Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-05-01

He Knew That He Was Using Up the
Existing Oxygen.
force the oxygen which arose on 10
the drying sulphuric acid, to be then
sent back over the damp motor. Ar
ranging his battery wires In the water,
he turned on all the fans and tested
the result by his sense Of smell.
There was but the slightest bad odor
In the blast from the last fan. Breen
went to sleep happy. When he awak-
ened his fans still buzzed merrily, his
headache was gone and the motor
much dryer. Yet as he felt Of the
damp motor and noticed the hydrogen
bubbles rising and escaping into the
air without going through the drying
process he obeyed strong impulse to
turn them into the pipe that caught
the others.
Cant do any harm to dry the hy-
drogen," he mused, "and 1t would mix
with the oxygen later, in any case
while the water won't absorb 1t, only
the carbon dioxide." A few moments
later he noticed an utter absence OF
the bad odor in the blast from the
acid to the motor.
He knew that the seventy horse
power motor when thoroughly dry
could pump out the water and bring
her to the surface. He waited full
week longer, and then, uncoupling the
motor from the shaft and turning on
the switch, he carefully moved the
controller and gave 1t momentary con-
tact. A thin cloud arose from the mo-
tor, and the armature moved an 1nch.
He inspected the cloud. it seemed to
be steam, not smoke, and he tried II
again with longer contact. The arma-
ture moved farther, and again he shut
off the current, assured himself that
there was no burning and turned 1t on.
This time he left 1t on and stood
watching the steaming armature slow
" turn, while the commutator brushes
threw out sparkings six inches long.
These sparks indicated waste OF cur
rent. and he noticed that when his
body interposed between the motor
and the blast Of dried air from the
last fan in his system the sparks were
reduced to minute points, hardly yisi-
BILE.
He busted himself In constructing
hood that would inclose the commu-
tator and brushes. using his under
shirt for material. His hood was
success. 1t stopped the extravagant
sparkling, but did not save enough cur
rent to work the pump. The armature
moved faster, but stopped short against
the small resistance Of the inert water
In the induction pipe. Nothing to DO
but wait now and sleep.
Years later, as it seemed, he aWak-
ened In pitch black darkness, with an
irritating, pungent odor in his nostrils,
a burning sensation In his throat and
a racking pain In his head. His last
light had burned out His air plant
was still working, but the poisonous
gas was escaping. How and why? .
He crawled to the different parts OF
his pipe and fan system, inspecting
them by the sense Of touch. Every
thing was as he had left 1.-THE wires
still fed bubbles into the pipe to the
upper fan, the last fan still caught the
air as It rose from the acid and sent
II over the motor. Perhaps the motor
would now work the pump. He found
the switch and controller in the dark
ness. turned on the current and reit
his way back. The armature was turn
ing lust little faster than before. .
Shutting off the current, he coupled
on the pump and again gave power TO
the motor, only to find that the pump
stopped 1t. The solid, inert incom-
pressible water in the induction pipe
could not be stirred.
Yet there was power In the motor
BE had tried to stop the armature Wild
his hands, but could not. Two men
could not, nor three, by the way 1t
felt. II he could multiply that power!
II he could give it purchaser II the
water were more yielding, compressi-
ble 40 that the motor. once started
would 90 on-compressible, like al!
Air-compressible air. He had too
much air-bad air too. 1t gave nim
the pain in his head.
Could he turn that rotary bilge pump
into an air pump? Could he make an
aperture In the induction pipe ABOVE
the water? Crawling aft into the su-
ding atmosphere near the motor, he
found an elbow In the induction pipe
made up Of T joint and plug. Sc
curing a wrench, he removed the pug:
Then he turned on the current, assured
himself that the motor was turning
over and crawled forward.
Here he remained, and after long
time. when new sound as Of the clap
ming of an outlet valve came to his
burdened ears over the uproar, ne
shouted approval and again was happy.
He was pumping bad. air out OF the
boat. and all was well with him. He
was not even hungry nor thirsty. but
after a time, when the clapping OF that
valve in the outlet pipe had become q
familiar sound, he felt sleepy, and ne
crawled aft a little, where the greasy
oilcloth flooring was softer. He went
to sleep here, face upward, directiy
beneath the coming tower hatch.
He wakened once or twice, listened
to a far away roaring sound punctu-
ated by the clapping Of valve and
went to sleep again. At last new
sensation came to him, one that az
fected not his ears nor his organs OF
taste or smell. These were dead,
killed long ago by that terrible, blister.
ing gas. The sense Of touch was lost
In the all pervading pain that satu.
rated his whole body. The sense Of
vsxSifs.Si.-