Evening star., 1939-05-28

some carrying heavy sticks and Others
rifles. General Hubblethorpe held up
his hand: Gentlemen, introduce to
you John Marston, the inventor, who
will give you demonstration of what
this new instrument, as yet without
name, is capable of doing. The build
ings you see are of course not par
ticularly formidable, but the center
one is of solid granite and the walls of
that tower are built of the same
material as the old castles of thou
sand years ago. He wants you to see
the place and to take particular notice
of the tower, because it is to be the
target of his experiment.
We made a more or less cursOry
examination of what was undoubtedly
the very ingeniously laid out effigy OF
a small town. Then the railwayman
rang his bell and the General turned
to US all. you will please now resume
your seats in the train, and we shall be
starting off at once to harbor. The
name of this shall not mention, and
you had better, as a matter Of fact,
forget
We clambered back to our seats and
breakfast was served. All the time we
we're travelling slowly backwards on
single track. Soon we began to catch
glimpses of the sea. The harbor town
into which we presently descended
was at best a fishing port and had been
practically evacuated The few people
who were about we're kept we'll in the
background. We drifted alongside the
dock and then. after the train had
come to a standstill, we trooped on
board the strangest craft | have ever
seen. 1t was more like a glorified raft
than anything else. One part Of it was
barred, and soldiers in uniform with
drawn bayonets were standing on
guard outside the wheelhouse. General
Hubblethorpe addressed us briefly
once more. After him the inventor
spoke only a few words:
I'VE are gong into the deeper
waters for our test" he announced.
AT point directly east of us. in the
hills twenty-five miles away - too far
away for you to see it from here lies
the temporary town with the old fort
in the center which you saw this morn
ing. shall remain in the wheelhouse
alone. and presently you will hear the
firing of single gun. There will be
only one discharge 1t will be enough.
But | may tell you now and prove to
you in few minutes that | have sue
ceeded in doing what has puzzled the
whole world of inventors for many
years. l am launching shell from a
gun aimed at point many miles from
my objective. but shall control the
passage of that shell from the wheel
house so that it will descend exactly
where and when choose"
He stepped back. We put off to the
center of the harbor and anchored
there After few moments signal
from one of the officers warned us that
the test was about to be made. The
muzzle of the gun pointed almost due
south Suddenly there was great roar
and reverberation. The company all
stood speechless, eyes turned to the
East. Four minutes passed. Then an
immense column of smoke could be
seen far away on the eastern horizon.
Marston came out of the wheel
house Gentlemen" he cried, II have
done all that | promised! You will
please 60 back to the train and revisit
the spot we have just left
In due course the three coaches of
the train slowly mounted that single
track back towards the main line.
When we turned the last curve there
was murmur of half-choked voices