Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-11-06


around emf Let's sail circles around the
snobsy
Craishead, scanning the southeast with his
field glasses had discovered at a distance
of six or seven miles, a huge silver aeronat
steering northward and to its passengers
he referred with many gestures. Carson
trained his binoculars on her and grew
tense as a greyhound at sight OF a distant
wolf, The aeronat was Of the Condor type
and of the largest size, with bow rudders
and along her side ran the line of a vesti-
gial Reroplane. Stin at the same unheard-
Of speed, Theodore threw over the tilltr
and made for the airship Craighead looked
at him in wonder
why so obedient, o knight of the Con-
gealed Countenanee-all 30 suddenly"
That ship looks" said Carson, advRnc-
ing the ispark and crowding the engines
until the wind of flight swept the aeronef
like a gale, like the Roc"
After a few minutes on a straight course
to intersect that Of the aeronat, Carson
threw the Virginia up into the cloud. AS
the earth was blotted from sight he COM
pared the direction Of the aeronat with
the points OF the compass making a men
tai calculation as to distance and the speed
Of the two ships, and in another moment
they emerged on the shining upper levels
OF the cloud. which. like q shlmmering
screen between the Virginia and the other
craft. hid their approach to each other.
One below the curtain and one above Il,
the airahip OF the future and the airship
Of the past flew on converging courses
Carson held his watch as It licked off the
time for the five or six miles OF distance,
set the rudders for a downward dip
plunged through the cloud for the third
time, and darted downward out Of the
vapor like & swift into a chimney
They looked aboub-and saw nothing. The
aeronat was invisible. And yet, above the
purring OF the machinery, came TO their
ears the tremor from powerful engines the
whirrinE Of screws close at hand. Could
the Condor have assembled into the cloud
as they descended from IT. Il was possl-
bic, but the sounds were approaching, not
Fsosding; and voices now mingled with the
sounds Of msohinery-voioeS coming closer
and closer
Ny God, Carson" shouted CraiRhaad.
You're going foul Of her. Look down.
Just in time Carson looked. From the
clear depths Of air below, the great bubble
Of silver arose, swelling In her swift APP
preach. A collision meant ruin for the
a0ronAt and probably destruction 20 the
Virginia. The propslling blades Of the
heronsf would cut the enveiop of the gas
holder like paper; and the two ships, in
a huge mass OF tangled wreckags, would
fan TO the earth In death and ruin; or the
escaping gss from the aeronat, ignited from
the exhaust OF the Virginia. engines,
might explode, hurting the fragments Of
both vessels far and wide-and Carson saw
In the ruin the fair form Of Virginia
suares hurled 20 earth and crushed to
formlsssnsss below.
There had been no time to check their
downward career; salvation lay solely in
a swift dart TO evade the rising peril
Quick as lightning Carson threw on fun
speed forward The Virginia oheyed her
mschinery-and as she swooped 10 the
seronats starboard the latter arose
swiftly; the Virginia's stern rudder RrRzed
the gas bag and was All but carried away
a cord Of the suspension system OF the air
ship snapped with a detonauon that sci
the huge fabric in a tremble. there rose
a cry from the deck Of the hitherto un-
conscious monster, as her people realized
the fearful fact that here in these dizzy
heights they were IN collision with some
thing; and as the Virginia came in sigh
past the immense bilge. they saw white
visages turned upward TO them, as might
appear the doomed travellers face when
assa,led by the roc OF Arab fable and
as they sheered Off, a man came running
out 81 the cabin with a gun IN tiH hand
as II with some Wild notion Of swing battl,
to the invisible destroyer which had swep
down upon them from The fleecy heights
OF the cloud.
This Virginia was half mile from m,
sirship before thu crew Of the latter had