The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-12-05

could not withdraw our fascinated eyes
from tive could clearly behold the
fearful things that went On in its nu-
cleus
This consisted of an immense number
Of separate meteors Of no very great size
individually, but which were in CON-
slant motion among one another, dart
ing to and fro, clashing and smashing
together, while fountains Of blazing me-
tallic particles and hot mineral vapors
poured out in every direction.
AS | watched it, unable to withdraw
my eyes, saw imaginary forms reveal
ing themselves amid the flaming me-
teors. They seemed like creatures in
agony, tossing their arms, bewailing in
their attitudes the awful fate that had
overtaken them and fairly chilling my
blood with the pantomime of torture
which they exhibited. l thought of an
old superstition which l had often
heard about the earth and exclaimed,
Yes, surely, this is flying hell"
AS the electric activity of the comet
increased its continued changes of po-
tential and polarity became more fire.
quent, and the electrical ships darted
about with even greater confusion than
before Occasionally one of them, seized
with sudden impulse, would spring
forward toward the nucleus of the comet
with sudden access of velocity that
would fling every one of its crew from
his feet, and all would lie sprawling on
the floor of the car while it rushed, as it
seemed, to inevitable and instant de-
struction.
Then, either through the frantic
efforts of the electrician struggling with
the controller or through another change
in the polarity of the comet, the ship
would be saved on the very brink of
ruin and stagger away out of immediate
danger.
Thus the captured squadron was
swept, swaying and darting hither and
thither, but never able to get sufficient
ly far from the comet to break the bond
of its fatal attraction
So great was our excitement and so
complete our absorption in the fearful
peril that we had np< noticed the pre-
else direction ip<which the comet was
carrying US. 1t was enough to know
THAT the goal of the journey was the
furnace of the sun. But presently some
one in the flagship recalled us to a more
accurate sense of our situation in space
by exclaiming
"Why, there is the earth"
And there, indeed, it was, its great
globe rolling under our eyes, with the
contrasted colors of the continents and
clouds and the watery CLEAN of the
ocean spread beneath u.s.
1--WE are going to strike it" exclaim-
ed somebody 1.-The comet is going to
dash into the EARTH
Such collision at first seemed inevi-
table, but presently it was noticed that
the direction Of the comets motion was
such that while it might Craze the earth
1t would not actually strike it.
And SO, like swarm of giant insects
circling about an electric light from
whose magic influence they cannot es-
cape, our ships went on, to be whipped
against the earth in passing and then
to continue their swift journey to de-
struction.
THANK God, this saves U.s., sudden
ly cried Mr.. Edison.
"What-what?'
why, the earth, Of course Do you
not see that as the comet sweeps close
to the great planet the superior attrac-
tion of the latter will snatch us from
its grasp, and that thus we shall be
able to escape?"
And 1t was indeed as Mr.. Edison had
predicted. In blaze Of falling meteors
the comet swept the outer limits of the
earth s atmosphere and passed on, while
the swaying ships, having been instruct
ed by signals what to do, desperately
applied their electrical machinery to re-
verse the attraction and threw them
selves into the arms of their mother
earth.
In another instant we were all free,
settling down through the quiet atmos-
phere with the Atlantic ocean sparkling
In the morning sun far below.
We looked at one another in amaze
ment. So this was the end of our voy-
agel This was the completion of our
warlike enterprise We had started out
to conquer a world and we had come
back ignominiously dragged in the train
of comet.
The earth which we were going to
defend and protect had herself turned
protector and reaching out her strong
arm had snatched her foolish children
from the destruction which they had
invited.
1t would be impossible to describe the
chagrin of every member of the expedi-
ton.
The electric ships rapidly assembled
and lowered high in the air, while their
commanders consulted about what
should be done. A universal feeling of
shame almost drove them to decision
not to land upon the surface Of the
planet, and if posi- BILE not to let its in
habitants know what had occurred.
But it was too late for that. Looking
carefully beneath us, we saw that fate
had brought us back to our very start
ing point, and signals displayed in the
neighborhood Of New York indicated
that we had already been recognized.
There was nothing for us then but to
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