Evening star., 1935-12-01

seathing American scorn Of every
thing European. especially British.
They were all morons and "sissies." +"
There was only one depth Of deprav-
ity lower than that of a foreigner
that Of a banker or a lawyer. These
gentlemen were constantly overworked
with the loathsome jobs Of foreclosing
mortgages and throwing helpless
widows on the streets in the midst of
driving snowstorms.
All this, Of course, was the result
Of the Civil War and the series of
depressions which followed it. Eng
land, it was believed, had sided with
the South, and many homes had been
lost in the depressions.
1t also was period Of intense curl
osity. Nothing was too marvellous for
belief. Frank Reid, for example, be-
lieved everything that was told him
and skepticism over a marvel was al
most as contemplate as law, banking
or being an Englishman. All the
villains sneered at stories Of far-off
islands made of solid gold. The heroic
Frank made himself a flying machine
and found them.
PUT chiefly it was an age of me-
chanical invention and dreams of
mechanical progress. Here, for ex-
ample, is the description of one OF
Franks earliest flying machines:
Her hull, being nigh 100 feet in
length, was slender and rakish with
a ramlike bow. The hull itself was of
thinly rolled but firm platinum, capa-
BILE Of resisting rifle ball. The ram
on the bow was of hollow but tough
steel. The deck was much like the
deck of an ordinary ship. There
were the main and after cabins, and
forward was the pilot house. a square
apartment. of which all four sides
were of the toughest plate glass.
Upon each side of the airship and
next to the rail, at intervals Of 8
feet. were tall, steel standards, each
braced with the strongest wire. Upon
the tops of these standards, which
were hollow and each containing q
revolving rod, were hellices, or fange-
shaped wings of lightly rolled steel
These were capable of being driven al
terrific speed. forming the means oi
propulsion upward of the airship Al
the stern was the rudder and pro-
pellor, huge, hanged apparatus much
like the screw OF an ocean steamer.
'The general outside appearance
was neat, light and handsome. Be.
low the first deck was the engine
room with powerful electrical ma.
chinery. Powerful dynamos, actuatec
by immense storage power confined
in jars in the hold and generated b.
a process which was a secret witt
the inventor, furnished the motive
power. The engine room was large
cabin in which were the dynamoi
and switch for the hellices, tht
propeller and other purposes.
HT>HE cabins were furnished will
great magnificence. There wa
beautiful salon, with rich decora
t4OAAo o4AO a. L4N4Co VI NCA W d14Q III ~
a-brac without end. The interior o
the airship was like an abode of {
prince of the blood The armory wa
cabin fitted up with an arsenal o
rifles and revolvers of the latest pat
tern. There was a good store o
ammunition, for a trip with the air
ship would be likely to bring one int,
wild parts of the world, where weap
ons would be needed. The ship la,
on her framework. all ready for tn
touch of the electric lever to noun
into the air.
The Zephyr was rude compares
with the floating palace. "the cata
,naran of the air." which the ad
venturous Frank Reid fitted out, "a
the request of the British Royal So
ciety." for the exploration of Northern
Australia. 1t was thus described a
it lay at its moorings in Reidstowr
before the momentous expedition:
Three huge cylinders, cigar-shaped
were made of aluminium finely tenn
pered. These were joined togethe
with bands of the strongest steel.
deck extended feet from the EN-
Of the cylinder, which was raised ant
highly polished. Rising from this wa
structure which served as cabin
in which was delicate but powerful
electrical machinery. Above this wa
the round tower which held the steer
ing gear and electric keyboard. II
this tower were circular window!
which also could be used as loop
holes in case of attack.
"The cabin was divided into fiv
compartments. One was the mali
salon, which was grandly furnished
The second was the engine room
where was the electrical machinery
The third was the dining room ant
the fourth the kitchen. The flftl
was the sleeping cabin, with dozei
or more state rooms.
"The catamaran was suspended il
the air by means of five suSpensor.
hellices or rotascopes. When driver
by electricity the engines would caus
1t to leap upward at terrific speed"
THE most marvellous Of these ma
chimes was combination airplane
submarine. Russia and England wer
on the verge of war. Our hero, at tn
behest of the blind inventor who re
quired a million dollars in1mediatel.
to save his honor, took it across tn
Atlantic to sell 1t to one or the othe
of the potential belligerents. He sailet
| it into the Thames, dropped into tn
British naval Office, and demanded II
see the first lord of the admiralty
Amazing as it might seem, that dig
nitary refused to believe the story ant
wouldn't even bother to look at th'
proof. The hero left him with de
served rebuke, thus catering to thl
anti-British feeling which was ram
pant at the time.
do you know what I think Of you
shaking his fist in the face Of the
suffering nobleman. you're a dirty
blackguard. II we had such as you ir
New Ynrk we'd break volIr neck ir