Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1914 — Page 2

SERIAL STORY

=—Tbi Isolated Continent . .. • __ '> A Romance of the Future

By Guido von Horvath and Dean Hoard

Oopfright, 1918. bj W. 3. Chapman in tba United States and Great Britain. 1« :

SYNOPSIS.

For fifty years the continent of North America had been isolated from the rest of the world by the use of Z-rays, a wonderful Invention of Hannibal Prudent. The Invention had saved the country from foreign invasion, and the continent had been united under one government with Prudent" as president. For half a century peace and prosperity reigned in this part of the world. The story opens with President Prudent critically ill. His death* 1b hastened by the receipt of a message from Count von IVerdensteln of Germany that he has at last succeeded In penetrating the rays. Hying. Tie warns nis daughter Astra that this means a foreign invasion. He tells her to hurry to the Island of Cirvne, but dies before he can tell the location of the place. Astra ia nominated for the presidency by the continental party. Napoleon Edison calls on Astra. Informs her that he was a pupil of her father’s, and promises to help Per. He gives her a ring made of a newly discovered substance which, he says, will solve the problem of dying. Chevalier di Leon - appears in Europe. He calls on von Werdenstein and offers him the secret of making gold In return for absolute disarmament and peace. The chevalier Is suspected of twine an American: He Is seized at night and carried off In .an areoplane. Astra is Inaugurated as president. She receives a message from Edison, whose long silence has worried her. that he has been a prisoner for two months on the island of Helgoland and nas Just escaped. He announces that, the confederated fleet of Europe has sailed for America. He promises to call on her the following night: Countess Rosiny. a spy, becomes a prisoner in hope of securIng Napoleon's serret. She falls in love with him. She agrees to loin him In an attempt to escape. By the use of fireworks he summons a curious flying machine which resembles a monster eagle. He escapes and sends his message to Aartra. Edison calls on Astra as promised. He tells her his plans for defense have been completed, but that he will give fuller details at his workshop on the Island of Cirvne In tha Pacific. They make the trip In three hours. His plans are based on the peculiarity of the new substance, drvn'th; which Is llghtffi- than any known’ metal and Is practically Indestructible. The Europeans succeed in passing the line of Isolation, but find that the Americans have established a-second one. Edison delivers a note to von Werdenstein In his flagship demanding thßt the fleet be withdrawn. Edison Is attacked, but by the use of some mysterious power he i destroys two warshins and several aeroplanes. Realizing his helplessness Werdenstein withdraws his fleet and consents to universal disarmament. Edison’s mother Is 111 on the island of Cfryne. Countess ■Rosiny offers’to go and comfort her. hoping to discover Edison’s secrets. She beidna to. weave a net around Santos Du - prel. Edison’s assistant. The countess gets a letter from Werdenstein offering ner the princedom of Schomburg-Eithow for Edison's secret, Edt«nn nnd Santos start In search of a new deposit of cirvn--Ith. their supply being almost exhausted They And it on the es.tate of SehomburgT.lthow. The countess finally gets Santos into her clutches. She gets another letter from Werdenstein asking her to find out why Edison is Interested in the Schomhurg estate. Edison applies personally to Werdenstein with an offer for the property. but gets no satisfaction. Astra and Edison set the date for their wedding. ■Werdenstein gets a letter from the countess. promising to reveal Edison’s secrets as soon as the property is turned over to her.

V CHAPTER XVll.—Continued. “Doth the Count Rosiny and the countess were members of the German neftret jgnrffneeded—meansto keep up their title and did not hesitate to become spies. Besides, she said - it was her greatest pleasure to participate in intrigue and the excitement of this profession. “A few years later, a complete moral wreck, I broke away from 'her. and went to Russia. There I became a tool of that infamous, grewsome society that works in the dark against all that is good. It was my fate to bte selected to do the ugliest crime of my life. . I thank God I was prevented from succeeding. "I am trying to right the wrong I Intended to do you. I know my punishment can only be death. I expect it. I long for it, and these, my last words, are sacred. “I base not seen her for years and her unexpected appearance on the scene diverted my mind —for a moment 1 wanted to kill her. “This is my story, your ladyship and pince T have breathed American air, even though it came through prison windows, I begin to understand the greatness of the Ideals you are serving, and I beg yon not to condemn me in your thoughts. The knowledge that your noble mind pardons the unhappy tool of a wrong idea, will ease my last hour “AETZEL VON ROTHENBERG.” There the long letter ended, but another sheet was waiting to be read: “Your ladyship—My former communication was written before L received the news that I am pardoned “Life is precious, .and while I was ready to give it up, I accept your kind SkCt that was inspired by the goodness Of your heart, jubilantly. You gave «>e life and liberty and will you now accept my true and faithful services so long as I live? “If 1 could tell yon how I feel toward your ladyship, you would not hesitate to rely npon me. “God shall give all his blessings upon yon and yours. “1 will be at the Columbian Hotel Awaiting your decision. “Your gateful servant, t “AETZEL VON ROTHENBERG ” Napoleon placed the long missive on the desk and looked thoughtfully at

Antra, then without a word, turned to the electro-stylograph. A few minutes later he was talking to his master mechanic, old Jerome Whistler, on the Island of Ciryne. •’Hello, Whistler?" "Hello. Mr. Edison! What can 1 do Mr you.’’ - ——-— —— "How is everything at Ciryne?*' "All well.” "The aerodrohionee all in?" "Yes, sir, except the Eagle, that is your private machine.” "Have you seen the Countess Rosiny today ?” . , L 1... "She left with Mr. Duprel, day before yesterday on the Hav&k.” "But Santos brought the machine back?” ■ "■ ______ “Not he, but youngs Sullivan, who went with them.” "Then Be does not know where Santos and the countess left the machine?” ' "He says he doesn’t.”“Leave the Hawk as she is; don’t touch her until I come. That is all I wanted; sorry that I had to disturb yoiu Good night.” Ho disconnected the ’graph and turning to Astra said: “Santos is another victim of the her witching countess. I am sorry for him.” "She seems created to leave sorrow wherever she goes. Poor Santos!"

CHAPTER XVIII. The Secret of the Aerodromone. The newly made Princess of Scliomburg Lithow and her fiance. Santos, reached Berlin safely. The/ flew in the Hawk to Irkutsk in Asiatic Russia and from there continued their Journey on the quick aeroline to the German capital. They sent the aerodromone back to Ciryne. The Rosiny mansion was ready for them. Rositta’s first action was to send word to the Count von Werdenetein that she wanted to see him. When the chancellor came. Rosfitta received him alone. It was necessary for her to explain the situation. The Count Rosiny was dead. He had been on board the Tzar that Napoleon had sunk. This freed Rositta, but as a princess she could not marry a plain citizen, so she asked the count to make Mr. Dunrel a titled nobleman. Roeitta told all she thought necessary, and they talked for a long time. Santos was told the plans without the slightest idea that it was a tremendous, far-reaching plot designed to destroy all the achievements of the peace committee. He could see nothing but Rositta, he could think of nothing but their approaching marriage. The purpose the chancellor and Rositta ha<Tlh mind, was te manufacture and equip a number of aerodromones. If they pursued this desire, they would have, inside of a year, the power to master the situation and take the lead 'in political affairs. Suemeg now belonged to Rositta and the cirynith deposit there was very rich. The Count von Werdenstein placed an unlimited account in the bank to her credit, so that she and Santos could begin work at once. The people of Kiss-Cell were surprised at the- unusual activities displayed by the strange men imported. Santos Duprel was very busy. He had been informed that after the successful completion of the first aerodromone he would have the title of “count” conferred upon him. and that this would remove all the barriers between Rositta and him. Their marriage would take place the day of the trial flight. This fired his ambition, and he worked hard and long. He was allowed to plan as he wished, and one day laid his blue prints before the Count von Werdenstein. He showed him that a larger and more powerful aerodromone than Napoleon’s would be necessary; otherwise the design and make would be unchanged. This improvement in size would give more motive power, and thus make it superior to the Eagle.

“The Power, of Course, Is Electricity.”

“And what is your motive power? I don't see any details in your plan ‘hat would explain the* wonderful power that your devils of the air pos sess.’’ . Santos cast a questioning glance at Rositta. • She nodded acquiescence, and he began: “The power, of course. Is electricity. I Will try to explain things as simply as they are. The flight of the eerodromone is based on the flight of a bird—hot any bird, but the king pi the air, the eaglq. Size of body, wings, and balance are all considered. After a long search and study, Napoleon Edison found that no muscle power could have the endurance of the eagle and a few other birds tjtiat are able to cover remarkably long distances in a very

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, DID,

short time. He closely examined living birds, and took the homing pigeon, for example, after a long flight, and proved that they had collected in their feathers a surprisingly large quantity of atmospherical electricity. The feathers on the wings especially, serve as collectors, and every little liairlike feather adds to the supply. “When the bird begins to fly a regular magneto is created, that has its two poles at the two ends of the wings. One side is the negative and the other the positive. From the moment this electric-magnetic state is reached, all the work the muscles are expectedTto do is to direct the flight, as the wings are moved by the force of the electricity ; that is they come together lintil the force of the opposite magnetic power forces them apart, and the repetition of this operation is called flight.” ’ That certainly sounds simple." murmured the chancellor. “Now take the aerodromone,” conTihued Santos. "Through mechanical inventions, and cirynith, we have improved the bird’s method of flight. The improvement is in the storing away of unused magnetism. The more quickly we fly, the more magnetism is gathered by the machine. 1 ' Santos pointed to the front part of the machine on the blueprint, calling the chancellor’s attention to the contrwance that gave the machine the appearance of an eagle. It was a large brass ball, covered with a cirynith cap. Then he pointed to a broad brass bar that extended over the entire top of the machine; that bar was like a round brush, and its duty was to gather In every little spark of electricity, and store it in* tlie brass collector. When the insulation was broken, a lightning flash was sent out, directed at the will of the air man. So long as the machine was In motion there was always plenty of electricity in the collector, ready to be sent out to cause destruction to anything. “Wonderful!” sighed the count. “I know what those sparks mean, I have seen 'them in action.” —“The simple machinery that is built into every aerodromone is to control the flight and to start the wings. On account of the extreme simplicity of the mechanism and the tremendous strength of cirynith. the aerodromone is, practically speaking, indestructible.” “But how—can one machine capture the other, or even fight the other, under these conditions?” asked the count anxiously. "There are two ways in which a machine may gain victory over the other One is to disable the brain of the machine, that is, the man behind the wheel.” “How car. that be done?” asked the count eagerly. “Cirynith, as you know, Is harder than anything except the diamond, so I believe if hard steel bullets were made with diamond points they would penetrate the comparatively thin shell of cirynith that defends the airman. However, this is only a theory. Experiments must 6how the advisability of their manufacture.” —“What is the other way?” "That is a certain ftiethod, and is based on the laws of electricity that seem to govern aerial navigation." “What is 1t?” asked the count, impatiently, as Santos hesitated and looked at Rositta. “It is the same as when a boy takep a piece of amber or ( any other substance that can be magnetized and lifts up a paper scrap. The quicker airman has to maneuver so as to alight on top of the hostile machine. The lower machine then sticks to the upper, like the paper to the amber, only with such great force*that it cannot be released until the current is stopped and the necessary Insulation between the opposing forces is obtained.” “But the wings of the lower machine might strike the upper,” remarked the count. ”lt looks that way,” answered Santos wearily. It brought back the happy days in the service of Napoleon, and his heart was heavy. "But, as I have mentioned., different laws prevail in the air. totally different from the laws that govern the land or water. The atmospherical electricity has qualities that cannot be judged by our present knowledge. It has to be ex perimented with. Our trials on the Island of Ciryne showed us that the aerodromones do not injure each other; they might stick together, or be hurled apart, but they are never damaged." —■r—“Then you think, Mr. Duprel, that you will be able to capture Edison's force?”

The little man cast an appealing glance toward Rositta; she looked him straight in the eyes and encouraged him. He said bravely: "Mr. Edison is a very formidable enemy, but our improved machines will give us the advantage, and besides, we will have a larger fleet.” The count was satisfied and the work under Santos’ direction went on It took months before the factory was in perfect shape, and the various parts were manufactured for the aerodromones. They often wondered that Napoleon had not appeared to interfere with their work. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

Keeping Her Sweet.

•“Your daughter is a great reader, isn't she?" "Yes." r~“ "Do >ou exercise a censorship over what she reads?” "Only to the extent of barring the popular novels."

Behind on His Schedule.

“What's the matter, old top?” « "Lumbago." "1 have a remedy I wish you'd try." "I’ll put the remedy on my waiting list. At my present rate of progress I ll get to it in about tee yearn."

VOLCANOES IN ACTION

-■■ r TERRIFIC DAMAGE DONE WHEN MOUNTAINS BLOW UP.

Long List of Disasters Due to Eruptions—That of Krakatoa in 1883 About the Worst of Which There Is Record.

The eruption of Sakura recalls that of Mount Pelee, which destroyed St. Pierre, Martinique, the most beautiful city in the West Indies, Vith appalling suddenness. Like Sakuri, the volcanic peak of Pelee had been quiescent for a long period, and was her lieved to be practically extinct. It smoked a little for a few days before it blew up, but it had previously sent up similar thin, vaporous clouds at Intervals of ten or twenty years—so nobody paid attention to its seemingly harmless activity. Without warning a. pillar of rock shot upfrom the crater of Mount Pelee to a height of nearly 100 feet, and a rent opened half-way up the mountain’s slope, from which blew a hot blast, stupefying and incinerating every organic thing in the path of its withering breath. In less time, than it takes to tell, St. Pierre, with nearly its entire population, was wiped out and buried in the rain of ashes which followed the explosion. In ijs tremendous force, however, the eruption of Sakura more nearly resembles that of Krakatoa in 1883. This is believed to have been the greatest cataclysmic disturbance suffered by the earth in historic times, and possibly within the more recent of the geologic eras. Krakatoa was a volcanic peak rising 2,000 feet above sea level, in Sunda strait. After warning manifestations, which continued several days, the outburst came on August 27. The entire northern half of the volcano was blown away, and the soundings -subsequently made showed a depth of 1,000 feet of water where the mountain had stood. An eye-witness of some of the prenomena observed from the shore of Java processions of native boats, held by a current many times more irresistible than that of Niagara and sucked into the vortex caused by the great hole torn in the floor of the ocean. It is estimated that the column of stones and ashes thrown up by Krakatoa’s explosion shot up to a height of 17 miles. Nearby islands were covered with volcanic debris to the height of the tree tops of their forests. The dust particles left floating in the upper strata of the atmosphere encompassed the earth as with a belt 75 degrees wide, producing a deep red glow in the sky after sunset for months after the upheaval. On the day of the eruption and for several days thereafter lamps had to be lighted at Batavia at noon. The waves started by the explosion reached almost around the earth. They were distinctly observed at Cape Horn, and were perceptible even in channel. —The most remarkable fact; however, was the distance to which the noise of the explosion traveled. It was audible In the Philippines, 1,400 miles; at Ceylon, 2,000 miles, and in South Australia 2,200 miles away; and a sea captain claims to have distinctly heard it all the way across the Indian ocean off Zanzibar.

The Destroying Teeth.

It is somewhat cruelly said that a number of prominent civil and military, who have passed away in Washington recently, ate themselves into untimely graves. Of course this might - well be true of the civil persons, but what are we to think of our stalwart army and navy officers succumbing to soups and salads, riddled by rib roasts and ragouts and driven down and out by souffles and sirloins! In these piping times of peace when the dove twitters on the epauletted shoulder, will the insidious enemy rout an ornamental soldiery with potage and with pudding? Where are the army regulations? Where are the shades of the ragged continentals starving at Valley Forge? Where are the abstemious habits of the warriors of old? K Where are a lot of things that have been mislaid? When Cadmus sowed the teeth and the soldiers sprang into life, he certainly didn’t dream tjjat teeth would also lay them low.

Luxury of Sugar.

Sugar was considered an article of luxury In Europe until tea and coffee became usual articles of diet. Sugar was then used to sweeten these beverages and so gradually came to have a prominent part in the daily diet. Before the days of sugar much more meat was eaten and the drinking of alcoholic beverages was much more common. The fair maiden who could not, with impunity, drink a pint of ale for breakfast was unusual. Perhaps, in spite of the fact that most of us eat too much of it, sugar is a blessing. Even oversweetened coffee and cereal covered with sugar sound more beneficial than a pint of ale and half a pound of beef for breakfast.

Boy Nature.

Bishop Olmsted was talking about boy nature. . “Boy nature,” he said, “shows itself in numberless ways. I once said to a little boy: “ ‘Do you know the parables, my child?' . V-.-' _ “ ‘Yes, Air,’ he replied. “ 'And which of the parables,’ said I, ‘do you like best?’ “ ‘I like the one,’ he answered, after a moment's thought, ‘where somebody loafs and flehes."

YUCATAN, the AMERICANEGYPT

AGES past, so the Greek historians tells us. there was a continent called Atlantis that was peopled by a highly cultured _ race. Warriors they were and on conquest bent. The Greek gods, fearing the subjugation of their own people, cast about for means to stay the victorious onrush of the Atlantean, and finding &one,' appealed to ox-eyed Juno, who perBuaded Jove to destroy the Atlanteans by sinking Atlantis to the bottom of the sea.

Tradition has it that at the same time another continent rose, like Aphrodite, from the sea, and that some of the Atlantean survivors escaped into this newborn country and there established another empire. How much of truth and how much of romance there is in this is impossible to state, but there is one thing certain, the peninsula of Yucatan is an infant, comparatively speaking, and of neptunic parentage. Its entire area is nothing but limerock (madrepora) containing the shells of living species and that of fossils bridging the pliocene and pleistocene periods, about 12,000 years ago, the traditional dateof the Atlantis disaster. Yucatan a Strange Land. Yucatan from a topographical and geographical point of view is a strange and remarkable land. It is practically an absolute flat and there are no rivers and fio lakes as generally known. The crust of rock covering the peninsula Is very' porous and full of immense subterranean caverns. The abundant rainfall of ages filtered through this crust and filled these caverns, these great masses of water under pressure gradually n pertor&ted the rock and found an outlet To the sea underground. The crust over these subterranean streams in some places, caving, formed pools, nearly all circular and with steep sides and with a depth of water from a few feet to several hundreds, but rarely exceed 200 to 300 feet in diameter: \ The pools —cenotes as they are called there —are not plentiful and not all have potable water. None have really good water. All are heavily charged with the different salts, naturally, and as a matter of necessity each of the large wells was the nucleus of a settlement and which later grew into a city. No metals or any of their chemical compounds or combinations are found on the peninsula, but on the south and where the peninsula connects with the mainland and the geological formation changes, there are large copper deposits, which were known to the “Maya. His smelting furnaces and the scoriae from them can be found today along the banks of the Rio Hondo, the boundary of British Honduras and Mexico. Of soil there is very little. Planters in that country do not buy plowß, but use giant powder to cultivate and plant with: still it seems paradoxical, the whole peninsula is covered with a thick, luxuriant and barely penetrable forest of precious hardwoods, such as mahogany, cedar, rosewood, satinwood, lignum vitae, ebony and hundreds of other beautiful woods. Predominating is the achras sapote, or the chicle gum tree. There are* enough of these to make chewing gum for the whole world. Last, but not least, It is the home of the agave sisalensis. or henequen. which produces the fiber for the American Arheat growers' binder twine and for which he pays the Yucatecan state henequen trust some $50,000,000 a rear. With fruit trees end game, pelt-

SCENE IN YUCATAN

ed and winged, the peninsula Is singularly blessed. - ■ “ ■ This is the land of which the Maya made- himself the lord and master when he came from the mystic land of “We-know-not.” At a later period, probably a thousand years before the Spanish conquest, there came to him from across the sea and from the west some mys- • tic wise men, who became his teachers and instructors In the arts and sciences.

The peninsula, away from the highway of nomadic tribes and nations and unknown at that time to the captains of industry, was the home of the dove of peace, the synjbol of Which to the Maya was the quetzal, the jewel of the jewelbirds. The Mayan, not having to keep up an enormous standing army to keep peace or to defend his country from a foreign invasion, not being bothered within by trust, monopolies, isms, schismß or the high cost of living, devoted their time to the mystic and wise men. who evidently found a willing and apt pupil in the Maya, as the result shows. They soon became expert stone cutters, masons, painters and architects. They were excellent astronomers, proof of which is theih calendar, and naturally they must have known the fundamental elements of mathematics. Having passed the Btage of pictographs, they had evolved a system of hieroglyphics from which to the letter was hut a step. And so they prospered, multiplied and built their magnificent and stupendous temples and palaces. But as time passed they became (as it always was and will be with men) divided against each other, with disastrous results.

A few decades before the coming of the Spaniard, one of these internecine wars commenced and did not end until the common danger compelled them to lay aside their petty quarrels and combine against their greater foe, who slew them by the hundred thousands.

Population Decimated. Tradition says that the Mayans numbered about 2,000,000 at the time of the conquest, but scarcely 3,000 full-blooded and free Indians remain today.

Physically they are short and sturdy of body, colored somewhat lighter than the northern Indians, and that they are of Mongolian origin is plainly shown by their skulls. Some writers seek to connect the Maya with the hero god, Itzamma,. who, they say, led the Maya from the east across, or rather through the sea, thus giving the Mayan an Atlantean origin; but a close study of Mayan architecture, myths and tradition rejects that theory and accepts the western immigration of the Maya as the only tenable one. Of all the Indian tribes of the American continent, the Maya was the most highly cultured and civilized. They were the only architects on the continent and the teachers of the Aztec. They understood the art of paper-making from the fiber of the agave sisalensis, kept records and were writers of books and had libraries which, oh, everlasting shame, were ruthlessly burned by their “civilized” conquerors. Not satisfied with this crime against humanity aB a whole, they even blotted from the memory of the surviving Indians their traditions and folklore and reduced a highly moral and civilized people to most abject slaves, to whom the meaning of the term “morality” Is unknown.