The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-10-13

ousinesS section into the Hud-
son-"the American venice'-was
about to be launched
Such were the rumors that darted
out across the face of the land from
the Hotel Atlantic. They famed
pubic curiosity to a fever heat The
men about the table were equally
curious but with them repression was
habit. Gray haired-in most in
stances prematurely--smoot skinned
imperturabie they sat and looked
at Allan with the hooded eyes
OF eagles-the eyes of men accus-
toned to noting details of the great
visions
Allan glanced swiftly about him.
Out of the glare of the table lights
on to the left he could see Maud and
MISS Lloyd watching him with shin
ing eyes. 1t flashed through his
mind Tor an instant that it was curl
Gus that both should have the same
expression. He felt for a moment or
two that he was showing nervous
ness and wondered If it had been
marked.
But If these men had noted it they
would not have needed They were
used to seeing men a little nervous
before them, and they were not in
terested In how this particular man
felt. but in what manner of man he
was and what his plans might be.
They had all been each others enemy
in times past. A sudden shift of the
game might make any two of them
enemies tomorrow. The respect and
confidence of Lloyd were enough to
indicate that the new man might have
to be reckoned with tomorrow and
they appraised him swiftly.
THE MAN
There was nothing especially un-,
usual about him. He was a trifie
above medium hight, broad and
strongly built with the sort of frame
that looks out of place in evening
clothes His head looked almost
square, his skin dark and weather
tanned and the features strong and
immobile. The frontal bone was I'M
usually heavy. and two wide set blue
gray eyes. looked out from beneath
with steady. level glance. He looked
not unlike an officer OF trans-Atlan-
tic boat. healthy. full blooded and
virile.
His voice, when he threw back his
head and began to speak, was
like himself-quiet and strong, with
out tricks, and he went TO the matter
in hand with a swift distinctness that
was an index of his character.
II am afraid" he said that you
gentlemen are going to be disap-
pointed. I'm afraid Mr.. Lloyd has led
you to expect too much. What I was
about to propose is hardly deserving
of a greater class than the new sea
level canal at Panama or Sir Will
liam Rodgers Park Strait bridge con-
meeting Ceylon and India. 1t is. if
looked at calmly, rather simple.
He paused for moment and
turned to a small blackboard that he
had caused to be placed back OF
Rives' chair at the head of the table
With piece of chalk he drew
rough line down one side of the
board and another down the opposite
side. A little way out from each
line he placed small dot about the
middle of the board. His audience
watched in listless patience.
This" he pointed to one line, is
America and this is Europe With
the proper backing / am ready TO
pledge myself to build within Is
years sumbarine tunnel connecting
the two continents and to run "a
hour trains between London and New
York
That is my project" he added.
quietly.
He stopped an instant and glanced
keenly about to see how his audience
had taken it A less sophisticated
man would have supposed that these
gentlemen heard propositions OF this
sort every morning before break fast.
few hitched their chairs slightly
and leaned forward with a faint
CLEAN of interest in their faces.
Three or four sighed YEARLY and
leaned back. gazing up at the stars
that CLEANED like bits of dull glass
through the heat haze. A hoarse muir
muir came up from the street and
somewhere back of the foliage plants
wireless instrument was splitting
and cracking as 1t flashed out the
first news of the great scheme.
Allan. strung UP to the highest
pitch, sensed that he had gripped his
hearers. Only one or two were slight
Iy disappointed. For the others 1t was
something new. OF course, the plan
had been vaguely talked of from time
to time-like an air line to Mars-but
never before had tt been seriously
presented They had feared that old
Il" had let himself become moved by
some time honored chestnut such as
the irrigation Of Sahara. Allan was
quick to see that so far he had made
a favorable impression and he was as
quick to press his advantage.
HIS PLAN
"As / have planned it," he went on
simply. "the tunnel will start from
point / have carefully selected about
so miles south OF New York on the
New Jersey coast. 1t is to touch at
Bermuda and the Azores and reach
the mainland of Europe on the north
coast of Spain. proceeding into France