The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-24

are Constituted an Immense Magnet
Nails, Buttons and Other Metallic Ar
ticies CIeave to the Charged Tubing
Dog wearing a Steel Collar is Grabbed,
scared and Being Fully Charged, He De-
parts Immediately for the North Pole.
Up to o'clock yesterday afternoon
work was progressing nicely at the
prospect well, and the drill had reached
a depth of 1,1S5 feet when strange &C
cident occurred which led the men at
work TO believe for a few minutes that
Eoc Kelley was right when he declared
that the well was possessed wild de
debil:
The great drill had just been hoisted
when City Engineer Jackson entered
the drTl house closely followed by
long, lank dog wearing huge steel
collar The engineer steppe to the 9TH
er side of the well for the purpose of ex-
aiming the drill which was as bright
as a silver dollar OF course the dog
had 70 follow the kind hearted city boss,
but it was a sad follow for the purp.
Some unseen power grabbed the dog
off his feet and suspended him in the
air. W0lle immediately l4lc VI III AlOdoO
was filled with the odor OF burned hair.
The dogs steel collar adhered to that
drill with the same tenacity as would an
old maid TO her last chance in the matri-
monial market.
The yelling dog brought DR.. Maxwell
10 the animals rescue but he found that
when he had placed his shoes on the
top Of the tubing to enable him TO reach
the suspended purp, it was impossible
for him to move another peg.
Some unseen power held him fast TO
the tubing and like Aunt Jemima'S
plaster the more he tried to pull off,
the more he stuck the faster" The
nails in his boots held him fast while
he declared that sensation somewhat
like bird shot falling over the string Of
avfolin played around the gastrocnem-
of the councilman of the Sixth ward,
Austin and Madison ran to the rescue
Of the councilman of the Sixth ward,
when they found that their watch
chains stood out straight in the air and
upon advancing nearer that their time
pieces Immediately left their pockets
and joined the dog on the drill.
About this time the city engineer adj
vanced towards Councilman Maxwell,
and pointing his finger at him told him
10 stand still for a little and he would
see what was the matter with him
Thunder and lightning" roared the
electrified councilman, while electric
balls of fire shot from his face and
cheek, and his hair stood on end SINH
lar to that of a porcupine. Amt L
standing still. I can't move unless 1
can get these boots off. l believe the
dad-burned drill has got into the power
house of the devils workshop, and the
tubing and everything has got charged.
For Gods sake, unlooSe that dogs
collar and let the purp down before he
roasts 30 death. He smells worse than
a limberger cheese factory"
The collar was loosened, and the dog
shot out of that drill-house at though
he had been pursued by thousand
bootjacks. AS soon as the dog had
cleared the enclosure he struck directly
north, and last night il was the opinion
of the majority Of Wichita's scientific
club that unless that dog ran out of
electricity he would reach the north |
pole as soon as DR.. Nansen. OF course, |
the city will loose the tax on that dog, |
but Wichita can afford this great loss
in the interest of science.
When the dog was out Of the way the
councilman from the Sixth ward wig
gled out Of his boots and was prancing
around in stocking feet. OF course the
dogs collar, the steel buttons, watch
chains and other articles still chung to
the drill and the tubing.
What had caused all this display of
electricity was the question on every
bodys mind. II was there and there
could be no question Of that fact. n red
headed man, or even a red whlSkered
one. felt a drawing attachment in the d.
rection of the hole the moment he came
in contact with the powerful charged
steel. Nails lying loose in the drill
house were forced TO leave the boxes
and stood out like quilts upon a porcu-
pines back.
Had the drill united some powerful
hidden electric current with the outside
world? Could this great power be utll-
lied by means of wires? Was there not
enough power here to run the machinery
of the earth? Had not Ben Franklin
made a mistake when he sought the
heavens for electricity instead of COM
ing to the junction Of the two Arkansas
rivers, were questions that passed
through the mind of the city engineer
as he beheld the strange performances
of the unseen power.
1t had not been expected that when
the hole was started that electricity
would be found, and in fact both
MeSsrS Jackson and Jackman doubted
if such a thing was possible, but that
from some cause every thing about the
well had become charged.
The eighteen-foot sand bucket was
brought out and attempted to be lower
ed into the mysterious hole, but II
chung 10 the iron casing like cramp
to the stomach Of an urchin who had
eaten his first mess of green apples in
the spring. 1t would neither so up or
down.
Something must be done and FitZpat-
rick was told 10 call into council all the
electricians Of the city. and to tell them
10 bring ma gnets with them.
They soon arrived. The magnets were
applied, and like the phenomenal mad
stone they adhere TO both the tubing
and the drill. Its electricity sure, they
all decided, but where the strange pow
er had come from they were unable TO
determine Immediately.
An examination was made of the hole
and il was found that the well contain
ed two complete sets of tubing and that
one Of these had became charged with
positive electricity while the other was
equally loaded with negative and Of
course a perfect circuit was thus form
ed
In aliUtle time the current let loose Of
the boots Of the councilman of the Sixth
ward and with a thud they fell TO the
ground where they were picked up I'M
injured Il vas then decided that the