(Special to the Journal)
WESTFIELD, July 11--In order to prove to his wife that the amount of
time he spent in his laboratory was not entirely wasted and was, among
other things, of considerable value in entertaining and instructing
his three children, Henry J. Kostkos, of 253 Scotch Plains Avenue,
formed the habit of telling them stories of future science based upon
his experiments. One of these yarns, a novelette entitled "The
Meteor-Men of Plaa," appears as the feature story in the current issue
of Amazing Stories magazine.
Mr. Kostkos' stories rival the scientific prophecies of Jules Verne,
Conan-Doyle, and H. G. Wells. When told to his daughters, their eyes
opened wide with interest as he related how inhabitants of the Earth
would some day travel in huge space ships to distant planets and there
encounter strange creatures who used wonder devices beyond the range
of imagination.
To illustrate his yarns he built models of rocket ships and miniature
sets showing grotesque monsters, and performed electrical experiments
in his laboratory that often startled his children into credulity.
Engineering, science and writing are not new to Mr. Kostkos, who is a
professional engineer. He has heretofore specialized in technical
articles and papers. He is employed at Western Electric Company,
Kearny Works, where he is in charge of special reports and
publications in the equipment engineering department.
[The above article was printed in the Elizabeth Daily Journal last
month.]