Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-05-20
RIDING ON A STORM.
a BOAT THAT RODE RIGHT UP THE
DoWNPouRING RAIN.

Unexpected Turn of Discussion ON Air
ships-To Win In an Argument Ono
Needs Only TO Master His Conscience
and Think In . Hurry.
II don't believe there is any such
thing as an airshipp' exclaimed the
man who had his chair tilted back
against the side Of the hotel and who
was allowing cigar ashes to drop ON his
vest.
but people have seen it," expostu-
lated the man who wears long red side
whiskers on his head and spats on his
feet.
The other members Of the Curbstone
club drew their chairs up closer and
looked interested.
(which simply goes to show" was
the reply, THAT we are living in an era
Of adulteration. Nobody ever saw things
like that before they got to making
chemical laboratories take the place of
distilleries. What do we want with an
airship anyhow"
Scientists say it's bound to come"
ventured the proprietor of white vest
and plated shirt bosom.
.'Of course scientists tell us it's COM
ing. Scientists have families to support,
the same as other people, and it's their
business to keep public confidence up.
And l don't deny that the airship may
be coming some time But it won't get
here till conditions demand it. What
could you do with an airship that can't
be accomplished just as we'll with a
trolley car or steamship or bicycle?"
Some drops of rain gave warning of
storm, and when the party had got
settled in the smoking room the skeptic
resumed:
Surprising they do fix up an arrange
ment to take you up in the air. What is
there to do except to come down again!
OF course you can go from place to
place, but straight line is the shortest
distance between two points, and what's
the use of taking the extra trouble of
travelling OH a curve through the atmos-
phere? IT there were some way of an
choring cloud and starting roof gar
den on it, I'd say, Go ahead and have
the airship, by all means There'd be
money in it.
But" ventured he of the plated
shirt front, st would be a nice way to
travel, plenty of fresh air and room,
you know"
The storm had increased outside un-
til its noise attracted general attention.
The man with side whiskers went to
the door and exclaimed:
"T unaSc fhic &c bo xuoret xx,o o,,o,.
had in this part of the country
''It might be that and still not
amount to muoh," contemptuously re-
sponded the wearer of the ash sprinkled
vest Its coming down in drops so far
apart that you can see between them. +"
They're pretty big drops, though"
"Pshaw! Compared to the real thing,
this shower is nothing but leak in a
wash boiler. By the way, somebody
was claiming that airship travel would
be commodious and comfortable and all
that sort of thing"
II said that" came the rather timid
confession.
"Did you ever try voyage at great
altitude?'
"No."
II thought not. If you had, you
wouldn't make any such assertion.
81 number of years ago went with
friend for trip on Lake Erie. That's
the place for storms. His boat was a
small screw propeller and one of the
swiftest affairs ever built. We saw a
storm coming, and, in spite of our
efforts to run away from it, it overlook
us. Talk about rain! What we encoun-
tered there was perpendicular river.
My friend staid on deck to see that we
didn't run into anything, and I, of
course, stood by him. In few minutes
realized that if something WASH done
we'd drown right in our tracks. l wait
ed my opportunity, and presently, when
big wave came along and tilted the
boat up so that the deck stood at an an
gle of about 40 degrees, turned the en-
CINE loose for all there was in it. I
glanced at my friend He was white as
a sheet, but he grasped my hand in to-
ken of his approval of what 1 was do
ing. 1t was desperate chance, but it
turned out as had hoped. The boat be-
gan to rise steadily and swiftly ON q
slant 1t was a time of horrible sus-
pense, for we didn't know what minute
the craft might strike thin spot in the
storm that the paddle wheels wouldn't
take hold Of But we got safely to the
top and both sank to the deck in utter
exhaustion. When we recovered sufi-
GENTLY, we took survey of our sur
roundings, and I give you my word 1
never experienced anything more dreary
than the impression made by the ire
mendous expanse of vacancy which met
our gaze on all sides. After few hours
of it would have given fortune for
the sight of few telegraph poles or the
sound of train boy peddling oranges"
How did you get DOWN." asked one
OF the group.
"We didn't bother about that. After
playing seven up till we got tired of the
game we turned in, and when we
awakened it was broad daylight. We
found that as the storm subsidized we
had sunk gently until we were drifting
in sunshine and safety on the broad,