Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

THE SKY RULER midday stm. And from the earth the ship was invisible to the naked eye. Only through powerful telescopes could: it have been brought close enough for observation. The Sky Ruler puffed nonchalantly on a cigar, frequently stroking his pointed, gray Van Dyke with a slightly trembling hand as he regarded the plans. Sheet after sheet came under his peculiar boring eyes, as if he was-filing ‘each single detail of the Sky Urchin's structure in the pigeon holes of. his brain, Whether he contemplated building other ships of the type through the enormous funds at his command was hard to decide, because his features were deep set and unfathomable. Presently a small, hook-nosed man appeared at the door leading from the ship’s.promenade companionway to the rear observation cabin. He was dressed in’ Ichalkd breeches, blue shirt and officers’ boots. On ‘his head was.an aviator’ 's helmet. His eyes seemed heavy with sleep. “I'm going on duty at the controls now, Chief,” he said in a piping voice. “What course shall we set?” The Sky Ruler glanced up from the plans and nodded. -"How would you like to land her on Old Pock-face, Slat- tery?” he asked, drawing at his cigar and throwing .a booted lez over the arm of. his chair. “The moon?” Slattery queried with an expression of alarm. “Precisely!” the Sky Ruler replied; a humorous: smile play- ing about the sides of his mouth, “Wouldn’t be very keen on it, Chief!” he replied, his face paling. “I don’t reckon the others would want to risk such a- flight even in this hulk. Of course if you say the word—” “Naw, not yet, Slattery!” the self-styled air ruler chuckled. “T was just feeling you out. But we might take a-shot at the moon ene of these days. I’ve always wanted to explore it! Seems to have\a powerful influence over me. Let’s see! This is Sunday! Better set a straight course for Berlin, Slattery. Tomorrow’s pay-day for the Germans!” “Okay, Chief!” the pilot replied, relieved. “In a hurry?” “Not much!” the Sky Ruler replied, turning again to his plans, “Take it easy!” : ; Slattery turned on his heel and swung through the companion- way toward the nose~of the ship, where he relieved the pilot on duty and took hold of the controls, He changed the Sky Urchin’s course slightly to the north-east and then sat’ down in a comfortable wicker chair at the controls. But while the Sky Ruler was taking life serenely as though he had nota care in the world, activity was feverish in the laboratories of the American Institute of Physics in Washing- ton, A: half dozen senior students of the Institute, headed by young Jack Reeves, were assembling the various sections of some strange piece of mechanism that was rapidly taking definite shape in a flat railroad car that had been tracked into the huge laboratory of physics. ERSPIRING, with hands grimy and face soiled, the eager young men worked side by side, silently placing various sections of the apparatus in final shape for a general assemblage. Jack Reeves, as greasy as his subordinates, struggled with a medium-sized steel drum that appeared:to have been shorn from a sphere of metal. Inside this device he was inserting great spools of copper wire He looked up at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. He had been so interested ‘in his work: that he had failed to: hear the sound of scraping feet behind him. As he beheld the features that met him squarely, his grimy face lit up with instant joy. “Professor Markleson!” he cried, shoving a-soiled palm: for- ward. The-hand was taken despite its grime. “God! I’m-glad to see you, sir! How are you, Professor?” The scientist’s features beamed as'he wrung the hand of this young understudy. He seemed eager and refreshed, and his eyes flashed as keen as a youngster’s. “I'm all right, son!” he: replied, glancing around. “Feel fine! But what's all this paraphernalia? Stil! working out your mag- netic ray- hypothesis, Jack?” The young scientist. grinned sheepishly, “Not. working it out, Professor,” he said, grimly, finishing it up} I've just about perfected. it!” “You have?” the Professor was pleasantly amazed, “Going to kill airplane engines in. mid-air, eh?” “Of ‘course-you. could not have -learned the real reason for building this outfit now, sir!” Jack replied warmly, “Weare not: going to waste any time experimenting with airplane mo- tors. This device is “especially designed to attract metallic bodies—from. the ‘air 1” Professor Markleson regarded him through brightening eyes, His: lips ‘suddenly began to tremble as though he had just realized the importance that certain metallic bodies had= been playing: in the scheme of things -in the heavens. He grasped the significance of the young man’s words at once. He placed both hands on Jack’s shoulders and shook him gently. “Do you-mean, son,” he said, peering into the other's eyes; “That your magnetic ray as outlined to m€ before is a success? Have you actually perfected it?” “You know I've been trying to work out a magnetic ray for a long time: that would. attract metal at a distance, sir!” the young physicist. replied. “I figured'to be able someday to pull aircraft to earth with dead- engines firmly attached to the tip of a magnetic beam—invisible, of course!” “Hm!” said Markleson, “just.what is your idea?” “What I do,* began Reeves eagerly, “ is to ionize the air by bombarding it with electrons from my projector. What I do.in short is. to establish a new attractive force for a body so that it-is pulled to my projector, just as it is ordinarily pulled toward the center of the earth, “Hm! Pretty deep,” Markleson commented. “TI don't-get it ofthand, but the important:thing is that you've succeeded |” “Yes, to-a large extent, sir,” the grimy young scientist re- plied, “But I don’t seem to be able to keep the ray from spreading out in fan shape after it leaves the projection tubes, and I’m not exactly satisfied with its range. I have brought down a small captive balloon -with_metal attached to it, from a 5000-foot altitude, I’m not certain how far this larger de- vice will project the ray. My model operated all right.” “That’s wonderful, Jack!” said the scientist enthusiastically: "Ts there anything I can do to help you?” Jack Reeves studied the scientist’s’features for a long minute, his eyes flashing. “Do you mean it—that you are able to work, sir?” he asked, “Able?” the Proféssor snorted. “I’m as fit as a stack of fiddtes |” “Then you'll find your overalls, laundered and ready for you in your locker, sir!” the young man replied. “You understand my ideas thoropghly, I shall step aside and allow you full charge from now on!” ‘ “Just The Magnetic Ray ONNING overalls, the scientist appraised the flat~car. Upon it a strong tower of well insulated metal rose like a-narrow pyramid toward the domed roof of the -laboratory. The base was-attached to the heavy car with insulated studs, bolted down tight. That the tower was complete and ready to accommodate: the remainder of the apparatus he could see. at once. Jack Reeves-stood by his side, watching him with pride. “That’s the combined-anchoring and broadcast: tower, sir!” he said. “The device on which I was working when you __came in fits on a gyroscopic principle on top of the tower, so that it can be swung in any direction except downward. Down here will be mounted the. controls—the rheostat controls which will regulate the magnetic..current as it enters the projection tube-attached tothe gyroscopic drum, I have also developed in the: rheostat a method for regulating the range of the in- visible beam. On my model the: controls governed the ray icomicbooks.com