Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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THE LAUREL 11 X. N. Q 2 2 llidi' .dx f A . icitgtaisiiar YHIINI THE STORY OF THE DISCOVERY AND LOSS OF THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD HE majority of the most mysterious and wonderful discoveries of the past three decades are correctly attributed to the late Hugo Von Bloickeindorf, late pro- fessor of Psychological Engineering at the imperial University of Berlin. The Pro- fessor was a dear friend of mine and shortly before his tragic death, he told me about his latest invention, the greatest, most remarkable and incomprehensible discovery that the world has ever witnessed. To per- fect this invention, the professor has sac- rificed the best years of his life in intensive labor. The result was that he accom- plished the seemingly impossible by isolat- ing in a very confined space a mysterious force which enabled him to overcome gravitation. The details of this machine, the world will never know, only that it comprised a small spherical container, easily fitting into one's pocket, on the outer surface of which was a control which, when adjusted, regulated the attraction of gravity. No less unbelievable and mysterious are the adventures of this superman when he first put his force to a test. As nearly as possible I will relate to you these truths as they were recounted to me. The professor had completed his inven- tion late in the evening of August 24, 1904. The tempestuous and the humid atmosphere of his laboratory had made the professor feel the need of air. He stepped out onto ha his terrace, with the machine in his pocketg accidentally he touched the control, releas- ing the attraction of gravitation. He was immediately borne upward into the heavens by the storm. The professor had been working hard and he was so overwrought by this final shock that it caused him to lose consciousness. When he awoke he was still in the air, but over a land entirely unfamiliar to him. His first thoughts were to get down to the earth again and to find out about this sec- tion of the world. He landed in a small enclosed valley and in the distance perceived domes and mina- rets such as would be fitting to an ancient and populous city. Adjusting the control he approached the city in such monstrous leaps as would rival the famous seven league boots. Easily he leaped over the high walls. A sight met his eyes which challenged even his imagination. Huge buildings which were far greater in height than the modern skyscrapers, towered on every hand. The most wonderful thing about these buildings to the professor's mind was that each side was composed of one huge slab of pure white stone, some of them decorated with fantastic paintings of queer shaped men and animals. Advancing further into the city he came upon some of the inhabitants, who were of singularly smaller stature than himself but who had an expression of rare intelligence. , 'E cts. '. 5. 'sig w v ?'V'., li

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12 THE LAUREL He immediately became the center of atten- tion among a group of these beings, be- cause of his unusual appearance in com- parison with theirs. They were not hostile and he soon perceived that one wished him to enter a neighboring building. He followed this man and as they ap- proached the seemingly unbroken side of the buildings at a mere gesture from his guide an opening miraculously appeared, through which they entered. The opening similarly closed and the professor was amazed to discover that the light of day penetrated through the unbroken stone walls although they in themselves were more or less opaque. They entered a small room which moved upward and stopped at a command from his guide. An opening similarly appeared in the side of this room, through which they entered a lofty and spacious apartment, the walls and ceilings of which were cov- ered with beautiful paintings and carvings, entirely different in character from those fantastic ones seen on the outside of the buildings. In this hall were many people similar to his guide and through the respect which they paid to one seated on a throne at the other end of the room, the professor imagined him to be their ruler. He was summoned before this individual who seemed to be very much interested in him. Finally he was given an apartment of his own, being summoned at regular intervals for his meals and for a walk in the streets of the city. As the language of this race of people was very simple he soon learned to converse with the ruler. He found out that this was a race of people who for cen- turies had lived in this same city, each year in some way making the city greater, and that each of the huge buildings in this city was the home of one certain tribe or monarch. The professor was very much interested in the huge buildings and inquired how such huge slabs of stone could be raised in posi- tion and made suitable for a building. He was informed that all this immense labor was performed by great machines, having a name equivalent to Eternal Energy or Everlasting Power. From this he correctly deduced that this people must have discov- ered the great secret of perpetual motion, and he resolved to discover this wonderful machine. The ruler of his temporary home, however, could tell him no more than that the secret of this machine was known only to the Grand Monarch and his council. Power taps to this source of energy were situated at convenient places about the city. To discover this machine the professor daily explored the city, at length discover- ing in the outskirts another great building shaped like an upright cylinder from which came an intense buzzing, so great that the ground all about vibrated in unison. The building was surrounded by palings with many guards pacing to and fro. He knew that it would be impossible for him to approach this building which he believed to be the source of power, on foot, so by means of his own invention he projected himself through the atmosphere, to the ut- most amazement of those present, and light- ing on the escarpment of the cylinder shaped building he gazed awestruck at the sight below. Inside a huge gyroscopic affair with a great wheel which revolved at such aftre- mendous rate and with so great energy that crashing sparks, many feet in length, were constantly leaping from all parts of the machine. The heat escaping was so great that a sizeable stick of wood cast by the professor at the machine vanished in a puff of smoke before it had come within fifty feet of the machine itself. Highly inflam- mable gases were constantly being gener- ated which occasionally took fire and the whole machine was wrapped in flames. Further opportunities for inspecting this machine were denied him for turning he discovered that the guards were upon him. He was manacled, taken down the side of the building and brought before the Grand