The Washington herald., 1909-01-24

but despite his bantering irony Violet kissed him
gleefuly.
So Dpuv Hamilton went up to the Bali Bridge tank.
and became solitary" He was not wholly unhappy.
for he took with him his tools unccmpleted inven-
tons and electrical apparatus He found it strange.
lonely place: but several things there were exactly
as he might have wished. Ball Bridge long iron
structure spanning the Big Bear Paw in the outlying
spurs Saddle Bow Range forty miles northeast
Of Manzano. The bridge took its name from Bal
Mountain round topped height around the base Of
which wound the Big Bear Paw The water tank and
pump house stood by track half mile eastward
the bridge, where creek empted into the river;
back OF house which coptained the pump and the
engine stood small building, in which Dippy ate and
slept This was Of a plan adequate for the housing OF
a small family main room, two bedrooms and
kitchen.
Within week Dlppy had improvised work bench
in the main and ere long the place was euttered
with batteries electric coils, magnets and wheeled
things Of divers sorts casting out green sparks or
silently sezing and holding fast 10 other things with
invisible potency Dippy was working on his great
idea Of traction magnetism
Before leaving NIanzano. at Jack Mortons request,
be had opened his mind Doctor Brandette The doc
approved and proof Of his interest sent small
dynamo up TO the Bail Bridge tank for Dippys use.
This the youth attached 20 the pump engine finding
the dynamo invaluable in the creation Of electric cur
rents for the working Of his apparatus
His salary as tank attendant was not large; but.
az the end Of the first month, he sent half OF his
down Jack Morton. Violet returned the money
him. with expressions OF gratitude from herself and
father adding that her father recovering that
their immediate needs being met by weekly pay
mcnts received from workman's order 10 which he
belonged Jack Morton inclosed scrawled line in the
letter. which read Don't fret kid, but keep aworn'
on the idee" This line music 10 Dippy-
Through two months the young solitary worked
in the mountain silence The Big Bear Paw unfinished
by the Saddle Bow peaks and depleted by the
heat dwinded 10 the dimensions Of hating creek. the
the mouth OF which the tank stood became
tiny thread but the big well q its marge remained
faithful Dippy kept the tank brimming. Occasion
ally David Prang dropped OF al The tank from pass
ing train and looked things over smiling forbearingly
Dippys contrivances; and again. section fore
and his crew went By or worked for q time
az hand: but In the main. Dippy had only the brown
silence and pair Of eagles that nested Ball Noun
tain for company There was one thing that would
have furnished him deal OF cOmpanionshp. had he
been Morse expert That was rusty telegraph in
strument resting upon a shelf IN one corner Of his
little house He knew the Morse alphabet indinerently
he had learned il back when he younger: but
in order that he might read message. necessarily
had 10 be sent 70 him slowly indeSd- The tipping
dashes and dots that ordinarily animated the wire were
totally Unintelligible 10 him
He often listened 10 messages straining TO COM
prehend the whizzing pulsatjsns, but for the most
part, in vain Sometimes. night when the line was
unoccu2ed. some lonely operator, almost unIearned
in Morse himself, would practice with him. and
so he gained slight knowledge Of the art.
At the Ball Bridge tank there was an ancient hand
car left at the place for the attendants IN the
event Of an emergency To Dppy's mind this
happy providence, the truck OF this handcar he
made mis- first experiment in wheel adhesion. Bend
Ing bar Of soft iron into modified horseshoe FORM
winding it heavily with insulated wire and fitting the
ends Of the curved bar with copper brushes he rgged
the affair between two OF the wheels OF the haudcaT
with the brushes resting against wheels close
the point OF their contact with the rails Throwing
a current from the dynamo into the coil he found
that the bar and the periphery OF the wheels be-
came highly magnetiZed, the wheels Clinging 10 the
rails with such power that he could scarcely lift
them away. Pushing the along the rails, he
found that the resistance. by reason OF the wheels
being magnetizej but slightly Increased. while
the power OF adhesion in the wheels greatly
au ugmented- Surely. thought. II "a locomotives
drivers treated thus the engine would need no
sand and would be able 10 haul twice many
Having no dynamometer. he could not calculate the
increase Of power. but IT seemed exceedingly great
The youth began 20 dream Of many things Why
not magnets for brakes on the wheels Of trains
throwing a current into the brake shoes from
dynamo the engine. and releasing the magnetic
clutch the wheels by the engineers merely NOV
ing switch? Clearly. he thought. engine would
pull with its drivers magnetized; but mag
netie brakes-how would ne get at them? He would
energize couple OF rails Of the track the tank
and watch the effect upon passing trains Curiously
that thought was the salvation Of Ball Bridge.
1t was late in September when Dippy reached
this point in his experiments; ten days later he had
completed his arrangement TO magnetic the rails.
wishing that the matter might remain a secret. he
did most OF the work al night Selecting a right
and left rail in the track. ne loosened the fish
plates. slipped sheets Of hard rubber beneath them
and screwed them down again He then tampej
rubber into the joints between the rails. thus sepa-
rating and insulating a rail from its fellows
side Of the track He then prepared q bar OF soft
iron, in the experiment with the handcar except
that the curved bar larger and heavily
wound with insulated wire Digging a hole some
two deep the ties. he placed the curved
bar beneath the track and soldered end of the
bar sody 70 the under side OF each Of the insulated
rails. carrying connecting wires from the bar coil to
the dynamo. part Of the beneath the rocks and
soil. When all nicely tamped down and smoothed
over only minute inspection would have disclosed
the extraordinary conditions.
Dppy hesitated through two days before he could
bring himself 20 test the cOntrivance; but on the
third morning, hearing the section foreman and his
crew pumping their along the track. he threw
the current from the dynamo into the coil and rails
Covertly watching for results, he saw the handcar
strike the magnetized rails and stop so suddenly
that the men were pitched from the car
Instantly he touched a lever, throwing the track
magnet out Of the dynamo circuit. The section men
looked about for the obstruction. and seeing alb
solutely nothing. sazed at each other in amazemeat
Finally they mounted the and pumped ahead