Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-05-19

4
succession OF rheumatic attacks ana
an improved electric interrupter, since
adopted by one Of the great telegraph
companies The former obliged him
to stop these experiments, and the In
vention he considered trivial. Proba-
bly, the great problem of getting at the
secret of energy led him into his at
tempts to study the mysterious cleo
trical waves radiated by lightning
flashes. At any rate, he was soon as
deep into the subject of electrical sci
ence MS his countryman, Hertz, had
ever been. He used to tell me that he
often wondered why he hadn't taken
up this line before-the world of ener-
gy he now set out to explore, waves in
that tremendous range between those
we hear and those we see. 1t was nat
ural that he should then come to the
most prominent radioactive elements,
uranium, thorium and radium. But,
though his knowledge surpassed that
of the much exploited authorities, he
was never satisfied with any of his re-
suits.
'Pitchblende, MOI he would ex-
claim. 1T mas not the great power.
The mines are not deep enough YETI
"Then suddenly the great idea that
was to bring him success and cost him
his life came to him. The bowels Of
the earth must hold the secret. He
took up volcanoes. Does oil this sound
foolish9 1t was not If you knew the
man. He was mighty enthusiast, a
born martyr. Not cold blooded, like the
rest Of us. The fire was in his veins.
A light, please. Thank you.
Eve chased volcanoes. There was
q theory under 1t all. He believed
that volcanic emanations are caused
by mighty and uncomprehended ener-
gy, something that achieves results
ascribabie neither to explosions nor
heat, some eternal, inner source. Ra-
dunn, If you choose, only he didn't call
1t that. Radium, as known to our
modern scientists, he regarded as the
harmless plaything of people with time
hanging heavy ON their hands. He
wasn't after force in pin point quanti-
ties-he wanted results. Yet believe
that, after all, what he sought was a
sort of higher power Of radium. The
phenomena were related And he had
some Of that concentrated essence Of
pitchblende in the chest when we start
ed. oh, not much, say about $4,000
worth. Maybe thirty. For use7 No.
Rather for comparison, judge.
"fes, we chased volcanoes. be-
came used to camping between sam
pie hells of all known varieties. got
SO that the fumes of sulphur match
seemed like draft of pure, fresh
air. Wherever any Of the earth's PIN
pies showed signs Of coming to head
there We're we, taking part in the
trouble. BY and by the doctor got SO
thoroughly poisoned that he had to
lay off. Back to Philadelphia we came.
There IN aged seafaring person, tenn
porariiy stranded, mulcted the profess
or Of dollar-an undertaking that re-
quired no art-and in the course of his
recital touched upon yonder little cess
pool Of internal iniquitles. An I'M
charted volcanic island-one that he
could have all for his own. You may
guess whether DIR. Schermerhorn was
interested.
"That ISIS for which we hat so long
in vain sought, Percy he said to me
In his quaint, link chain style of
speech. "A leedle prifate volcano labo.
ratory to ourselves to have. Totally
unknown, undescribed, not on the
chart to be found. Tomorrow we start.
l make list Of the things to get
"He began his list, as l remember,
with three dozen undershirts, gallon
of pennyroyal for insect bites, box of
assorted fishhooks, thirty pounds of
tea and case of carpet tacks. When
hadn't anything else to worry over, 1
used to lie awake at night and specu-
late on the purpose of those carpet
tacks. He had something in mind. If
there was anything on which he prld-
ed himself, it was his practical bent.
But the list never got any further. 1t
ceased short of one page in the ledger,
a. you may have noticed. l QUILTED
by telegraph on the way across the
| continent.
1.-The doctor didn't ask me whether
I'd go. He took 1t for granted. That's
probably why didn't back out. Nor
did tell him that the three life insur-
ance companies which had foolishly
and trustingly accepted me as q risk
merely 9n the strength of a good con
stitution We're making frantic efforts
| to compromise on the policies. They
felt hurt, those companies. My
healthy condition had ceased to ap-
peal to them. What's a good constitu.
ton between earthquakes? No, there
was no use telling the doctor. 1t
would only have worried him. Be.
sides. I didn't believe that the island
! was there. thought 1t was a myth of
that stranded ancient mariners imag-
ination. When it rose to sight at the
proper spot, none were more astound-
ed than the bad risk who now address.
esyou.
Wet I must say for the island that
IT game handsomely up to specifica-
lions. Down where you were, Slade,
! you didn't get a real insight into Its
disposition. But In back Of us there
was any kind of action for your mon
ey-geysers. hell spouts. Tuning u.s.
sures, cunning little craterlets with
half portions of molten lava ready to
serve hot, more. gases than you could
create in all the worlds chemical labo-
ratories-in fact, everything to make
the place a paradise for Old Nick and
Dr. Schermerhorn. He brought along