The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-02-28
A Genius Spoiled


hAg Alienu NnArue curtis is genlu!
compared with whom the wizard O
Menlo Park rs mere travelling um
brella member. Charlie took all thu
honcrs In the scientific courses at col
lege, then put in year at electrical
engineering. The reason why he stud
led 1t OILY a. year was because before
ne had completed that brief period he
knew more than all the professors com
bined. They admitted he was genius
but feared II would prove to be uncon.
trolled genius.
Charlie had said to me that making
electricity or storing it, which is the
same thing, was good deal like com
bining hydrogen and oxygen to pro
duce water. why, there's more cleo.
triclty than there is ocean," he said
I'm going to devote myself to invent
ing a method of gathering it as one
would I'LL reservoir with water" So
was not surprised when he came to
me one day and said he'd done the
trick.
~A0At4G vas EfiQCuCt tHut ulOutN
doesn't always interfere with the scin-
citations of genius. He was the son Of
q multImillionalre. Why he considered
a ship the best place in which to dem
onstrate his invention didn't then
know, but one day he wrote me that
he had altered his yacht for the pur-
pose and wished me to sail with him
on cruise, during which | would see
some wonderful sights.
! boarded the Electra on the Cd Of
July. There was only small portion
of the yacht that could be utilized by
the owner, guests and crew, the rest
being taken up by huge receptacles for
electricity. Charlie and were the
only two persons aboard except the
crew, for Charlie said he didn't propose
that his secret should get out We had
been classmates at college, so he knew
me we'll and had no fear that would
rise to an understanding of his process.
| knew enough, however, to find out
that it was by decomposition OF both
air and water.
Charlie had girl. who was at her
fathers country seat on Narragansett
bay. She was a beautiful creature ana
adored Charlie. She was very timid
about bis experiments. constantly III
dread, after he had been blown up sew.
eral times, that be would fall victim
to the cause of science. He proposed
to sail from New York, make trip out
on the ocean and when his reservoirs
were filed enter the bay and anchor be-
fore his fiancee's home. we would then
60 ashore and be entertained there.
The weather was fine and we had d
pleasant and successful trip. though it
was bit lonely for me, since Charlie
was constantly watching and tinkering
with bis machinery. He told me TINT
everything was working well. He filed
his tanks, emptied them and repeated
the process a dozen times. asked him
il they would surely hold the electricity
for a sufficient time, and he said that
he had coated them with a nonconduct-
or that would render il impossible for
any Of the subtle fluid to escape. He
was wrong about this, as You will see. I
one morning we entered Narragan- I
sett bay and proceeded up to where
Charles girl lived. The tanks had
been filed the night before, and there
was no evidence that any electricity
was escaping. They espied US from the
house. and as we dropped the anchor
we saw a boat putting out for rs. It
contained a party, among whom was
Charles girl | was standing near
Charlie when 1t pulled up TO the gang
way Charlie took of his hat and lift
ed 1t high above his head ! noticed
look Of surprise on the faces OF those
tn the boat. and one little miss Of tif-
teen glggled. CHANGING at Charlie. |
saw every hair on bis head standing
straight upward
It occurred to me right OF that the
was escaping / didn't dare
raise my hat for fear of presenting the
same ridiculous appearance. 50 ! smiled
and threw kisses from the tips Of my
angers. also threw sparks. Just
then the yachts mascot. a cat. vent
nv every ld4E ntuAulhs eoeibN~ ~
and emitting particles Of flame. Some
81 the party had come aboard: but. see
ing the cat and fearing that the yacht
would take IRE. they tunbled back
again into the boat.
charlie looked puzzled. l asked him
what he was going to do. and he said
ned ike TO be out At sea. where our
condition wouldn't be likely to attract
sttenfion. Then he ordered the anchor
-s,sad. As soon as this was done ne
nnllea q bell, and the yacht began to
move. a.,
~ this time It was evident that
something was radically wrong. Char
ii ran below and. coming back very
'~reh excited. said that the coating to
81 fhe tanks was being eaten away
Ia rcaliae OF. HIS hair and beard
l,sesa bis nose. his eyes bis finger
were streaming with electricity.
~ only this. but electric fame vas
Z, ,.ss-v ant Of the masts. the smoke :
..-..s.s-inaeed everything on the yacht =
1870 was no BARN in i. but it vas
.,.,sst that the people IN the boat ana
- On shore thought the yacht gas
~. ssars fire bell ashore