Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-25

soDJSStSu 70 iAiucn strain, on account
of being SO much longer than any
wave and every square yard of it
being upheld by the. water, just the
same as every other square yard. The
strain was no greater than that upon
an island. A rim was made about the
edge, and the decks filed in with
good rich earth to the depth of sew
eral feet. Great caves were made run
ming through the cement island,
which were at the same time alright
compartments, and roomy cabins for
all sorts of purposes-mostly living
rooms. The earth was planted to va
rious trees and crops, and in a warm
Iclimate-which was the sort for whic
it was intended-the artificial island
could produce all the food the thou
sand men and women on board
needed. The raft was made with a
lagoon in the centre, like a coral
atoll, and there was a braced passage
for the entrance of ships.
1t was built for floating break
water and drydock for a Pacific loca-
ton. where the nation building it
had no harbor and no right to an
Choir permanently inside the three
mile limit. 1t was really floating
harbor and colony.
Running through the cement struc-
ture were certain great chambers,
which were filled, some with coal and
some with oil and some with com
pressed gas, for fuel. light and power
purposes. The coal was dumped into
these cavities, covered with gunny
sacks, and the cement poured over
the top to harden, SO there was no
waste room-the cavities were filled
chock-full.
This great artificial floating island
was lost on it's way around Cape
Horn, by storm which wrecked
most of the steamers which were
towing it, and blew the rest away.
With all its people-a thousand men
and women-it drifted into the Sar-
gasso sea, where the currents run
about the Atlantic in an immense
circle, making great, slow whirl-
pool, out Of which nothing ever drifts.
1t is full Of seaweed and wrecSase--
all slowly drifting round and round
and inward toward the centre-and
strange fishes and birds all Of its
own. The thousand people were lost
for the Sargasso sea is out of the
track of the ships that cross the At
lantic
There was artificial land sufficient
to make subsistence easy enough by
resort to intensive gardening. The
trees soon grew so as to make the
Mace beautiful. In fine weather
everybody slept in the gardens on
deck. The living rooms below were
we'll lighted with gas and were really
pleasant when the weather was rough
outside. 1t was not so bad a place,
after ALL Here the people lived and
married and had children and died
and were buried in the green depths
of the sea.
One day it was discovered that the
coal in the bunkers was being wick
eddy wasted Three-fourths Of 1t was
being thrown away--just because it
| was inconvenient to handle. What
was used was burned in such man
ner that not half of it did anybody
any good, the portion wasted in
smoke made life on board disagree
able to all, worse still, the por-
| ton used for making electric light
was more than SO per cent. lost in
converting it's energy into current!
This was one of the first real troubles
| they had, for they did not know what
would become of them when the coal
was gone.
A meeting was called. The people
on board asserted that they were all
equally interested in those supplies
on which the well-being of all de-
pended. But those who were han