Jack Wright and His Electric Stage | Page 7

vehicle in the form of a stage was disclosed standing
in the middle of the apartment.

Jack pointed at it and said:
"There's the machine that will do all I claimed for it."
"By thunder, that's an odd looking affair!"
"She certainly is a peculiar carriage."
"Yet she is very handsome, light, and durable."
"Lift one end of her. You will be amazed at her weight."
"How can one man lift such a heavy thing as that?"
"Try, and you'll see."
The sheriff complied.
He was astonished to find he could raise her,
Jack burst out laughing at his amazed expression.
"I can't imagine what material she can be made of!" said the officer.
"It's aluminum," replied Jack, "Have you a revolver?"
"Yes--a 32 calibre weapon."
"If you will put a bullet through her I'll give you $10,000."
Timberlake's surprise increased, and he drew his weapon.
Aiming it at the vehicle in various places he blazed away.
Six shots were thus fired.
He then closely examined the Terror, as the stage was named, and
although he saw where each of the heavy caliber bullets had struck the
machine, he failed to find a perforation.

In fact he picked up the bullets from the ground fused and battered out
of shape.
Jack watched him with an amused smile.
"What do you think of that for bullet-proof armor?" he asked.
"It is simply wonderful--extraordinary!"
Timberlake scanned the engine with newly awakened interest.
It was about thirty feet long, by ten in breadth, rode on four broad
cogged wheels, and was set on strong, flexible springs.
Under the middle of the car was a powerful motor for revolving the
wheels, in front of the dashboard was a projecting ram over which
stood a search-light of 90,000 candle power, above the forward wheels
were air brakes, the driver's seat was in front, and before it stood a
steering wheel and several levers.
All the actions of the Terror were controlled by these levers.
Each side of the car was indented with four windows and four
bull's-eyes, there was a door front and back, and a rear platform from
which hung a ladder to get on and off.
The lower section of the walls consisted of metal plates, while the
upper part was made of aluminum wire netting, there was a small
smokestack on top of the roof, and on each side a railed platform.
Her interior was divided by partitions into three rooms, the forward one
being a general living room containing bunks for sleeping, the middle
one was a combined dining room and kitchen, the cooking being done
on an electric stove, and the rear room was for storage.
In it water and provisions, arms and ammunition, tools and many other
useful articles were to be stowed.
There were two compartments--one under the sleeping room floor in

which stood the mechanism for running the Terror, and the other
beneath the store room floor, in which stood a small powerful dynamo
which operated automatically by a spring clockwork.
All the room lamps and the search-light derived their current from the
dynamo, while it worked the motor, and that in turn operated the
driving wheel machinery.
"It don't require a skilled electrician to see how the Terror operates."
said Jack, as he showed the sheriff the interior, "for I have based her
construction upon the simplest known principles."
"Oh, I can readily see how she ought to work."
"I'll give you an example," said Jack, seating himself behind the
steering wheel and pulling a lever.
That set the clockwork in motion, it spun the dynamo armature, a
current was generated, flashed into the motor, the shaft operated the
machinery, and the Terror rolled ahead.
When she reached the end of the room he reversed the lever and she
backed to the other wall.
He then ran her around the room in a circle, steering by the wheel, and
attained a tremendous velocity; he put on the brakes and she stopped
within a few feet, and he turned a switch that caused the search-light
and lamps in her to glow.
By the time he finished the sheriff was wild with admiration of the
extraordinary vehicle.
"For what purpose did you build her? he asked Jack, when they
finished maneuvering her, and alighted.
"Just for fun, I have plenty of money and leisure, and a strong liking for
building these electrical inventions."
"But why did you say she could catch Jesse James' horse Siroc?"

"Simply because I have made up my mind to do so?"
"What! Go to Missouri in pursuit of the James Boys?" asked
Timberlake, as he took up Jack's remark.
"Yes, sir. I or the bank have lost five thousand dollars by a mean trick
the bandit king played on me, and I mean to recover it."
"League