The Washington times., 1912-04-15
Darkness andDawn
By George Allan England
Copyright. 1911
(The Frank A. Munsey Co


| his, copper-wire antennae from the tiled
the wireless station. Rough work this
was. but answering the purpose as well
as though Of the utmost finish.
He connected up with the repaired ap-
sure all was well. Then he dropped
wires over the side of the building TO
subbasement. =
severe labor, in intervals of food-get-
ting. cooking, and household tasks At
last. when 1t was done
Now for some power!" exclaimed the
engineer. And with his lamp he went
down to inspect the dynamos again end
to assure himself that his belief was
correct, his faith that one or two of
them could be put into running order.
promise. for water had dripped in on
them and they were rusted beyond any
apparent rehabilitation. The fourth,
standing nearest Twenty-third street
tected by aNcanvas cover.
This cover was now only q mass OF
rotten rags, but II had at least safe
guarded the machine for so long that
Stern worked the better part of a
week, with such tools as he could find
or make-he had to forge a wrench for
the largest nuts-'taking down" the dy-
UlHB, anu re-
pairing 1t, part by part.
The commutator was in bad shape and
the brushes terribly corroded. But he
tinkered and patched, hammered and
| ting the machine together again with
terrible exertion, decided that 1t would
run. a's. g.8 ...
steam nowr' was his next watch
word. when he had wired the dynamo to
connect with the station on the roof.
Ana this was on the eighth day since
he had begun his labor. =
An examination Of the boiler room;
which he reached by moving a ton OF
fallen stone work from the doorway
into the dynamo room, encouraged him
still further AS he penetrated into
this place, feeble-shining lamp held on
high, eyes eager to behold the prospect
he knew that success was not far
away.
Down in these depths, almost as in
the interior Of the great Pyramid of
Gizeh-though the place smelled dank
and close and stiffiing-time seemed to
have lost much of it's destructive power.
He chose one boiler that looked sound,
and began looking for coal.
well preserved In the bunkers. All one
afternoon he labored, wheeling It in a
steel barrow and dumping 1t in front Of
the furnace.
Where the smokestack led to and
what condition 1t was in he knew not.
He could not tell where the gases of
combustion would escape to, but this
he decided to leave to chance. :.
fiues and the steam pipes connecting
with the dynamo room-pipes now de-
nuded of their asbestos packing and
leaky at several joints. ...
sented as he poked and pried in those
dim regions. by the dim rays of the
lamp, Spiders. roaches.. and great
gray rat or two were his only COM
m q MI nj hon
II lon't know but I'm a fool to try
and carry this thing out" said he,
duhiously surveying the pipe. "I'm IL
ab1G to tn start ,t something ss here that
its i"sss sea1-fhe fhs devilS SsfHS VSuVe foS'eo '"'0
But still he kept on. Something drove
him insxorably forward. For he was
>. His next task was to, fill the boiler.
This he, had to do by bringing water,
two nails at time, from the spring. 1t
linus, after eleven days OF heart
breaking lonely toll in the grimy dun
geon' hSmpered for lack OF tools. work;
and sweaty. srimed, spent, profane,
exhausted. everything wes ready for
the eSperiment-ths strangest, surely,
in the. annals of the human race.
wood. then stocked il full of coal. After
an hour and q half his heart thrilled
with mingled fear and exultation at
sight OF the steam. first white, tkori
blue ard thin. that began to hiss from
the leaks in the long pipe.
mo way to estimate pressure. or
anything.' remarked he. Its bull
luck whether ] 20 to h or not
And he stood back from the binding
glare of the furnace. With his naked
arm he wiped the sweat from his
streaming forehead.
"Bnii luck" repeated he. Put by
the Almighty. I'll send that Morse. or
bust!" -.
Continuation of This Story VIII
Be Found In Tomorrow
Issue of The Times.