Air Wonder Stories, August 1929 — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a ee a rm et go tT the crew and officers’ staff to report at-once for the take-off. I glanced around the control cabin trying to appraise the many and varied instruments that it con- tained but Bob’s voice called my attention from them and we returned to the craft's discharging elevators. Night had fallen when we found ourselves deposited on the landing. In spite of the glaring flood-lights that bathed the entire airdrome and its brood of aircraft in white, I could see occasional flashes of lightning flaring jaggedly. from behind banks of ominous black clouds toward the east. For miles and miles the Divide ap- peared to be blanketed with a cloak of milling, twist- ing cloudbanks, outlined clearly by the jagged streaks of electricity. Few planes were in the air and they were marked with their own brilliant aileron and aero- foil lights, typical of restless commercial craft. ‘They scudded through the air swiftly, like scattered night- birds. “I’m sorry, folks,” Bob said witha resigned gesture as we stood for the last few minutes. with him before the scheduled departure of the Annihilator, “T’m sorry you didn’t have a chance to see the controlling system of the Annihilator, Really it’s worth seeing.” “That's perfectly alright, Robert,” said Joan, placing a hand on his sleeve, “that will bean incentive for you to come again—to show father the controls.” “Don’t listen to her, my boy,” I said, “It will be an incentive for us to visit you at Kitty Hawk! I’ve got to see through that ship and I’m sure Joan would like to go through it again with you.” “That's great, Mr. Holdon! Ti tell _dad that you are coming and he'll be down from Washington to see you.” Bob said, pleased. “I’ve got to get aboard now. T don’t want to be left——as much as I’d like to re- main here, I'll be expecting to see you both in Kitty Hawk sometime tomorrow.” He turned to Joan. “Good-bye, Joan,” he said. “You'll come, won't you?” “We will, Robert,’ she replied, earnestly. “We'll leave in the morning and be in Kitty Hawk in time for afternoon tea. My speedster can do it in three hours!” “Will you go to.the Officers’ Club. dance with me tomorrow night?” he asked, eagerly. “Tf you want me to,” she whispered, softly. “Thank you, Joan! Good-bye, Mr. Holdon. See you tomorrow. By the way, we'll broadcast our voyage to New. York. You.can pick us up with your television, if you wish, but we will not be able to talk. With your 42 power receiver you ought to be able to follow the ship through. We broadcast at 24,500 Kilocycles on the 14 channel: band,” “Good-bye, my boy,” I said, as he took Joan’s small hand affectionately. “I'll watch you all the way to New York. My regards to your father.” With that, Lieutenant. Allison entered the open shuttles of the receiving lifts and was wafted up into the control room of the Annihilator. Presently we saw his face at a control cabin window. Joan waved a hand. I smiled up at him pleasantly and nodded. Suddenly a hissing sound surged through the Annihilator and I-hustled Joan away. Spectators had already taken to-a safe distance. The body of the ship seemed to glow for an instant as the magnetic energy passed into its cobalt-steel casing. Insulation, repelling gravity, had been contacted and the ship rose into the air gracefully and swiftly, her driving exhaust tubes silent and dead. With an eagle-like swoop she turned her nose upward in a«half loop and headed eastward into. the thick, murky haze. Long. streamers AIR WONDER STORIES of brilliant light shot ahead of the ship and from the cabin windows along her trim stream-lines, there camie the constant glow of her internal lights. We watched the Annihilator as she passed out of vision into the eastern blackness. She raced more than: five miles eastward before she suddenly opened her exhaust tubes. Where we stood we could hear the steady toar of her propulsion explosions. The roar gradually died away as the great craft gained momen- tum. Occasionally we caught a glimpse of-the streaks of fire trailing along in her wake. Gradually they too disappeared into the blackened eastern heavens. Quickly, Joan and I walked into an open elevator and soon found ourselves in the apartment, glad to feel the warmth of the automatic heaters, for it had grown chilly on the landing, Presently I found myself studying Joan’s radiant features. Her dark brown hair hung-in thin, curling whisps around her temples. She had donned a.com- fortable dressing grown and was seated on the divan, scanning over the pages of the Aero-Chronicle, Oddly she seemed a very different girl from her usual con- fident, impulsive self. Ordinarily at this time she would have been scudding across the sky to visit some friend tiles away or transporting her chums toa party in her snappy: little aerospeedster. , Now. she remained at home for a quiet evening for the first time since we had. taken up our abode in Denver. “What’s-the matter, Joan dear?” I asked. “Nothing, father,” she replied. without lifting her face. “I just feel like staying home this evening. Why do. you ask?” “No -reason-at-all, dear. I thought it rather odd that you would elect to remain home with me so sud- denly. It’s going to be a bad night; isn’t it?” I said, walking over to my eastern exposure to scan the sky. What the Television Showed oR an almost constant display of lightning IT could see the black clouds in the east, tumbling violently under an upward’ pressure. The heavens over the Divide were in an uproar. Thunderous claps reached my ears and lightning flashed in long, jagged streaks that seemed alive with fire. <A terrible, fright- ful night over the Rocky Mountain. summits! But aircraft would avoid the upheaval of the elements at merely the cost of a slight delay. Hardly more than ten minutes had elapsed following the departure of the Annihilator until I donned my = jacket and sat down-at the television teceiver. — Slowly I adjusted the controls and gradually the long — smoking shape of the air-leviathan loomed on the screen, glisten~ ing under a coat of ice, which was very unusual for this season. She seemed to be in the very center: of a terrific storm and while the atmosphere seemed void of snow, the ship was actually encrusted by ice! She was traveling at an amazing velocity and I tuned in the powerful radio reception units of the television Suddenly the hissing roar of her driving exhausts came in through the super-dynamic reproductive coils. The suddeness of its roar and volume caused Joan to jump, nervously, stifling a little cry. I throttled the instri- ments until the roar was barely audible, Claps of thunder frequently caused the coils to sputter, and flashes of high-tension lightning created an occasional glow along the reducing units. Joan walked to my side-and sat down. JI turned on the double-wave screen in front:of her and tuned it on the 14 channel band, The Annihilator, pitching peril- cComicbooks: com ~ a : sas 7 spe y fect p es 2) Pie aT