CHAPTER II
The Gravity Projectile
Hermann Anderwelt had probably suffered many disappointments and waitedlong for a hearing. Now he seemed to feel that his opportunity had come,for he continued with growing enthusiasm:--
"Hitherto all attempts at space travelling have been too timid orpuerile. We have experimented at aerial navigation, as if the brief spanof air were a step in the mighty distance which separates us from oursister planets. As well might steamboats have been invented to crossnarrow streams, and never have ventured on the mighty ocean! We havetried to imitate the bird, the kite, and the balloon, and ourexperiments have failed, and always must, so long as we do not lookfarther and think deeper. Every Icarus who attempts to overcome theforce of gravity, which conquers planets, and propel himself through theair by any sort of apparatus, will always finish the trip with a wiserbut badly bruised head."
"Still, it has been freely predicted," I ventured, "that this centurywill not close without the invention of a successful air-travellingmachine."
"And I alone have hit upon the right plan, because I have not attemptedto _struggle against_ gravity, but have made use of it only forpropelling my projectile!" exclaimed the doctor triumphantly.
"But wait!" I interposed. "Gravity acts only in one direction, and thatis exactly opposite to the one you propose to travel."
"That brings me to the very important discovery I made in physics twoyears ago, upon which the whole success of the projectile rests. Youwill remember that, according to the text-books, very little is knownabout gravity except the laws of its action. What it is, and how it canbe controlled or modified, have never been known. Electricity was asmuch a mystery fifty years ago, but we know all its attributes. We canmake it, store it, control it, and use it for almost every necessity oflife. The era of electricity is in full bloom, but the era ofgravitational force is just budding."
"Can it be that we have as much to learn from gravity as electricity hastaught us in the last half-century?" I exclaimed, as my eyes began toopen.
"I believe it will teach us far more wonderful things, because it willtake us to unknown worlds, while electricity has been confined to Earth.Its realm is the wide universe. It will show us what life there is onthe planets. It will make us at home with the stars.
"What!" he continued in a sort of ecstasy. "Do you think all greatdiscoveries are over, all wonderful inventions made? As well might atrembling child, elated with the success of its first feeble stepsalone, suppose it had exhausted all the possibilities of life. We arebut spelling over the big letters on the title page of the primary bookof knowledge. There be other pages and grander chapters further on.There be greater volumes, and sweeter, more expressive tongues which manmay learn some day.
"Has a reasoning Divinity created the heavens and peopled the myriadstars with thinking, capable beings, who must be perpetually isolated?Or may they not know each other some time? But shall we attempt to sailthe vast heavens with a paper kite, or try to fly God's distances withthe wings of fluttering birds? Nay; we must use God's engine for such atask. Has He tied the planets to the sun, and knitted the suns and theirsystems into one great universe obedient to a single law, with nopossibility that we may use that law for intercommunication? With whatwings do the planets fly around the sun, and the suns move through theheavens? With the wings of gravity! The same force for minute satelliteor mighty sun. It is God's omnipotence applied to matter. Let us flywith that!"
"But will you permit me to suggest that we are soaring before theprojectile is built?" I put in.
"Quite right. Let us come back to Earth, and return to facts. My studiesin physics led me to believe that all natural forces--gravity,centrifugal force, and even capillary attraction--are, like electricityand magnetism, both positive and negative in their action. If they donot normally alternate between a positive and negative current, aselectricity does, they can be made to do so. Gravity and capillaryattraction, as we know them, always act positively; that is, they always_attract_. On the other hand, centrifugal force always acts negatively;that is, it always _repels_. But each of these forces, I believe, cantemporarily be made to act opposite to its usual manner. I know this tobe the case with gravity, for I have caused its positive and negativecurrents to alternate; that is, I have made it repel and then attract,and so on, at will, by changing the polarity of the body which it actsupon."
"Now that I remember it," I added, "our original ideas of magnetism werethat it simply attracted. We knew the lodestone drew the steel, but onlyon better acquaintance did we learn of its alternating currents,attractive and repellant."
"I have positively demonstrated with my working model that I can reversethe force of gravity acting upon the model, and make it sail away intospace. I will show you this whenever you like. It is so arranged thatthe polarizing action ceases in three minutes, after which the positivecurrent controls, and the model falls to the Earth again."
"But have you ever attempted a trip yet?" I inquired.
"Oh, no. The model was not built to carry me, but it has demonstratedall the important facts, and I now need ten thousand dollars to buildone large enough to carry several persons, and to equip it witheverything necessary to make a trip to one of the planets. With a maninside to control the currents, it will be far more easily managed thanthe experimental model has been."
"Suppose you had the projectile built, and everything was ready for astart," I said, "what would be the method of working it?"
"I should enter the forward compartment," began the doctor.
"But would you make the trial trip yourself?"
"I certainly would not trust the secret of operating the currents to anyone else," he remarked, with emphasis. "And will you accompany me in therear compartment?"
"No, indeed; unless you will promise to return in time for the followingday's market," I replied.
"Then I shall engage some adventurous fellow as assistant. First, wemust set the rudder, which is both horizontal and vertical, so that theprojectile can be steered up, down, or to either side. Having fixed itso as to be directed a little upward, I begin with the currents.Suppose the projectile weighs a ton, I gradually neutralize the positivecurrent, which we are acquainted with as gravity. When it is exactlyneutralized, the projectile weighs nothing, and the pressure of the airis enough to make it rise more rapidly than a balloon. When I havecreated a negative current, the projectile acquires a buoyancy equal toits previous weight. That is, it will now _fall up_ as rapidly as itwould previously have fallen down. It will not do to put on the fullnegative current at once, for we should acquire a velocity that wouldsimply burn us up by friction with the atmosphere. However, the air issoon passed; if in the ether beyond there is very little friction, ornone at all, we shall go at full speed, which will be the constantlyincreasing velocity of a falling body.
"Somewhere between the Earth and the nearest planet," he continued,"there is a place where the attraction of one is just equal to theattraction of the other; and if a body is stopped in that fatal spot itwill be anchored there for ever, by the equally matched forces tuggingin opposite directions. There is such a dead line between all theplanets, and our principal danger lies in falling into one of these, forwe should remain there a twinkling star throughout eternity! We musttrust to our momentum to carry us past this point, and into space wherethe gravitational attraction of the other planet is paramount. Then wemust promptly change our current from negative to positive, so that theother planet will attract us to her. Otherwise, she would repel us backto the dead line.
"With a positive current we are now literally falling into the newplanet. We need not land unless we wish, for as soon as we enter aresisting atmosphere we can steer a course lacking barely a quarter ofbeing directly away from the planet, just as you can sail a boat threequarters against the wind."
"But suppose you experiment at making a landing on this new planet?" Isuggested.
"Very well. Of course, as soon as we enter an atmosphere, it behove
s usto travel slowly to avoid overheating. We can still safely travelseveral hundred miles an hour, however. We continue falling until rathernear the planet; then, turning the rudder gently down, we can sailaround and around the planet until we choose our landing place. Gentlyreversing currents, a mild negative one soon overcomes our momentum.Tempering our currents experimentally to the pressure of the air, wecan, if we desire, float like a feather and be wafted with every breeze.Just a suspicion of a positive current brings us gently to the surface,and, when we have cooled, we unscrew the rear port-hole and crawl out toexplore a new world."
I had mentally made the trip, and was not only intensely interested, butinfinitely pleased. I was lost for some time with my imagination on thenew sphere, but presently my mind returned to the practical side of thequestion, and I inquired,--
"Are you quite sure that ten thousand dollars will be sufficient tobuild and fully equip the projectile?"
"Yes, quite certain," he answered with decision. "It will be ample forthat and for the expenses of forming a corporation to own my patents andexploit the invention. It is easy to see the projectile will be cheap ofconstruction. No machinery is necessary; no strong building to withstandenormous shocks or anything of that kind. The principal expenditureswill be for stores of food and for scientific and astronomicalinstruments. Of course, I wish to show you my working model and my plansfor the practical projectile, and to explain to you many furtherdetails."
It was growing dark. I arose, turned on the electric light, and rang mybell. The office boy entered.
"Teddy, tell all the boys they may go, except Flynn. Ask him to wait,please."
I was quite used to making ten thousand dollar bargains in a few secondsof time and without the scratch of a pen. I had risked more money thanthat on the fact that Slater looked worried and Bawker was very crosswhen at his office, and it had won immensely. But here, what a prospect,what a far-reaching, all-encircling prospect it was! No time was to belost; besides, there was pleasure to me in driving a good bargain anddriving it quickly.
"And if I give you the ten thousand dollars, what do I get in return?" Iasked, mentally placing my part at fifty-five per cent. of the shares atthe lowest, so that I might control the company.
"You may organize the corporation yourself. The projectile must bear myname, and I must have the credit for all discoveries and inventions.Then you may give me such a part of the shares of the company as youthink right," he replied.
On hearing this, I mentally advanced my portion to seventy-five percent. Then I said,--
"When the projectile is built and proves successful, who is to managethe affairs of the company? Who is to finance it and raise further fundsfor exploiting its business?"
"I have no capacity for business," he declared. "I have no ambition tobe a Pullman or an Edison. I would rather see myself a Franklin or aFulton. You shall manage all the business affairs."
"Then I will undertake the whole matter, and give you my cheque for tenthousand dollars to-night, provided you allow me--ninety-five per cent.of the company's shares!" I said, simulating a burst of generosity.
Doctor Anderwelt ploughed his hair and harrowed his beard. He knew thiswas giving too much, but to have the projectile built, to sail away, tomake all those grand new discoveries, to write books, and have futuregenerations pronounce his name reverently along with Kepler and Newton!I did not believe he would have the courage to say no. While hemeditated, my bell summoned Flynn.
"Please draw a cheque for ten thousand dollars to the order of HermannAnderwelt," I said, watching the doctor as I spoke. There was indecisionin his face.
"Suppose I allow you, say, ninety per cent.?" he said at last.
I was signing the cheque Flynn had brought me. "Done!" I cried, handingit over. He scanned it carefully, and after a long time said,--
"Mars is nearest to the Earth on the third day of next August.Fortunately Chicago is a good place to do things in a hurry. Theprojectile must be ready to start early in June, but its constructionand its first trip must be kept a profound secret."
The doctor must have been hungry since noon. He began munching a chickensandwich. The cold planked whitefish tasted quite as good as smokedherrings, perhaps, and strawberry short-cake in March was a luxury whichhe evidently appreciated.