CHAPTER VI.
OXYGEN, KING OF INTOXICATORS.
A soft humming note began to vibrate through the inner laboratory--anote which rose in pitch, steadily, as Herzog shoved the lever from onecopper post to another, round the half-circle.
"I am now heating the little firebrick furnace," said the scientist. "InNorway, they use an alternating current of only 5,000 volts, betweenwater-cooled copper electrodes, as I have already told you. I am using30,000 volts, and my electrodes, my own invention, are--"
"Never mind," growled Flint. "Just let's see some of the product--someliquid oxygen, that's all. The why and wherefore is your job, not ours!"
Herzog, with a pained smile, bent and peered through a red glassbull's-eye that now had begun to glow in the side of his apparatus.
"The arc is good," he muttered, as to himself. "Now I will throw in theelectro-magnets and spread it; then switch in my intensifying condenser,and finally set the turbine fans to work, to throw air through thefield. Then we shall see, we shall see!"
Suiting the action to the words, he deftly touched here a button, therea lever; and all at once a shrill buzzing rose above the lower drone ofthe induction coils.
"Gentlemen," said Herzog, straightening up and facing his employers,"the process is now already at work. In five minutes--yes, in three--Ishall have results to show you!"
"Good!" grunted Waldron. "That's all we're after, results. That's theonly way you hold your job, Herzog, just getting results!"
He relighted his cigar, which had gone out during Herzog'sexplanation--for "Tiger" Waldron, though he could drop thousands atroulette without turning a hair, never yet had been known to throw awaya cigar less than half smoked. Flint, meanwhile, took out a littlemorocco-covered note book and made a few notes. In this book he had keptan outline of his plan from the very first; and now with pleasure headded some memoranda, based on what Herzog had just told him, as well asobservations on the machine itself.
Thus two minutes passed, then three.
"Time's up, Herzog!" exclaimed Waldron, glancing at the electric clockon the wall. "Where's the juice?"
"One second, sir," answered the scientist. Again he peeked through theglowing bull's-eye. Then, his face slightly pale, his bulging eyesblinking nervously, he took two small flint glass bottles, set themunder a couple of pipettes, and deftly made connections.
"Oxygen cocktail for mine," laughed Waldron, to cover a certain emotionhe could not help feeling at sight of the actual operation of a processwhich might, after all, open out ways and means for the uttersubjugation of the world.
Neither Flint nor the inventor vouchsafed even a smile. The Billionairedrew near, adjusted a pair of pince-nez on his hawk-like nose, andpeered curiously at the apparatus. Herzog, with a quick gesture, turneda small silver faucet.
"Oxygen! Unlimited oxygen!" he exclaimed. "I have found the process,gentlemen, commercially practicable. Oxygen!"
Even as he spoke, a lambent, sparkling liquid began to flow through thepipette, into the flask. At sight of it, the Billionaire's eyes lightedup with triumph. Waldron, despite his assumed nonchalance, felt thehunting thrill of Wall street, the quick stab of exultation when victoryseemed well in hand.
"These bottles," said Herzog, "are double, constructed on the principleof the Thermos bottle. They will keep the liquid gases I shall show you,for days. Huge tanks could be built on the same principle. In a shorttime, gentlemen, you can handle tons of these gases, if youlike--thousands of tons, unlimited tons.
"The Siemens and Halske people, and the Great Falls, S.C., plant, willbe mere puttering experimenters beside you. For neither they nor anyother manufacturers have any knowledge of the vital process--my secret,polarizing transformer, which does the work in one-tenth the time and atone-hundredth the cost of any other known process. For example, seehere?"
He turned the faucet, disconnected the flask and handed it to Flint.
"There, sir," he remarked, "is a half-pint of pure liquid oxygen, drawnfrom the air in less than eight minutes, at a cost of perhaps two-tenthsof a cent. On a large scale the cost can be vastly reduced. Are yousatisfied, sir?"
Flint nodded, curtly.
"You'll do, Herzog," he replied--his very strongest form ofcommendation. "You're not half bad, after all. So this is liquid oxygen,eh? Very cheap, and very cold?"
His eyes gleamed with joy at sight of the translucent potent stuff--thevery stuff of life, its essence and prime principle, without whichneither plant nor animal nor man can live--oxygen, mother of all life,sustainer of the world.
"Very cheap, yes, sir," answered the scientist. "And cold, enormouslycold. The specimen you hold in your hand, in that vacuum-protectedflask, is more than three hundred degrees below zero. One drop of it onyour palm would burn it to the bone. Incidentally, let me tell youanother fact--"
"And that is?"
"This specimen is the allotropic or condensed form of oxygen, much morepowerful than the usual liquified gas."
"Ozone, you mean?"
"Precisely. Would you like to sense its effect as a ventilating agent?"
"No danger?"
"None, sir. Here, allow me."
Herzog took the flask, pressed a little spring and liberated the top. Atonce a whitish vapor began to coil from the neck of the bottle.
"Hm!" grunted Waldron, smiling. "Mountain winds and sea breezes havenothing on that!" He sniffed with appreciation. "Some gas, all right!"
"You're right, Wally," answered the Billionaire. "If this works out on alarge scale, in all its details--well--I needn't impress its importanceon you!"
Yielding to the influence of the wonderful, life-giving gas, the ratherclose air of the laboratory, contaminated by a variety of chemicalodors, and vitiated by its recent loss of oxygen, had begun to freshenand purify itself in an astonishing manner. One would have thought thatthrough an open window, close at hand, the purest ocean breeze wasblowing. A faint tinge of color began to liven the somewhat pasty cheekof the Billionaire. Waldron's big chest expanded and his eye brightened.Even the meek Herzog stood straighter and looked more the man, under thestimulus of the life-giving ozone.
"Fine!" exclaimed Flint, with unwonted enthusiasm, and nearly yielded toa laugh. Waldron went so far as to slap Herzog on the shoulder.
"You're some wizard, old man!" he exclaimed, with a warmth hithertonever known by him--for already the subtle gas was beginning tointoxicate his senses. "And you can handle nitrogen with the same easeand precision?"
"Exactly," answered Herzog. "This other vial contains pure nitrogen.With enlarged apparatus, I can supply it by the trainload. The world'sfertilizer problem is solved!"
"Great work!" ejaculated Waldron, even more excited than before, butFlint, his natural sourness asserting itself, merely growled someungracious remark.
"Nitrogen can go hang," said he. "It's oxygen we're after, primarily.Once we get our grip on that, the world will be--"
Waldron checked him just in time.
"Enough of this," he interrupted sharply. "I admit, I'm not myself, inthis rich atmosphere. I know _you're_ feeling it, already, Flint. Comealong out of this, where we can regain our aplomb. We've seen enough,for once."
He turned to Herzog.
"For God's sake, man," cried he, "cork that magic bottle of yours,before all the oxygen-genii escape, or you'll have us both under thetable! And, see here," he added, pulling out his check-book, while Flintstared in amazed disgust. "Here, take a blank check." He took hisfountain pen and scrawled his name on one. "The amount? That's up toyou. Now, let us out," he bade, as Herzog stood there regarding thecheck with entire uncomprehension. "Out, I say, before I getextravagant!"
Herzog, perfectly comprehending the magnates' unusual conduct as due tooxygen-intoxication in its initial stage, made no comment, but walked tothe door, spun the combination and flung it open.
"Glad to have had the pleasure of demonstrating the process to you,gentlemen," said he. "If you're convinced it's practicable, I'm at yourorders for
any larger extension of the work. Have you any other questionor suggestion?"
Neither magnate answered. Flint was trying hard to hold hisself-control. Waldron, red-faced now and highly stimulated, looked asthough he had been drinking even more than usual.
Both passed out of the laboratory with rather unsteady steps. Togetherthey retraced their way to the administration building; and there, safeat last in the private inner office, with the door locked, they sat downand stared at each other with expressions of amazement.