Charlevoix county herald., 1909-03-06
ILLUSTRATED
BY IS
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merely Offsets gravitation, and put my
sheet of insular substance between;
and there we have levitation. Those
two plates are working against each
other with nearly equal force, the bal
ance being disturbed only in ratio to
gravitation."
1.-The solution OF the flying ma
chine!" jenkins shouted eXcitedly, and
Roberts, appreciating the engineers
quick understanding, smiled and re-
sponded:
Yes. just that"
But what will furnish its propul-
sion?" asked Jenkins. whose mind
was travelling over the possibilities of
rapid fight. The others evinced their
interest by craning forward.
1T will furnish it's own the sci
enlist answered, because by the use
of the apparatus behind it we can
excite its radioactivity to any degree
that might be safe. More plainly, the
moment the current eXcites and there
fore increases the power of the lower
plate, lifting energy could be exerted
which would destroy the equilibrium
of deviation and drive the plates into
the air with force corresponding to
the strength or character of the cur
rent. Or, on the other hand, if the
upper plate was similarly excited, thus
liberating its corpuscles, the plate
would be driven toward the earth
The admiral, who had been slowly
following this dissertation, seemed
suddenly to have grasped its entire
meaning, and thrust himself out from
the group with both hands extended
and gesticulating rapidly. Then all
you have to do" he said, "is to put
on either end Of your airship a free
board made of this metal, capable of
excitation and insulated on its inner
surface, and you would thereby be
able to drive your craft in either direc-
ton at any speed you might wish,'
That's it exactly" answered Rob
erts and Jenkins in unison. The in
ventor continued:
II can beat n freeboard, however,
because | shall apply my electrical cur
rent in such a way as to send all the
corpuscles of radioactive matter in
any direction / may choose ] could
with this alloy even create magnets
Of unknown power. can built a craft
in sections where magnets and radio
active surfaces will alternate"
He was growing excited as the mag
nitude of the scope Of his discovery
dawned upon his imagination. Norma
Gained him down; but the admiral, in
fected with these visions, took up the
strain and enthusiastically expatiated
to his companions. To him the skies
were already filed with flying ships
that were to swoop down over an enc.
my, drop terrific bombs Of high ex-
plosives, and thus sweep the seas.
But future events, he was to learn.
cannot be predicted with certainty.
We'll, WE'LL" he said. briskly.
What next?"
Your engineers must assist me in
drawing plans. We shall want great
quantities of new material and cleo
trical equipment. and must have them
soon; because when we get we'll I'M
der way we should be able to create
two or three of these radioplanes each
day"
The great plates were locked i'm.
aud the group repaired to one of the
offices, where for hours the inventor
elaborated his scheme of control. the
mechanical means of which were to lie
worked out and drawings made by the
engineers. And as they toiled over
their plans, there spread from mouth
to mouth throughout the strange col
ony the story of the marvellous con-
ception. until even the most prosaic
workman found himself dreaming and
specializing over his task. Before dusk
had crowded the light from the skies
the Columbia, under a full head of
steam, picked her way out to meet the
ocean swells, and headed for Miami
where she was to send q message to
Washington, calling for strangely as.
sorted supplies and notifying the anx-
ious naval men that the dry dock
would not be needed
(TO BE CONTINUED