Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-02-27
CHAPTER XIV.
The Great Discovery.

From the shore came a dull, moan
ing sound, now rising, now falling, but
incessant, as If some gigantic animal,
stricken and suffering, was shrieking
the anguish of It's death throes to the
solitudes Of the keys and the waste
Of waters round them. The fright
ened birds took fight to the north to
escape the weird monotone, and the
timid animals of tho forest covered
In fear; but the men Of the island
looked at one another eXultantly, with
mutual congratulations on the rapidity
OF their work. The blast furnace
which was to cast the plates was be-
ing blown In.
Days and nights of unremltting toll
had followed that first landing; ma
chine shops had been completely in
stalled. power plants perfected, and
buildings for the men erected; addi-
tional supplies had been received;
and another gunboat. the Columbia,
augmented the patrol which passed
ceaselossly round the keys, guarding
their secret and warning inquisitve
fishermen to avoid the waters: corps
Of expert smelling men from the
mines OF the west had joined the
colony-and all for this, the casting
of the first plate which was to take
place this day.
In the assay rooms there had been
the constant testing of crude metals,
and apportioning them and discarding
those which were inferior. Trained
hands were those that worked over the
Decking boards and manipulated the
delicate scales which would register
the tiniest mark of lead pencil with
as great accuracy as they would a
pound weight. Everywhere about the
plant were men who wrought with pre-
cision and interest, bound together in
the great enterprise until differences
In station were forgotten and all were
as family praying for success.
"Old Bill" Roberts, assisted by his
daughter, had permitted no foot but
theirs to enter the room where his APP
paratus was installed. and no hand
but theirs to touch it's complicated
mechanism. With the love of Gre
ator he had spent the last hours
fondling its cold, unresponsive parts
and adjusting 1t, and then stood and
watched. as mother watches her
firstborn. the initial movements of the
great masterpiece which was a mys-
terry to all the world but him and
Norma.
Engineers and officers from all parts
of the plant, warned that the crucial
test was at hand, gathered round the
door of the innermost room, until in
vited in by the inventor, and then
slowly entered and found standing
places at safe distance from the in
tricate mass, whose polished knobs,
twisted bars and cleaning tubes
seemed to them tangled riddle.
Norma, CARRIED in the stained khaki
wrapper which she wore in the lab
oratory at home, lowered here and
there round the apparatus, lightly try
ing an adjustment or closely inspect
ing a joint her face grave, calm, and
self-possessed. Her father, his thin
old face drawn into a scowl of con-
DuolCu iiNONiSO,
and made the final connections. So
careful was he that he even inspected
the duplicate apparatus which stood
as n reserve at the other end of a
casting mold, but which it was not his
intention to use except in case of
emergency. Satisfied that all was in
readiness, he beckoned to two assis.
SAINTS, who trundled in the first com.
posite plate. and deposited 1t in its
bed. He made the connection with
the electrodes in a few minutes deft
work. and then Strengthened up and
looked about the room. where all was
still and expectant.
The wondering engineers saw him
wave his daughter back a short dis.
lance as though fearing for her safety
watched him take final look over his
appliance, and then throw a switch
Brilliant stresks of purple, of unknown
csds and glazing whites, raced each