TALKING THROUGH SPACE.
As the distance increased between air and land stations, the currents
became stronger, and frequent tuning was necessary. But Jack was able
to keep up a constant conversation with his father, telling him all
the details of the country as they flew along. The sudden explosion,
however, for it sounded like nothing else, startled him into a sharp
exclamation.
"What in the world was that?"
As if he had spoken the question to someone close at hand, came back
the explanation.
"Wireless telegraph wave crossing ours," said his father. "Some
powerful land station is sending out a message, possibly to some
ship."
"It almost broke my ear drum," said Jack, and inwardly resolved to
devote some time to trying to solve the problem of avoiding such
"collisions" in the future. It occurred to him that some sort of a
circuit breaker might be devised to cut off, temporarily, the
telephone talk by automatic means when a cross-wave of high energy
struck its current.
The shock was not repeated, and the conversation went on, still as
sharp and as clear as when they had started out. A few minutes later
Jack was able to report they were passing over Rayburn.
"You'd better keep on," said his father, his voice aglow with
enthusiasm. "It's working beyond my wildest expectations."
"It's dandy," agreed Jack.
They talked without raising their voices to any great extent, but it
was necessary to articulate very clearly so that each variation of
sound might be sent out into space as clearly as the notes of a singer
come from the record of a phonograph. But it was amazing, almost
uncanny to Jack that such results could be obtained at all.
"Goodness, if only we could get that mineral substance that dad was
talking about I believe you could rig up a radio telephone that would
talk across the ocean," he said to Tom, "and think what that would
mean. For instance, instead of bothering with the cable you could step
into a radio-telephone office and say: 'Give me the London Exchange.'
In a few minutes the central would answer and you could tell her what
number you wanted on some regular wire line. Before long you'd get it,
and be talking to whoever you had called just as if they were
twenty-five miles off instead of three thousand!"
"It seems like a dream," said Tom.
"Not much of a dream about it. All it needs is development. We've
proved to-day it can be done," declared Jack, bubbling over with
enthusiasm.
They flew over meadow land and pasture, farmhouses where tiny figures
emerged from buildings and looked up at them, over rivers and
railroads, and still the alternator spat and sparked and the messages
between Jack and his father were interchanged in a steady stream.
Rayburn had been left behind. They were now over a small town Jack
believed to be Hempstead.
He looked at his map to make sure. It was one that he had specially
plotted out himself from observations he had made when flying in the
vicinity. Having verified their whereabouts he found that they had
flown about fifty miles, possibly a fraction more.
But at this juncture he noticed that the voice of his father pulsing
through space began to grow thin and weak. Obviously the limit of the
radio 'phone's capacity had been reached.
"Better turn back," said Mr. Chadwick.
Jack turned to Tom and gave him the necessary instructions. Then he
set over his guiding wheel, turning the big rudder at the stern of the
Wondership and she acted as obediently as a sea-going craft answering
her helm. Never had she behaved better.
They flew swiftly back toward High Towers and were soon in sight of
Rayburn. In order to test what effect the magnetism of the earth had
upon the radio messages, Jack brought the great flying craft close to
the ground. They almost grazed the treetops as they flew along.
Skimming a patch of trees they roared above a farmhouse with a great
red barn adjoining it. The barn attracted Jack's attention because of
the fact that it had a flat roof, an almost unique feature in that
part of the country. He supposed it was used to dry some sort of
produce on and noted that there were several hop-fields near at hand.
Undoubtedly the roof was used for exposing them to the sun and thus
drying the moisture from them without the expense of wood for the
drying fires usually used for the purpose.
He had hardly noted all this when there came a sudden tug at the
Wondership as if a titanic hand had reached up from below and grasped
her. She pitched wildly and, but for Jack's skill as an airman, there
might have been a serious accident. But he brought the big craft
under control by skillful manipulation.
The next instant he discovered what had occurred. The grapple of the
aircraft had, in some way, dropped from its fastenings and, trailing
behind the Wondership, had caught in the roof of the farmer's barn.
A great section of it was torn away and as Jack brought the Wondership
to rest on the roof, the only available place, for the rope was in
danger of fouling the propellers if he descended to the ground, the
farmer and a number of his men came running from the farmhouse.
In the hands of the farmer was a formidable looking shotgun. As the
Wondership settled on the roof of the barn the man began shouting
angrily.