The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-03

The chorus of coughs and poohS
which greeted this last remrak ceased
when a third person rose and proposed
to cut the cable, the advantages OF
which plan he was about to argue
when it was pointed out that nothing
would more certainly break the cur
rent and thus cause the dropping of
the torpedo.
| Then the electricians got at 1t in
| earnest. one wanted to hitch on a
| second battery and reverse the current,
a proceeding certain To disorganize tn g
| electromagnetic mechanism in the bal
loon and release the pitcher. Another
| wanted to splice on great length OF
cable and let the balloon float over
some other place to do it's mischief; but
this, leaving out the ethical question
involved, would, of course, put in more
resistance in the path of the current.
and perhaps render it too weak to hold
up the load. Another wanted to fire
bullets at the pitcher, and cause the
explosion. in mid-air, but 1t was pointed
out that they would be much more
likely to hit the balloon and let the gas
ou..
tlemen," said the mayor somewhat
sarcastically, "to devise means for
dropping that torpedo. The balloon
will do that of itself Che started as
he glanced at his watch)-in about five
hours. Experiment is out of the ques-
ton We cannot risk failure. Can no
one suggest any certain means of re-
lief?"
The scientists breathed heavily but
said nothing. They could see the bal
loon-now ruddy with the reflected
rays of the setting sun--poised over the
great cathedral. The threat tened storm
had passed over, leaving, however, the
breeze steady. The crances We're then
that the torpedo would do its fearful
work in the fairest portion of the me-
tropolis. From this locality the police,
now reinforced by the militia, had
driven the people toward the rivers.
The danger lines had been drawn at
Fifty-niEth street and at Madison
square. 1t was a strange sight to see
Fifth avenue, above Twenty-third
street, deserted as far as the eye could
reach; the gently swaying globe being
the only moving object in the long per-
spective. outside the danger lines the
people clustered on the housetops like
lees.
The scientists. still silent, looked at
the mayor with dismayed faces. The
mayor grimly looked back at the scien-
lists.
And this is all?" said the mayor.
Several of the younger scientists pres
ent moved uneasily in their seats. One
of them went to the safe, passed his
hands helplessly over the exterior,
sighed and sat down. Another gazed
fixedly at the balloon. Another became
deeply interested in the surface of the
twin cable.
Meanwhile there had come into the
room two other men who had seated
themselves beside the mayor The Of
fetal turned to them and whispered
something. They nodded promptly.
Il will not detain you further, gen.
tlemen," said the mayor to the scent-
lists. II thank you for your assist
ance. / can only regret that the cir
cumstances make it unavailing."
The philosophers solemnly walked
out of the room, and maintained still
ness until the street was reached.
There they would have at once en-
barked in heated discussion had not
the police on guard insisted on their
immediate repair beyond the danger
lines.
One of the two men beside the mayor
appended his name to check for one
hundred thousand dollars. His sig
nature would have been honored for
T,.. 4
torpedo would fall directly on his
roof The other impressed a stamp
on the face of the check and dashed
q quick scrawl over it. The Chemical
bank of New York had now guaranteed
its payment. The mayor put it in his
pocketbook with sigh of disappoint-
ment. and his visitors withdrew
The man called julius sat in the
captains room in the Thirtieth street
police station calmly smoking and
reading the latest extra evening news
paper If the populace had known
where he was, he would probably have
also listened-though with equal i'm
perturbability-to the howls of rag
ing mob in the street outside. But that
information had been carefully with
held even from the reporters, and con-
sequently the street, being within the
danger district, so far from being the
scene of an incipient riot, was en-
tirely deserted save by the policemen
on guard. Since his interview with
the superintendent, the police had
burned with a medieval desire to ex-
tract from Julius the knowledge which
he claimed to possess, by the prompt
inniction of any reasonable variety of
torture. Carried away by the enthu-
siasm of the moment, the police cap
tain in whose care he was placed con-
ceived the brilliant notion of sending
him In charge of two stalWart natrOl-