The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-06-19
By Capt. III. G. Bishop. u. S. n.

4.
Cured during the next three weeks. Old and mid
eise and that the civilized worlds Of three
planets followed day by day the course of the white
excited women, children and the Esrths unfortun-
ates speeding through the black night of the inn
it necessary to again tell how sweating heat-blis-
tered engineers at every interpanetary photograph
station on three planets stood oy .nsir
up their machines, to the calls of set-faced opera
after radiogram out into space under a pressure
that damaged receivers on boats as far away as
Jupiter but which failed to excite the WORKOUT and
Day after day, regularly at the twelfth hour came
csnain Conc for hs sendinp apparatus was WORK.
ing beautifully. and day after day as he reported
another six million miles put astern OF the Colum-
bias flaming tail lights the worlds shuddered with
renewed horror.
winston had been found early on the morning
and unknowing. and had been taken to the Tombs.
where two companies of Federal troops were guard
ing him from East Side mob. Here ALSO soon
came oldstein. for with the Eagle in the lead. the
press and populace were frantic for the blood OF
On the 4th of November Captain Cor reported
successfully that he had turned the ANGLES
ates the appearance of strange, luminous mass.
which, SO he had calculated. was moving in path
likely to carry it across his own. On the sth he
evidently i'll at ease for he apologetically re-
ferred to the inability of his subordinates to get
ferred to the unknown mass coming up on him.
His progress report showed that he had dimin-
On the 9Th he reported that the Columbia was
"wobbling." apparently under the influence of the
that he had reversed and rugged screens to hold
her steady. Two hours later he sent another mes
course Another hour and he regretted to report
that he could no longer keep her head up" Short.
man was using every resource to avoid the danger
and wasting little time over the Photograph.
the 10th Of November D Captain Robert Cons last
message began to spark from the induction coils at
the Westchester station:
night lost control Of the Columbia. notwithstand-
ing gallant efforts on part Of the and that she
The celestial sphere ahead of us il mass of flame.
Temperature in pilot bridge compartment 1917 F.
ing. Crew standing by their posts nobly though all
realize case is hopeless. Passengers informed Of
danger. Doctors and nurses doing nobly allaying
panic. Regret report many weaker adults
and children sutfocating: Gregg taking oh,
magnesium markings. = Potassium visible. . -
Temperature 125 DID,. May God have mercy on
Here the receiver gave final gasp and the spark
The trial came soon and was pushed to a speedy
finish. but all too slow for an insistent press and
seats. the jury found Winston guilty of criminal
carelessness. and the Judge said: Fifteen years."
Every night when the turnkey closed his cell
door Winstons spirit went out and rode hour after
hour along the Milky Way in the blistered. heat
warped hull Of the Columbia. Sometimes he rode
in the pilot bridge compartment with gentle.
silent old man, who was forever straining ahead
with sextant to his eyes: sometimes below. where
a phantom crew was eternally struggling with
sravitation dcreens
Winston shook hands silently with the warden
had two years yet to serve and the pardon was
total surprise to him. They had not taken him
diately given him a suit OF civilians clothes. told
him to dress. and opened the gates to him. He
come and 60 at his will; to eat and drink the
things he liked. How often in the long thirteen
years Of his confinement he had pictured this
But now that the time had actually come he felt
old and oppressed. Infinitely old; his steps were
neigh and SLOW like those Of man carrying
York. Cutting himself with all manner Of excuses
and wonderingy surveying the changes that had
occurred during his thirteen years absence; but
his money was running low, and clearly he must
go to work. But where? There was only one busi-
ness Of which he knew anything and his soul re-
VOTED At the thought Of ever again seeing an in
terplanetary vessel. Yet in the end he found him
self up at the Three Hundred and Fortieth Street
yards of the Mercantile Company sharing the sub
dued excitement that always existed about such
places
The vast concourse sheltered busy crowd. for
not only the Trenton sailing for Mars that
forenoon. but q Jupiter liner was due at any mo-
ment. Winston worked his way through the throng
to the dispatchers office and gazed longingy in at
the scene Of activity. From the flashes of the
radiograph receiver he made out that q Hamburg
firm was asking permission for one OF their liners.
which had met with some naishap, to drop back
into the Mercantile Company's cradles for repairs.
He saw her in q few minutes. q gradually growing
blur in the heavens, that soon resolved itself into
one of the big fat, snub-nosed boats indicative
Of German construction, her cautious Teutonic
skipper dropping her gently, hundred feet at .
time, between pauses. -
Winston saw two persons within the dispatcher
ONCE whom he took to be the chief dispatcher and
the trafic manager in serious conversation.
"And you've got only two Photograph operators
aboard the Trenton?" the trafic manager was ask
Ing
..Yes" answered the chief dispatcher, mot an
other operator In New York to be had for love or
money"
1T won't do. it wont do" snarled the manager.
.'The Trenton must sail at noon and you've got to
get another man. You know the law requires
three" And he stalked out of the office.
Winston waited for no more. but bolted inside
and to the dispatcher's desk
81 can operate . radiograph. and want . job. -