to cut their way through u half inch of
steel to get into the passage and, when
there, would have to walk through in single
hie at the mercy of anybody at the lower
kxit, who could pick them of in detail with
put any danger 10 himself. The exit above
vas covered with the hard floor of room
whose MOBILITY was undetectable by any
body who was not already aware Of the de-
vice In addition to this, a steel door had
been fitted TO the end of the passage below
where it opened into the vast WORK room,
because hendricks thought at times he
heard IN the room above the sound OF the
EnSine and dynamo.
A sense OF absolute security was thus
obtained when the inmates of the sdni-
tarium went below. 1t was physically i'm
possible Tor force of any calculable kind
10 reach them in that direction.
The next and obvious consideration to
which Hendricks had directed his whole
energy Was the provisioning of the retreat
and the securing of a safe and hidden exit
tar removed from the sanitarIum. In car
rying out the first Of these precautions he
Aad managed, with consummate care, dur
ing a period OF eight months, to load into
the southwestern entrance vast store
81 material, purchased at Cincinnati, Louis
vile, ST. LOUIS, ard Memphis, and delivered
by boat at the Wash bayou, where there
was sto-ehouse and whence the goods
were hauled for the apparent use OF the
two surface hotels. other and smaller
streams OF supplies were reaching the san
ItarIum overland continuously. 1t is cal
cuIatcd that during the eight months over
eleven hundred thousand dollars were spent
for supplies. In the lists of purchases ap-
pearet TWO items of Unusual impOrt-''One
thousand magazine riheS-eighteen thou
sand dollars They We're contracted for
In the east by u western dealer ostensibly
to be sold The plains and were bought
In three lots. But tley reached the Wash
bayou without attracting attention, for
they were shipped in pieces at intervals
and put together in the Laran works. The
other item was-'hve hundred polished
nickel steel plates made 10 order by the
CorInth steel Company and consigned TO
'BradsEaw * FennInS, AempnIs, Tenn"
ThC5e plates nSured IN the mysterious La
port gun when afterwards caused such con-
sIerIIjIOn-
Hendricks, during these eight months, had
evileatIy calculated to offset the Increased
probabilities OF exposure n making such
vast purchases by the increased security
afforded when ne got his material into
his fOrJress-and thlS alone would show
that he had other and Vdster schemes in
GSeyance, and that, after all, the fitting
out of the Lardn cave was only provis-
lOnal step TO something else.
our. imaginary visit therefore. at this
time discicSes AT Laran an entirely differ
ent condition of affairs. The sanitarium
looks like a rural hotel. There are several
persons on the broad balcony, but they
exhibit only the Incidence Of country board
erS. The warm sun lies peacefully on the
lawns, bur there is a simmer in the air
above the big chimney which tells of a
great volume Of heat pouring into the blue