The Government Joins The Picnickers

: Doctor Jones' Picnic

Not many days later found our friends comfortably located in a hotel in

the national capital. The Doctor was quite well acquainted with the

representative from his congressional district, and was supplied with

letters of introduction from influential parties to members of both

houses. By a judicious use of these, they managed to obtain a hearing

before the scientific and geographical departments of the Smithsonian

Inst tute. So thoroughly had Dr. Jones and Mr. Marsh mastered the

details of the subject that they immediately made a favorable impression

upon that learned body. After some weeks spent in investigation, they

unanimously voted in favor of the project, and recommended that Congress

grant appropriations for that purpose.



After a certain amount of lobbying (in which, I am glad to say, No. 4's

services were not required), an amount in accordance with the

architect's estimates was passed by both houses, and duly signed by the

President. Nothing could exceed the joy and satisfaction of the four

friends. They now hurried to their homes and made arrangements for

permanently moving to Washington. A few weeks later, we find them

settled in a pleasant home in the capital, "a busy lot of happy cranks,"

as Mrs. Jones expressed it.



The building contract was awarded a Washington company, whose foundries

and shops are located upon the Potomac, adjacent to the city. The work

is being done under the general supervision of Marsh and the three

friends. It is not long before the vast scaffolding that is built up as

the long, slender, silver-like ribs of the aluminum framework are put in

place, begins to attract the attention of the surrounding populace. And

well it might, for as the beautiful globe began to assume shape,

certainly nothing so colossal of the kind had ever been seen before

upon earth. And as one stepped inside the mighty ball and looked up

through the vast network of aluminum rods and braces that ran in every

conceivable direction, looking like silken threads in the great

distances above, the feeling inspired was one of awe and unbounded

admiration.



The work was pushed forward with all possible expedition. The summer

passed rapidly away. As winter drew near, a vast roof was built over the

globe, and all was securely shut in from the inclemencies of that

inhospitable season. All winter the hundreds of hammers, busily riveted

the sheets of aluminum and zinc into place, and by spring the globe, the

splendid creation that had existed in the brain of Dr. Jones, was an

actuality. Language is inadequate to describe the sensations of the

little company of promoters. They said but little, but would often stand

in a group, gaze upon it, then into each other's eyes, and smile and wag

their delighted heads.



The newspapers were not slow, meantime, in keeping the public informed

of all that could be learned of the unique enterprise. Reporters

besieged the projectors, in season and out. Our friends freely gave them

all possible information, and no little interest was excited all over

our great land. People came from every quarter of the Union, many from

Europe to see the mighty, glistening sphere. The crowds were so vast

that work was impeded, and it became necessary to restrict admission. A

nominal entrance fee was charged, but that only seemed to stimulate the

eager sightseers. So the public were, of necessity, finally entirely

excluded.



Then the roof of the building was removed, and the whole structure

gradually, except so much of it as was absolutely necessary to maintain

the globe in position.



The cabin was attached to the bottom of the globe, forty feet square,

with ten feet between the floor and ceiling. It was divided off into

several bedrooms, sitting and dining-rooms, kitchen, smoking-room,

store-rooms, oil tanks, etc. In the center was a room, fifteen feet

square, that was called the engine-room. Everything that could be

thought of that could add to comfort had been supplied, always with

reference to compactness and weight. Not an ounce of superfluous weight

would the architect allow. He had calculated very carefully and knew to

a pound, almost, just what his great ship would carry, and how much

fuel would keep her afloat a certain number of hours. But the thing that

aroused the admiration of the public was the aluminum shaft that passed

from the floor of the cabin straight up through the center of the globe,

and extended on above it full ninety feet. And from this dizzy height,

floated "Old Glory," constructed of fine wire of that same beautiful,

evershining metal, aluminum. Round and round this splendid shaft, up

through the globe, wound a delicate stairway. From its top stair, one

stepped out into a small observatory, well supplied with windows upon

its four sides. The stairway was protected from the hot air of the

interior of the globe by a zinc coating, so that the mast and stairway

really passed up through the center of a zinc tube standing on end, and

about six feet in diameter.



Already it is an inspiring sight to stand in the observatory, situated

exactly upon the top of the sphere, and look away into the surrounding

country, up and down the Potomac, and over the lovely capital city. But

what will it be when suspended in the air, thousands of feet above terra

firma?



"Do you feel no fear, Maggie?" asked the Doctor, as they stood with

Marsh and Denison and looked from this great height.



"Not the slightest tremor," she replied, and she looked so brightly and

bravely into their faces that Denison said: "I really believe, Doctor,

that she will prove to be the best sailor of the lot."



"I wish we had a female companion for you, Maggie. I have a great mind

to advertise for one," said Dr. Jones.



"I beg you to do no such thing. She will be sure to be finical,

cowardly, or disagreeable in some way. And then such a host of all sorts

of creatures as would reply to your advertisement. We shall do very well

without her," replied Mrs. Jones.



"But I am sure it would be much pleasanter for you, Maggie. Don't you

know of a female acquaintance that you would like to have accompany

you?" persisted Dr. Jones.



"Well, let me think. If Mattie Bronson could go, it would afford me the

greatest pleasure."



"The very thing!" declared the Doctor in his usual emphatic way. "Mattie

is a lovely, brave, all-around nice girl. Let it be Mattie, by all

means."



Denison and Marsh expressed their entire satisfaction with this

arrangement.



"I will write her immediately to come and visit us, and then I am sure

that we can prevail upon her to go with us," said Mrs. Jones.



They then descended the long, slender stairway, and returned to their

home.