Five Thousand Miles Underground | Page 4

new ship was chasing him.
"Come on back!" said Mark. "There's no danger, and if there was we're not going to start
to-day."
"Ain't yo' foolin' me?" asked Washington, pausing and looking doubtfully at the boys.
"Of course not," answered Mark. "You know Professor Henderson would not make you
do anything you didn't want to do, Wash. He wishes you to stay and help him get ready,
that's all."
"Well, Washington," observed the aged scientist. "I didn't think you'd go back on me."
"I'd do mos' anything fer yo', Perfesser," said the colored man, "but I got t' beg off this
time," and he looked at the Flying Mermaid as if he thought the metal sides would open
and devour him.
Then help me get things in shape to generate the gas," the scientist said. "I want to give
the new vapor the first real test in lifting power to-day. On the success of it depends the
future of the ship."
Seeing there was no immediate danger of being carried to the centre of the earth,
Washington resumed his labors. The professor, the boys, Bill and Tom were also
hurrying matters to enable a test to be made before night.
As will readily be seen, even by those not familiar with the construction of airships and
submarines, the chief problem was to find some agent strong enough to lift from the earth
a weight heavier than had ever before been put into an apparatus that was destined to
traverse the clouds. For the Flying Mermaid was not only an airship but an ocean voyager
as well. It had to be made light enough to be lifted far above the earth, yet the very nature
of it, necessitating it being made heavy enough to stand the buffeting of the waves and
the pressure of water, was against its flying abilities.
Professor Henderson realized this and knew that the chief concern would be to discover a
gas or vapor with five times the lifting power of hydrogen, one of the lightest gases
known, and one sometimes used to inflate balloons.
After long study he had been partially successful, but he knew from experiments made
that the gas he had so far been able to manufacture would not answer. What he wanted

was some element that could be mixed with the gas, to neutralize the attraction of
gravitation, or downward pull of the earth.
While he was seeking this, and experimenting on many lines, the construction of the
air-water ship went on. In general the outward construction was two cigar shaped hulls,
one above the other. Aluminum, being the lightest and strongest metal that could be used
for the purpose, formed the main part of both bodies.
The upper hull was one hundred feet long and twenty feet in diameter at the widest part.
It tapered to points at either end. It was attached to the lower hull by strong braces, at
either end, while from the center there extended a pipe which connected with the lower
section. This pipe was intended to convey the lifting gas to the part which corresponded
to the bag of the balloon, save that it was of metal instead of silk, or rubber as is usual.
There were two reasons for this. One was that it would not be liable to puncture,
particularly in the proposed underground trip, and the other was that it did not have to be
so large as a cloth bag would have had to be. It was also a permanent part of the ship, and
on a voyage where part of the time the travelers would be in the air and part on the water,
and when the change from one to the other would have to be made quickly, this was
necessary. It would have taken too long to raise the ship in the air had a cloth bag been
used to contain the gas.
The lower hull or main part of the craft was one hundred and fifty feet long, and forty
feet through at the largest part, in the centre.
It was divided into four sections. The forward one contained the sleeping quarters of
Professor Henderson and his crew. There was a small stateroom for each one. Above was
a conning or observation tower, reached by a small flight of steps. From this tower the
ship could be steered, stopped and started, as could also be done from the engine room,
which was in the after part of the hull.
As in the Porpoise and Monarch, electricity formed the motive power and was also used
for many other purposes on board. Engines operated by gas produced the current which
heated, lighted and moved the ship, as well as played a part in producing the wonderful
gas.
The ship moved forward