The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-28


Here's where the old professor
makes the gold" said one Of the
burglars as he flashed his light
through Professor Hackensaw's
laboratory window. "And it ought
to be an easy job for 10 to cart of
the whole lot Of il. Why, the wine
dows are not even fastenedP
Summer, the temperature being under
perfect control. But why continue the
items of this enumeratien-there is
practically no limit to the uses to which
radium may be put. It is also fool-proof,
for the container is strong and cannot be
opened unless you smash it open on
purpose. A very simple mechanism pre-
vents the emanations from escaping ex-
cept when the can of radium is placed
in the proper position in the machine
which it is desired to run. A lever turns
on orr shuts off the emanations at viii. l.
am already arranging for public automo-t
biles-or rather radiobiles, as | shall call
theml-stationed in every street. All of
my subscribers will be furnished with a
six-gram can of radium. Whenever they
wish to ride they have merely to pop
this into the first auto they find and ride
to their destination.
my radium, as I told you, may also
be used for lighting purposes either by
transforming the energy into electricity
by means of dynamo, or by using it for
the softer forms of glow-light, less trying
to the eyes. But here am keeping you
up to all hours of the night, and you must
be tired. I'll give you further explana-
tions some other time. Only, let me tell
you one thing. That metal door in front
of you leads to a radium-proof room in
which there is so much radium, ready for
the market, that, at present prices, all the
gold in the world would not be sufficient
to buy itp' :
"Whew" whispered Dago Jake to his
companion. ''That was an awful long
winded yarn, wasn't it? But I'm glad to
know the radium is worth more than gold.
It's easier to carry, too. Here's the metal
door the professor spoke of-this one
marked Keep Out! Dangerp Great
snakes! The door isn't even locked! This
is luck and no mistaken
A moment later the two rogues were in
the radium-proof chamber and surveying
a pile of closed boxes of different sizes.
'"This is the stuff!' cried Dago Jake,
seizing one of the largest boxes, labelled
"Radium-Three Pounds"
"You can have it." said Shrimp, con-
temptuously. "Me for the goldw
"All right, but these three pounds of ra-
dunn are worth more than all the gold you
could carry
rs that so? Let's see the blamed
stuff"
81 can't. The darned box doesn't
open"
''Ill open it," cried Shrimp, and seizingJ
a fire-axe from the wall, with few lusty
blows he succeeded in breaking open the
case in which the pure metal was con-
tanned. Then he gave cry-but only
one-and he and his companion fell sense
less on the floor.
Professor Hackensaw was saying good I
by to Silas Rocket when he was startled
by the violent ringing of his radium alarm
AN ingenious device he had installed to
give him warning when any particles of
radium happened to get loose on the
premises With the greatest haste the
doctor donned radium-proof suit, and
giving another to Silas, he rushed back to
the store-room to see what was the
matter.
He pushed open the metal door to the
radium chamber, and single glance told
him the whole story. The two charred
bodies were beyond any earthly help, so
the doctor turned his attention to the
loose radium. With Silas's help he had
soon imprisoned it in a new container,
and then, by means of special vacuum
suction apparatus, he removed the radium
at 4 al
had soon condensed them into METALLIC
form again.
By the time this was effected all that
remained of the two thieves was small
heap of calcined bones!
.