CHAPTER III
THE SILVER SHIP
For nearly four years David had been an apprentice-student at theLighter-than-Air School at Goodlow Field. During that time many changeshad taken place. The school, at first housed in a single building on theGoodlow property, now had commodious brick buildings for classrooms,laboratories and dormitories. The school was run on an original scheme,which had proved most successful. It was co-operative. The studentsreceived free tuition and a small salary, in return for which they gavetheir labor. Any student falling below a certain grade was immediatelydismissed.
This benevolent scheme of education was made possible by the kindness ofone of America's greatest philanthropists, Mr. John Harrison Hammond,who added the strength of his millions to the Goodlow holdings at Ayre.
The erection of the great new hangar, or dock, was a story in itself.Even in this day of architectural and engineering miracles, the buildingwas unbelievably huge. It was the largest airport factory and dock inthe world. Its floor was a vast concrete spread, the largestuninterrupted floor area yet built. Over this rose the dock structure, acavernous semi-paraboloid building. From the passing airplane, it lookedlike a peanut or a silkworm cocoon. It was lighted with tier after tierof glass, in steel frames, so precisely made that a push-buttoncontrolled whole units of windows. The enormous doors, two-thirds glass,slid on ball-bearing wheels along tracks imbedded in the floor. These,too, were operated by a one-man lever.
In the top of the arching roof was tackle to hold the dirigibles duringconstruction. Here swung the great shapes slowly evolving from ghostlyskeletons to the finished marvels ready for flight. There was space forthe construction of two ships at the same time.
The ship that hung there partly finished was the largest yet built.Perfect in line, and carrying many new features; as yet unnamed, hercareer undecided, she drew David like a magnet. She was his dream ship,at last come true.
At the back of the dock built into the wall was a row of offices for theexecutives. The central office belonged to Colonel Porter, A. C., U. S.A. retired, Commandant of the school and chief of the dock forces.Colonel Porter was a lifelong friend of Mr. Hammond, and his influencehad persuaded the great financier to put his personal energy and manymillions of his vast fortune into the great task of today--thedevelopment of aviation.
One morning late in May, the two friends sat in Colonel Porter's office.
"I hardly expected you so soon," said Colonel Porter.
"Well, Port, I've decided to spend the rest of my life around the ships.I like it. I'm not young, but my money can do the hard work. I'minclined to help you push this business as far as it will go."
"Exactly what I hoped you would decide to do!" exclaimed the Colonel."And you have already made a wonderful start. This ship you arefinancing--you would be surprised at the callers she has had; peoplefrom all over the world, looking her over, taking snapshots of her,writing down her dimensions. We could sell her tomorrow."
"Have any changes been made recently?" asked Mr. Hammond.
"Not a thing," said Colonel Porter. "Here are the originalspecifications." He hunted up a long sheet of paper.
"Never mind the figures," said Mr. Hammond hastily. "My clipping agencysends me about two a day, usually different, but they all agree that shecontains ten million, two hundred thousand cubic feet and is twelvestories high amidship. You know that item seems to make a great hit withthe public. What will her lifting power be, Port?"
"Well, hydrogen gives us eighty pounds to the thousand feet, and heliumsixty pounds to the thousand. That works out to eight hundred thousandpounds. You can depend on four hundred tons of useful lift."
"Gosh, that sounds like a lot!"
"It's handy to have."
"It does seem, Port, as though we ought to make more than seventy-fivemiles an hour with those five huge engines."
"It can't be done, Harry. Not with a ship that size."
"Did you decide to use the new weave of linen cloth for the covering?"
"Yes, it is a great improvement. And the new style seam-lacings holdperfectly. What are you going to name the ship, by the way?"
"I selected half a dozen names that sounded good to me," said Mr.Hammond. "Hammond High-flyer, Harkaway, and some others, but daughterDulcie objected. Made such a fuss that I said she could name itherself."
"What were her contributions?" asked Colonel Porter with a smile. Heknew Dulcie Hammond.
"She didn't bother with a choice. She says the ship is named Moonbeam."
"It is a splendid name. Harry, you don't know how fine that ship isgoing to be. She will be the most beautiful ship in the air."
"I want her to be," said Mr. Hammond with a dogged, grim look thatColonel Porter knew of old. "I am planning to show that ship to theworld, Port. She has got to be perfect. What do you think of followingthe course of the Graf Zeppelin, for a starter, and beating the G. Z.'stime?"
Colonel Porter whistled.
"I think it would be all right. Her maiden flight, eh? I wonder if shecan do it."
"Nothing like trying, is there? When will she be ready to fly?"
Colonel Porter reflected.
"She will be finished about the first of June. Then she must make sometrial flights. You can take off by the fourteenth or fifteenth. You willgo, won't you?"
"You bet! I'm commander of that ship. And I want you to pick out a fewof the students, all grades, for staff. I think it would be a wonderfultry-out for them."
"I'll do it," said Colonel Porter with enthusiasm.
"Why don't you come along, Port? You need a rest."
Colonel Porter groaned.
"Rest? Why, Harry, we are simply swamped with work. I couldn't possiblyget away."
"I wish you could," said Mr. Hammond, and was silent a few moments."Those gas bags," he continued, following the train of his thought,"they are absolutely impervious to any kind of gas, aren't they?"
"Absolutely, when made of the substance we call, for lack of a bettername, gold-beater's skin. You know gold-beaters beat their gold into thetissue-like sheets used by the trade, by putting it between layers ofthe split and cleansed intestines of the ox, and pounding it. For thegas bags, they split and clean the intestines, and lay them out withoverlapping edges. Others are laid on top, at right angles. Thesecongeal into a mass of fabric, which is flexible, yet perfectlyimpervious."
"It certainly beats all," said Mr. Hammond. "By the way, Port, whomshall I take on as captain? Got a good man?"
"The best!" said Colonel Porter heartily. "A man named Fraine. CaptainFraine is as good a man as flies. During the war he was shot down andbadly wounded, and wears a small silver plate on his head. He has beenwith us for six years. I advise Fraine."
"All right; whatever you say goes. Just give me a good staff and a goodcrew." Mr. Hammond rose and stretched his great shoulders. "Let's golook at the Moonbeam."
The following day Mr. Hammond flew down to New York, but a telegram fromColonel Porter brought him back on the first of June. He found theMoonbeam lowered and workmen putting the final touches on her passengergondola, establishing the monstrous engines in the five "eggs" that werewaiting for them, and varnishing the propellers with the hardest,smoothest spar varnish, to reduce friction. The seam-lacings had beentightened, and the linen cover looked as pale and smooth as aluminum.Men were painting the window casings of the gondola, others were testingthe screws and bolts holding the ladders leading from the five eggs intothe hull.
Beneath the ship, groups of sightseers moved slowly. They came inchatting shrilly after the manner of the Great American Tourist, but theimmensity of the dock and the sight of the vast silver ship, soquiescent in the hands of her makers, seemed to quell them.
Mr. Hammond and Colonel Porter entered the ship through the door in thecenter of the right side of the passenger gondola. From the doorway,they walked straight ahead along a short passage to the center of thegondola, where they turned to the
right, along another passage into thecontrol room. This spacious room occupied the whole forward end of thegondola. The oval front was composed entirely of windows, through whichthe officer at the wheel had an unobstructed view.
Leaving the control room, the first room on the right was the chartroom, a small cubicle fitted with drawers and filing cases. Oppositethis was the navigator's room. Directly back of this was the galley, asmall but perfect kitchen, where every inch of space was utilized by thelatest electrical cooking utensils. The very sight of the wealth of potsand pans, the roasters, broilers, frying baskets and toasters made Mr.Hammond rub his hands delightedly.
Colonel Porter managed to get Mr. Hammond away from the galley, and theywent directly across the passage into the radio room.
The salon came next. This room was dining-room and lounge in one. Itfilled the breadth of the gondola, and had six broad windows that gaveample space for observation. There were six extension tables, chairs, acouple of divans, and a desk. The chair covers, window curtains andwalls were bright with French flowered chintz. It was as gay andluxurious as a private yacht.
Back of this room, with a passage between, were the staterooms; six oneach side, with double-decked bunks. These cabins were equipped withevery luxury to be found on an ocean liner.
Behind the staterooms, one on either side of the passage, were thewash-rooms, beautifully equipped, one for men and one for womenpassengers. Everything in the passenger gondola was as near perfect asmodern appliances and human ingenuity could make it.
They walked back to the radio room, in a corner of which a steel ladderled up into the hull. There they inspected the quarters of the officersand crew; plainer but just as comfortable as those down below. Mr.Hammond, notwithstanding his size, was well muscled and agile. Hefollowed Colonel Porter along the catwalks, among the fuel tanks, andthen up the many ladders to the observer's platform, where they liftedthe trap and stepped out on the very top of the ship.
"This dock is certainly a big place," said Mr. Hammond, staring about.
"Yes," replied Colonel Porter. "It is hard to realize its size. You cangive its footage, twelve hundred feet long, three hundred andtwenty-five feet wide, and two hundred and four feet high, but thatdoesn't convey much. But pause to remember that if it was placed infront of the national Capitol at Washington, it would hide the entirebuilding except a little bit of the spire. Or you could lay theWoolworth building and Washington monument down in it, side by side, andalmost lose them. Or you could stage ten full-sized football games in itat the same time, and still have plenty of room to spare."
They made their way down through the hull to the gondola, where workmenwere now busy putting on electric light fixtures, and went back toColonel Porter's office.