"THE GEM OF THE OCEAN."
The _Columbia_, a magnificent and imposing vessel of more than 20,000
tons burden, lay at her New York dock two weeks later. Within her steel
sides, besides the usual cabin accommodations, she had swimming pools,
Roman courts, palm gardens and even a theater. Elevators conveyed her
passengers from deck to deck. The new vessel of the Jukes shipping
interests was the last word in shipbuilding, and from her stern flew the
Stars and Stripes.
It was sailing day. From the three immense black funnels smoke was
rolling. Steam issued, roaring from the escape pipes. The dock buzzed
and fermented with a great crowd assembled to see their friends off on
the first voyage of the great ship. Wagons, taxicabs and autos blocked
the street in front of the docks. Photographers and reporters swarmed
everywhere. The confusion was tremendous, yet, promptly at the hour set
for sailing, the booming siren began to sound, last farewells were
shouted, and the invariable late stayer on board made his wild leap for
the gang-plank before it was drawn in.
A perceptible vibration ran through the monster ship. Her propellers
began to churn the water white. A small fleet of tugs helped to swing
her against the tide as she slowly backed into the stream. Majestically
her monster bulk swung round, her bow pointing seaward. Her maiden
voyage had begun.
It is doubtful if among her delighted passengers and proud officers,
however, there were any more enthusiastic about the great vessel than
two lads who were seated in the wireless operators' cabin on the topmost
deck.
"Well, Billy, this is different from the old _Ajax_, eh?"
"Is it? Well, I should say so," responded Billy. "You ought to see the
engine-room. You could have put the _Ajax_ in it, almost."
"We ought to be proud of our jobs," continued Jack.
"I know I am. It's a great thing to be part of the human machinery of a
huge vessel like this, and the best part of it is that she flies the
American flag," added Billy enthusiastically.
"I heard that the _Gigantia_, of the London Line, sails to-day, too. By
Jove, there she comes now."
He pointed out of the open door back up the river. The great British
steamer, till then the biggest thing on the ocean, was backing out. Her
four red-and-black funnels loomed up imposingly above her black hull.
"Then we'll have a race for certain," said Billy, his eyes dilating with
excitement; "good for us, but my money goes on the _Columbia_."
"That Britisher can travel, though," said Jack.
"Oh, we won't have an easy time of it, but I'll bet my shirt we'll win
the blue ribbon of the ocean."
"I hope so," rejoined Jack with a smile at the other's enthusiasm. "But
what do you think of my quarters, Billy?"
"Why, they're fit for a king or a millionaire," laughed Raynor. "I'll
bet you never thought, when you were in that little rabbit hutch of a
wireless room on the old _Ajax_, that some day you'd be traveling in
such style?"
Raynor's eyes wandered to the instrument table, with its array of the
most up-to-date wireless apparatus.
"Hullo! What's that thing?" he asked suddenly, pointing to a device that
looked unfamiliar. It was a box-shaped arrangement, metal, with
complicated wires strung to it and had a "telephone" receiver attached
to it with a band to hold it securely to the operator's head.
"Oh, that's an invention of my own that I'm trying out," said Jack. "I
don't just know what success I'll have with it. I haven't really put it
to the test yet."
"What do you call it?"
"The Universal Detector," replied Jack.
"Just what is that?"
"Well, at present you know a ship can only receive wireless messages
from a ship that is 'in tune' with her own radio apparatus. The
Universal Detector should make it possible to catch every wireless
sound. I am very anxious, if I perfect it, to get it adopted in the
navy. It would be of great value in time of war, for by its use every
message sent by an enemy, even if they were purposely put 'out of tune,'
could be caught."
"By the way, speaking of the navy, did you hear from Captain Simms?"
"Yes; he is still up at Musky Bay. Some difficulties in the code have
arisen, and he will not be through with his work for two weeks or more
yet, he says."
"No more attempts to steal his work, or to spy on him?"
"He doesn't mention any. I guess we're through with the Judson crowd."
"Looks that way. What a gang of thorough-paced rascals they were."
"I guess Judson's business must be in a bad way to make him take such
desperate chances to recoup by landing that contract."
"I suppose that's it."
Raynor lifted his eyes to the ship's clock above Jack's operating
instruments.
"By Jove, almost eight bells! I've got to go on watch. This is my first
job as second engineer, and I mean to keep things on the jump. Well, so
long, old fellow."
"See you this evening," said Jack, as Raynor hurried off.
Jack soon became very busy. The air was full of all sorts of messages.
Besides that, his cabin was crowded with men and women who wished to
file last messages to those they left behind them. He worked steadily
through the afternoon, catching meteorological radios as well as
information from other steamers scattered along the Atlantic lane.
He knew that he might expect hard work and plenty of it all that day.
There would be no chance for him to experiment with his Universal
Detector. About dusk, Harvey Thurman, his assistant, came into the
wireless room to relieve him while he went to dinner.
Thurman was a short, thick-set young man, with a flabby, pallid face and
shifty eyes. He had got his job on the new liner through a "pull" that
he possessed through a distant relationship with Mr. Jukes. Jack had not
met him before, and, since they had been on board, they had exchanged
only a few words, but he instinctively felt that he and Thurman were not
going to make very good shipmates.
As Jack relinquished the head-receivers and the key to his "relief,"
Thurman's gaze rested on the Universal Detector.
"What's that?" he demanded.
"Oh, just a little idea I'm working on," said Jack, "a new invention. If
I can perfect it, it may be valuable."
"Yes, but what is it? What's it for?" persisted Thurman.
Jack explained what he hoped to accomplish with the instrument, and an
instant later was sorry he had done so, for he noticed an expression of
cupidity creep into Thurman's eyes. The youth persisted in asking a host
of questions, and Jack, having started to explain, could not very well
refuse to answer. Besides, inventors are notoriously garrulous about
their brain children, and Jack, even though he did not like Thurman,
soon found himself talking away at a great rate.
"Huh, I don't think the idea's worth a cent," sniffed Thurman
contemptuously, when Jack had finished.
"I guess that's where you and I differ," said Jack, controlling his
temper with some difficulty, for the sneer in Thurman's voice had been
marked. "I'm going to make it a success, and then we shall see."
He left the wireless room, and the instant he was gone Thurman, with a
crafty look on his flabby face, eagerly began examining the detector. As
he was doing so Jack, who had forgotten his cap, suddenly reëntered the
wireless room. Thurman had been so intent on his scrutiny of the
detector that he did not hear him.
"You appear to be taking great interest in that useless invention," said
Jack in a quiet voice.
Thurman started and spun round. His face turned red and he had an almost
guilty look.
"I didn't think you were coming creeping back like that," he exclaimed,
"a fellow would almost think you were spying on him."
"Have you any reason to fear being spied upon?" asked Jack.
"Me? No, not the least. That's a funny question."
"I want to tell you, Thurman, that my invention is not yet completed and
therefore, of course, is not patented. I was pretty free with you in
describing it, and I shall trust to your honor not to talk about it to
anyone."
"Certainly not," blustered Thurman. "I'm not that sort of a chap."
But, after Jack had gone out, he resumed his study of the detector a
second time, desisting every time he heard a step outside.
"So it's not patented, eh?" he muttered to himself. "That will help.
It's an idea there that ought to be worth a pot of money."