CHAPTER III
In order to carry into effect this great and ambitious idea, Cobb hadcommenced operations as early as July.
He knew that he must find some place in which to lay his body, thatwould be perfectly safe from any possible disturbance. It would not doto select any house, or any particular piece of ground, nor could he goto any island or distant part of the globe.
A hundred years would make such changes that it was impossible toforetell what places would not be disturbed in that time. It was a mostdifficult problem to solve.
Was there a place on earth that he was sure would not be reached byhuman hands, and its contents and secrets made known, in a hundredyears!
It was imperative that he should find such a place, and with all theassurance that one has in life of anything, that it would remainunmolested. What would not happen in a hundred years! Were he to takethe most unfrequented and out-of-the-way place he could conceive of,it might be the very place of all others that would be the first to beexplored by some enterprising genius in the future.
Cobb knew this, and realized the necessity of selecting such a spot aswould give the utmost assurance that no one would desire to destroy,enter, or molest it in any way.
After many hours of reflection upon the subject, he at last decidedupon what he considered to be the best place possible to select--theplace that would, in all probability, remain in its primitive state forthe period desired.
There was being built upon Mount Olympus, some three miles from thecity of San Francisco, by a Mr. Sutro, a generous gentleman of thatcity, a reduced copy of the statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World,"then in position on Bedloe's Island, New York harbor.
This statue was to be about thirty feet in height, resting upon apedestal some forty by thirty feet in area, and twenty-five feet high.
Cobb conceived the idea that such a piece of work would, in alllikelihood, remain undisturbed by any and every person for theperiod necessary for his long sleep. No sooner had this belief takenpossession of him than he at once took measures to communicate with thegentleman who had charge of its construction.
A Mr. Bennett was the supervising architect, and this gentleman waseasily induced, for a consideration, to undertake the construction of asmall chamber within the base of the pedestal. He also agreed that thechamber should be reached through the side by a hinged block of marblefitting perfectly, but movable with ease from the inside, and that thepurpose for which it was constructed should never be made known by him.
Mr. Bennett was not aware of Cobb's true intentions regarding thechamber; it was simply a contract between them that such a piece ofwork should be performed. Bennett was a man of his word, and was wellknown to Cobb, who placed the utmost confidence in him; yet, to makeit still more binding, he placed him under a sacred oath not to enterthe chamber after it was built, or communicate his knowledge of itsexistence to any living soul, nor to leave any information of it at hisdeath.
While the pedestal was being built, Bennett had one of the largestmarble slabs taken out, at night, by workmen brought there blindfolded,and replaced upon hinges, so it would easily open and shut by thepressure of a finger on a concealed spring.
This part of the work having been accomplished, it was very easy tocarry out the remainder.
The pedestal being finished and solid, he took workmen there everynight, blindfolded, and opening the slab door, cut out the masonry,hauling away the material as fast as it was taken out. Cobb desiredthat the chamber should be as deep as possible below the center ofthe pedestal, for security; Bennett made it so by digging down, afterentering the base, and lining the sides with heavy brick-work.
The interior of the chamber, after construction, was fourteen byeighteen feet, and in height nine feet and six inches. The floor wasmade very smooth by a liberal use of Portland cement. The door was soconstructed that after an inside catch had been set, it would lockitself upon being closed, and no amount of skill could open it withoutbreaking the marble slab. There was no inlet for light, nor was thereany entrance or exit for air.
Such was the finished condition of the chamber, as turned over by Mr.Bennett to Cobb, on the 15th of November, 1887.
Cobb had not been negligent in the meantime, but had gotten many of thenecessary things into shape which he knew would be required, for hischamber was to have a great many and a great variety of instruments,all of which would be absolutely necessary to insure success.
Nothing could be done before the 24th of November, for on that day theStatue of Liberty was to be unveiled and turned over to the city of SanFrancisco by Mr. Sutro.
At last the 24th arrived, and the ceremonies of dedication were over.
As the last citizen left the vicinity of the statue a man came up thehill to view the surroundings. That man was Junius Cobb.
He approached the pedestal and looked carefully over its sides. Yes, itwas all right; no one had had an inkling of the secret entrance, or athought that it was to be used for anything save that for which it hadbeen erected.
Satisfied with his inspection, he passed down the hill, and took theHaight-street cars to the city, leaving them at the corner of Marketand Montgomery. With rapid strides he quickly passed down that streetto the Occidental Hotel.
Near the entrance of that noted army resort, whipping his legs with asmall cane in a most impatient manner, stood Hathaway, as if awaitingthe arrival of some expected person.
Cobb at once walked up to him and cried:
"Hello! Hathaway; on time, I see; but where is Craft?"
"Playing billiards in the other room--at least he was there a minuteago; but do you want us to-night?" inquiringly.
"Of course! did I not ask you to meet me here?"
"Yes, I know; but are you going to work so soon? What is the use ofdoing anything to-night? You know I have a partial engagement for thisevening, and would like to keep it;" and Hathaway looked beseechinglytoward his companion.
"To me this is business, and I cannot postpone it; if your socialduties are so pressing, why, I will have to excuse you."
Cobb showed the displeasure he felt at the apparent want of interestdisplayed by the other in what to him was the greatest undertaking aman could engage in.
"Oh, no," quickly replied Hathaway, noticing the effect of his wordsupon Cobb; "you do not understand me. I am ready now and at all timesto give you my earnest assistance. What shall I do?"
"Go and find Craft, and meet me here in ten minutes;" and Cobb turnedon his heel, and passed down the street. Proceeding a few blocks, hehailed the driver of a passing express wagon, who pulled up his team atthe curb-stone near where Cobb was standing.
"Are you engaged?" quickly asked Cobb.
"No," the man replied.
"Do you wish to earn twenty dollars?"
"Do I? try me!" The man's face gave evidence of his sincerity.
"Will you work all night for that amount?"
"Yes, sir."
"And go wherever I wish?"
"Yes; so I get back by morning."
"And will you permit me to take your team, after you have gone acertain distance, and drive the remainder of the way, you to remainwith one of my men until I return?"
"Well, as to that, is it not a little peculiar to ask a man to let histeam be driven off by unknown parties without a guarantee that it willbe returned?" and the expression of his countenance indicated that hewas in a quandary, for he did not like to lose the twenty dollars, nordid he like the idea of letting his team be driven away by strangers.
"You need have no fear as to that; your team will be returned; but,to satisfy you, I will leave two hundred dollars with you as securityuntil I return it."
"That alters the case," said the man. "I am with you."
"Then, be at the corner of California street in ten minutes;" and Cobbturned and walked back to the Occidental.
Craft and Hathaway were awaiting him at the door of the hotel, theformer puffing away at a cigar which the kindness of some friend hadfurnishe
d.
"Ah, here you are, both of you. Good! And now to business."
Cobb seemed as if he was in a hurry to get to work, yet he showed nosigns of excitement.
They passed up Bush street to the works of the electrical supplycompany, where, entering the place, Cobb asked if the stores andapparatus which he had ordered had been packed and were ready forshipment.
Receiving an affirmative reply, he told his friends to await himthere, and quickly descended the stairs. Proceeding to the corner ofCalifornia street, he met the expressman whom he had engaged; mountingthe driver's seat, he directed him up Bush street, and stopped the teamwhere he had left his friends. Giving the man orders to wait for him,he again ascended the stairs. The work of removing the boxes was atonce commenced.
First, there was a long box, looking much like a coffin, being someeight feet by three, and over eighteen inches in depth. This wascarefully taken down-stairs and placed in the wagon; then followed fiveboxes of various shapes and weights.
All things being safely placed in the wagon, Cobb mounted to the seat,telling Craft and Hathaway to get in and sit upon the boxes, as therewas no room for them in front. Then, turning to the driver, he said:
"Drive up into Kearney, and thence into Market toward the park; takeHaight street at the junction."
Away rattled the wagon, passing through the crowded streets and bythe flashing windows filled with all the holiday goods, ready for theChristmas season.
The night was quite dark; a slight drizzling rain which was falling,was very favorable to the scheme which Cobb and his friends had onhand. Passing up Haight street to within about half a mile of Mt.Olympus, Cobb ordered the driver to pull up his team. He then directedHathaway to remain with the driver while he and Craft took the outfitto its destination.
The place where they had stopped was a side street, close to and offof Haight street, and it was impossible for the driver, as much as hestrained his eyes, to determine his surroundings.
Cobb handed the expressman ten twenty-dollar gold pieces, with theunderstanding that they were to be returned when he brought back theteam.
Leaving Hathaway with positive orders not to permit the driver to leavethat particular spot until their return, Cobb mounted the seat again,Craft sitting beside him.
Turning once more into Haight street, for the purpose of throwing thedriver off of their true course, they proceeded down that street fora couple of blocks, and turned sharp to the right, and drove quicklytoward Mt. Olympus.
Not a soul was in sight, and the many wagon-tracks made by theartillery and carriages, which had attended the unveiling of thestatue, would conceal all indication that another carriage had gone upto the pedestal that evening.
Driving close to the side of the base, Cobb pulled up, and bothdismounted from the wagon.
The secret spring of the door was quickly touched, and the heavy marbleslab swung upon its hinges; then, with all dispatch, the boxes wereunloaded and carried into the interior of the chamber. The large boxrequired all the strength of the two men, but it was finally gotteninside. This being finished, Craft took the reins, and quickly drovethe team back to where Hathaway was impatiently awaiting him.
The money was returned by the driver, who then hurriedly departed forthe city.
Seeing the man well out of sight, Craft and Hathaway carefully madetheir way back to the statue, and were soon inside of the pedestal. Theslab door was then nearly closed, leaving but a slight aperture for theentrance of air, the opening covered by boxes, to prevent the rays oftheir lights being seen by any chance visitors to that neighborhood.
During their absence, Cobb had taken out two lanterns from one of theboxes, and now a bright light made everything quite clear within thechamber.
"Now," said Cobb to Hathaway, "take that hatchet and open all of theboxes."
The lids were quickly torn off and thrown to one side.
The contents of these boxes needed careful inspection. The large onewas first emptied. The sides of this box were wrenched off, disclosinga large glass case, seven feet six inches by two feet eight inches,and sixteen inches in height. This glass coffin--for such, indeed,it resembled--was carefully taken out and set upon the floor. Thenfollowed, from the same box, an ordinary set of single bed-springs,or woven-wire mattress, such as are used on single beds. Cobb thentook from one of the smaller boxes a pair of iron horses or trestles,and placed them in one corner of the room, with their legs firmlyfixed into the cemented floor. Carefully lifting the glass case, heand Craft set it upon the trestles, leaving a space of about thirtyinches between it and the floor. Next they hinged the wire mattressto the trestles, so that there were full twenty inches between it andthe bottom of the glass case. From the next box unpacked were takenseventy-five cells of Grenet battery. These cells were of peculiarconstruction, and differed from the regular style in that the zincswere drawn up and held clear of the electropoion fluid by slightfastenings, which terminated in glass bulbs blown in the tops. Cobb hadselected this battery on account of its great strength, and for thereason that it would remain inactive for an indefinite time, providedthe zincs were kept out of the fluid. Placing an iron stand near thehead of the case, he and Hathaway arranged the jars upon it, andconnected the various cells for intensity.
The wires were then run through small holes in the top glass ofthe large case, being insulated with a special covering that wouldwithstand age without deteriorating.
The next thing was to set in position, over the row of battery cells,an iron beam, with a fall of about four inches, the fall terminating intwo sockets. This beam was held over and in position by a pulley, overwhich ran a wire rope composed of aluminum strands, and having attachedto it a fifty-pound weight. Connected to the two poles of the batterywere insulated wires, terminating in flat discs of copper.
These wires were about thirty feet long, and passed through the holesin the top of the glass case, the copper discs being inside.
From another box were taken two bottles of fine old French brandy,two bottles of whisky, a small bottle of Valentine's beef juice, andseveral cans of preserved meats, which had been prepared by Cobb, andthe cans made of aluminum for the purpose. An alcohol heater was alsotaken out and set up in such a manner that a glass reservoir could,upon being turned on, feed it with alcohol. Through this heater ranwires joined to a platinum strip and connected with twenty cells of thebattery. A cup and saucer, knife, fork, can-opener, spoon, and a coupleof stew-pans, were next taken out and laid by the heater.
All these things having been put in order, Cobb, with the assistanceof Hathaway, carefully lifted from a large box a heavy glass case, twofeet nine inches high by three feet square. This case was set in thefurther corner of the chamber.
Through a door in the top, which Cobb opened, both Craft and Hathawaysaw a number of wheel and pinion works, while at the bottom of the casewas a circular piece of bright aluminum divided into equal divisions.The center of the ring was sunk into the glass bottom half an inch,and on one side of the ring was a number of small wheels and rods; thewhole presenting the aspect of very fine and delicate mechanism.
Cobb now took out of the last box a large and very elegant compass, twofeet in diameter and with a heavy needle; this he placed in the sunkencenter of the glass case.
Craft noticed that there was no iron or steel in the works in this box;nothing but aluminum, save the needle itself.
Through the sides of the case, Cobb adjusted an aluminum rod connectingwith the pulley and weight attached to the beam over the batteries.
By this time the needle in the compass had settled and the positivepole pointed to 283 on the aluminum scale.
Both Craft and Hathaway had asked but few questions during all thiswork, curbing their curiosity until such time as their companion wouldenlighten them as to the meaning of all this apparatus. They had beenon the point, a number of times, of asking for some information, butthe other had, by a look, quickly given them to understand that he wasnot yet ready to explain things. But it
was impossible for Craft tohold in any longer; he had to ask the use of this last glass case, withits many wheels and delicate machinery.
"Wait! You will understand it all soon," answered Cobb. "There islittle more to do to-night." Then, taking a paper from his pocket, hescanned it for fully five minutes, making a few notes upon it with hispencil during the time.
At last, seeming satisfied, he bent over the compass in the box, andby a small screw in its side turned the whole delicately adjusted worksaround until a fine pointer, from which projected a tiny hook, becameflush with the figures 260 from the zero of the scale, or to a readingof 4 degrees 20 minutes; then turning the whole compass-box around,he carefully adjusted it so that the needle should point exactly tothe figures 993, equivalent to a reading of 16 degrees 33 minutes, themagnetic variation east, of San Francisco, California, in December,1887.
It was easy to see that the little hook which hung down from theoverlapping works would become engaged with the needle of the compassif the latter were to retrograde in arc 12 degrees 13 minutes.
Unscrewing a cap on the top of the case, he applied a small air-pump,which he had taken out of the box, to the opening, and screwed itfirmly on; then, closing the glass door, he placed cement along thejunction of the door and sides, from a bottle which he had broughtfor that purpose. In a few moments, the cement had set, and then,working the air-pump, he soon exhausted the air from the case; finallyunscrewing the pump, he replaced the cap and laid the pump in thecorner of the chamber.
All this being finished to his satisfaction, he announced that the workfor the night was completed.
Looking at his watch, Cobb said:
"It is now four o'clock in the morning, and time that we should get outof this if we don't wish to be seen departing. We have done all thatit is possible to do for the present; let us at once start for town;besides, you have to be at the post by six o'clock."
"Yes, that is true," returned Hathaway; "we are due at that hour. Wehave done a good deal of work, but for the life of me, I am totallyignorant of the purposes of all this apparatus. I would like to haveyou explain some of it to me," and his eyes turned inquiringly towardthe large case with its wheels and compass.
"All in good time!" and Cobb cautiously opened the swinging panel.
The coast was clear; not a single person was in sight.
"Now, then, be lively!" and he stepped out, the others followingquickly. In another moment the door was closed, and not a sign was leftto indicate that the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty held within itsinterior the apparatus necessary for prolonging the life of a humanbeing.
The three friends passed down the hill, and took the Haight-streetcars for the city. It was the first car for the day, and not anotherpassenger was on board.
Arriving at the Occidental, Cobb said:
"You are expected to be at reveille this morning, but I have no dutiesuntil retreat. There are a few things that I wish to attend to; so Iwill leave you here. Be sure to be at my quarters at 9:30 to-night.Good-bye!" and he left them without waiting for a reply.
It was nearly eight o'clock, and after a hearty breakfast, when Cobbleft the hotel, passed down Montgomery street into Washington, and madehis way to a small-sized house at the foot of an alley leading fromthat thoroughfare.
The windows of the house were all closed by shutters, and the wholebuilding bore an aspect of dilapidation.
Ascending the four rickety steps that led to the door, he gave a sharpknock, repeating it after a moment, as no answer was obtained.
"Who knocks?"
"It is I, Colchis! Open the door."
The door swung open, and Cobb entered, the door closing behind him witha bang.