Chapter 11 Tom Swift and His Sky Train by Victor Appleton
A GIANT’S ANGER
Contrary to seeing what he feared to behold—Tom Swift in the grip of some of his former enemies—Ned Newton saw his friend gaily dancing about the laboratory, with a piece of machinery in his hands, and Tom was crying out:
“Wow! By golly! Oh, boy!”
“What’s the matter?” demanded Ned, anxiously. “Are your fingers caught, Tom?”
“My fingers caught? No! But I’ve caught onto the idea at last!”
“What idea?”
“The idea for making my sky train glider coupler fool and accident proof. Hurray, boy, I’ve got it at last!”
“What’s the idea?” asked Ned.
“So simple that it’s a wonder Koku or Eradicate didn’t tell it to me,” said Tom. “It’s a combination dual double control—that’s all. Oh, boy, I have it!”
“Double dual control?” the financial manager murmured.
“Yes. You know, up to now, and before, the tail glider could be released by either the pilot in it or by me, or some one else in the hauling plane. That is, after a signal was given. But this was the weak spot in my invention. You see, I, or some one in the plane, might forget to give the signal, and cut the glider loose, or the pilot in the glider might do the same thing. But with double dual control it isn’t possible.”
“Why not?”
“For the same reason you can’t open your bank safe deposit box all by yourself. A clerk from the bank has to turn half the lock with his key, and you, or he, has to turn the other half with your key. You can’t get in with your key alone and the bank clerk can’t get in with his key alone. It means dual double control and makes for safety.
“Now if I change this magnetic coupler a bit, no glider can get loose from my sky train until the pilot in the glider and the pilot, or some responsible party in the plane, act in concert. That will end all accidents, I think. If I had had this new control on the day we had the greenhouse crash, it wouldn’t have happened. The rear glider couldn’t have gotten loose just because some one in it on purpose or by accident, tripped the coupling.”
“Do you think it was done purposely, Tom?”
“I can’t say. That matter remains to be solved. But I think I have solved the problem of a safe coupler and now I’m going to rush things. Oh, boy, but I’m glad!”
“Yes, and you’re tired, too,” spoke Ned, seeing Tom’s exhausted condition. “Now the next thing you’re going to discover is your bed, and you’re going there pronto—get me?”
“I get you,” said Tom, but even his weariness could not keep the happiness from his voice.
Tom almost slept the clock around, for he was very tired from several nights of late work. When he finally awoke, much refreshed, he immediately set his plant force at work on the new coupling device, having it attached to all the trial flight gliders.
It would be a week or more before the change could be made and new experiments tried. Meanwhile, Tom had the Eagle tuned up in readiness for another sky train flight and continued negotiations for the building of a string of gliders which would be used when the new cross-country transportation system was put into operation. Tom planned to build a complete sky train, with large gliders capable of carrying several passengers. He intended to make the flight out to San Francisco, exhibit the train there and then fly back.
Owing to a rush of work in the Swift plant, (for many machines in addition to aeroplanes were being manufactured there), Tom had given orders to the National Aircraft Company to build the gliders. These “cars” were comparatively simple to make, compared to an airplane. But they must be staunch and safe for the passengers who were to ride in them. Tom Swift saw to that.
“What about the second operation of your sky train, Tom?” asked Ned one day. “You seem to be on the right track for releasing the tail glider by means of the double dual contact control of the magnetic switch coupler. But what about taking up a glider filled with passengers and hitching it to the end of the train in place of the glider that is dropped off?”
“That will come out all right, once I get this new coupler working,” Tom said. “I’m not worrying about that. It will require practice and skilful piloting, but it can be done. What I want to guard against is the possibility of a glider getting loose until the proper time, and I have that now.”
A test flight, several days later, showed that Tom’s confidence in his new patent was justified. Five gliders were attached to the Eagle and went aloft. They were all equipped with the double dual control. This was Tom’s name for it, though he said that, later on, he would evolve one that was more scientific.
At the last minute, when the sky train was about to go aloft with the newly coupled gliders, Davis Daniel appeared with a parachute and asked if he might go up.
“What, again?” asked Tom with a smile. “Aren’t you afraid of the risk?”
“There doesn’t seem to be any risk with one of these,” and the man tapped the ’chute pack on his back.
“Well, you were lucky once, but it doesn’t follow that you would be lucky again,” Tom said. “No, I think you’d better not take a chance, Daniel. I need you in the office. Besides, this is going to be sharp work and I need experienced pilots in every glider. Some other time I’ll let you go up.”
If Daniel was disappointed he did not show it as he went back to the office with his ’chute on his back.
Once more the sky train went aloft, and, at the proper time, Tom signalled for the rear glider to cut loose. This could not be done until both he and the pilot in it had each closed a certain switch. Then the glider was cut off and went down for a perfect landing.
In turn, all the other gliders were cut off from the Eagle and went down safely to earth. To make sure the device would work and was “fool proof,” Tom tried by himself, without notifying the pilots, to cut a craft loose. It would not leave the train. Likewise when he had the individual pilots try the same thing, they could not separate their glider from the one ahead of it, or the Eagle itself, until Tom closed his switch.
“She works!” cried Tom exultingly, as he guided the Eagle to earth after the last glider had gone down. Tom was himself piloting the airplane this time.
“Good!” rejoiced Ned. “Well, what’s next?”
“To practice the stunt of taking a loaded glider aloft and attaching it to the rear of my sky plane. Then, when we get the new, big gliders from the National people, I’ll be ready for the cross-country flight and to exhibit at the World Exposition.”
“Better and better!” murmured Ned. “I guess we’re on the right road, Tom. Well, I’ve finally settled Willam’s greenhouse damage claim.”
“And I’ll wager he stuck you good and proper.”
“Well, he tried to, but we fought him every inch—our lawyer was good at that. And, while we had to put up a pretty good sum, it wasn’t all he asked at first. That would have been a shame! He’s pretty sore and I guess something else doesn’t please him any too well, either.”
“What’s that?”
“Finding our bank account in such good shape. One of the tellers told me he went up in the air when he found we’d got the loan from Mr. Damon’s bank in Waterfield.”
“What business is that of Willam’s?”
“Well, I guess he was sore that he hadn’t let us have the money himself now. You know it’s a large sum and the interest is a pretty penny. His bank would like that. But they don’t get it. I guess old man Willam wishes he hadn’t turned you down.”
“I think,” said Tom slowly, “that he’ll find my sky train a bigger success than he counted on. I can’t understand his attitude in this matter. But maybe he knows his business.”
“He’s too far behind the times,” Ned declared. “By the way, you didn’t send Daniel over to the Shopton bank to do any business for you, did you?”
“When?”
“Today.”
“Why, no. You attend to all the banking business, Ned.”
“That’s what I thought. When I came out of Willam’s office, after giving him a check in settlement of his damage claim, I saw Daniel going in by another door.”
“Well,” said Tom, after a moment of thought, “I suppose he had some business there. Maybe he wanted a personal loan. Or he might have been going to open an account.”
“He wouldn’t go in the president’s office either to ask for a small loan or to open an account,” Ned stated. “I fancy he tried to keep me from seeing him, Tom. But I did, all right.”
“Oh, I think you’re unduly suspicious, Ned. I recall, now, after you left to go to the bank, Daniel asked if he could have half an hour off, and I gave him permission. He didn’t say where he was going.”
“He went to the bank. Maybe it’s all right. Anyhow, the way seems to be clear, now, for your sky train’s first real trip.”
“Got to get those National gliders first, Ned. I must shake up those fellows a bit. They’re too slow to suit me.”
“Get after ’em,” Ned advised. “Well, anyhow, our financial affairs are in pretty good shape. The other matters are your worries, though I’ll help all I can, Tom.”
“I know you will. You always do.”
The next few days were busy ones at the Swift plant. With the Eagle overhauled and the new, big gliders being made it was only a question of a short time before Tom Swift’s sky train would be shooting across the country, carrying passengers, some of whom would “join” the train, so to speak, en route, while others would be “dropped off” at intermediate points between New York and San Francisco.
It was about a week before Tom expected the new gliders to arrive, that, crossing the shop yard to go to lunch, he saw Daniel and Koku talking near one of the doors leading into the hangar where the Eagle was kept.
“No! No! Not go in!” Koku could be heard to say.
“Step aside!” exclaimed Daniel. “I have to go in to make some measurements for Mr. Swift. Don’t stop me!”
“I stop you all right!” cried Koku with anger in his voice. Tom saw Daniel foolishly try to push Koku out of the way. In the next moment the giant went into a whirlwind of anger.
Reaching forth one of his mighty arms he caught hold of Daniel in his big, right hand—caught him at the small of his back. Then, as one might lift a squirming beetle, Koku lifted the clerk high into the air, savagely crying:
“I show you! I show you! Now I bust you all over!”
“Koku! Koku! Stop!” cried Tom in terror. It was very evident that Koku intended to dash Daniel to the ground with all his terrible force. The man would be instantly killed.