The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-04-03

| MdhiuS dS ilttle tlOlot pCSSlDlc, WI
pushed ahead along the passage, but
when we had arrived within a distance
of dozen PAGES from the inner end,
we stopped, and Colonel Smith, getting
down upon his knees, crept forward
until he had reached the inner end of
the passage. There he peered cautious
ly around the edge into the chamber,
and. turning his head a moment later,
beckoned US to come forward We
crept to his side, and, looking out into
the vast apartment, could perceive no
| enemies.
| What had become of the sentnels
supposed to stand at the inner end of
the passage, we could not imagine. AT
any rate, they were not at their
posts.
The chamber was an immense square
room at least hundred feet in height
and 400 feet on side, and almost fill
ing the wall opposite t. us was an in
tricate display of wheels, levers, rods
and polished plates. This we had no
doubt was one end of the great engine
which opened and shut the great gates
that could dam an ocean.
There Is no one in sight," said Col
onel Smith.
| 1ntl we IluSI ACT QulCkIy, Sdlu
Mr.. Edison.
Where" he said, turning to Alma,
sis the handle by turning which you
saw the Marian close the gates?'
Alma looked about in bewilderment.
The mechanism before us was so COM
plicated that even an expert mechani-
clan would have been excusable for
finding himself unable to understand
| n Of vi
handles. all glstening in the electric
unnstructed could tell, might have
been the master key that controlled
the whole complex apparatus.
Quick" said Mr.. Edison where is
| it?"
The girl in her confusion ran this
way and that, gazing hopelessly upon
the machinery, but evidently utterly
unable to help us.
To remain here inactive was not
merely to invite destruction for our
selves, but was sure to bring certain
failure upon the purpose of the expe-
dition. All of us began instantly to
look about in search of the proper han
die, Selling every crank and wheel in
sight and striving to turn it.
| Stop that" shouted Mr.. Edison,
''you may set the whole thing wrong.
Don't touch anything until we have
found the right lever"
| But to find that seemed to most of
us now utterly beyond the power of
man.
/ 1t was at this critical moment that
the wonderful depth and reach of Mr.
! Edison's mechanical genius displayed
| itself. He stepped back, ran his eye
quickly over the whole immense mass
of wheels, handles, bolts, bars and lev
ers, paused for an instant, as if making
| UP his mind, then said decidedly,
| There it is and stepping quickly
forward, selected a small wheel amid a
dozen others, all furnished at the cir
conference with handles like those of
a pilots wheel, and, giving it a quick
wrench, turned it half way around.
At that instant a startling shout fell
upon our ears. There was a thunder
Gus clatter behind us, and, turning, we
saw three gigantic Martians rushing
forward.
Sweep them! Sweep them!" cried
Colonel Smith. as he brought his dis
integrator to bear. Mr.. Phillips and I
| instantly followed his example, and
thus we swept the Martians into eter-
nifty, while Mr.. Edison coolly continued
his manipulations of the wheel.
| The effect of what he was doing be-
came apparent in less than half a min
ute. A SILVER ran through the mass of
machinery and shook the entire build
| ing.
| Look! look" cried Sidney Phillips,
who had stepped a little apart from the
others.
| We all ran to this side, and found
ourselves in front of a great window
which opened through the side of the
house, giving a view of what lay in
front of it. There, cleaning in the
electric lights. we saw the Syrtis Ma
| jor, it's waters washing high against
the walls of the vast power house. Run
ming directly out from the shore, there
was an immense metallic gate at least
400 yards in length and rising 300 feet
above the present level of the water.
| This great gate was slowly swinging
upon an invisible hinge in such a man.
ner that in few minutes it would evil
IDENTIFY stand across the current of the
| Syrtis Major at right angles.
| Beyond was a second gate, which was
moving in the same manner. Further
on was third gate, and then another,
anu announcer, as Idf DIS Tie eye cOulQ
reach, evidently extending in an I'M
broken series completely across the
great strait.
AS the gates, with accelerated motion
when the current caught them, changed
together, we beheld a spectacle that
almost stopped the beating of our
hearts.
The great Syrtis seemed to gather it.
self for a moment, and then it leaped
upon the obstruction and hurried it's
waters into one vast foaming geyser
that seemed to shoot thousand feet
skyward.
But the metal gates withstood the
shock, though buried from our sight in
the seething white mass, and the baf-
fled waters instantly swirled round in
ten thousand gigantic eddies, rising to
the level of our window and beginning
to inundate the power house before we
fairly comprehended our peril.
1--WE have done the work." said Mr..
Edison, smiling grimly. Now we had
better get out of this before the flood
bursts upon u.s."
The warning came none too soon 1t
was necessary to act upon it at once if
we would have our lives. Even before
we could reach the entrance to the long
| passage through which we had come