Chapter 18 Chapter 18: The Endless End of the True Story of the Albatross

On April 29 of the second year, it happened to be Uncle Prudang and Phil.Seven months after Evans' surprise return, Philadelphia was buzzing.This time it had nothing to do with politics: neither a campaign nor a rally, but the Airship Forward, at last completed under the care of the Weldon Institute, was about to be filled with its natural elements. The driver is the famous Harry mentioned at the beginning of this story.Wu.Tinder and one of his assistants. The passenger was the president and secretary of the Welton Society.Don't they deserve this honor?Shouldn't they have taken it upon themselves to refute all flying machines based on the heavier-than-air principle?

However, seven months later, they are still tight-lipped about the adventure.As much as Fricoland wanted to brag, nothing was said about the engineer Robbier and his marvelous machine.Perhaps, as uncompromising balloonists, Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans is reluctant to talk about the aircraft or other means of flying.They would never have recognized the invention of the aeronautics, so long as the Forward balloon did not dominate the means of flight.They have always believed, and insisted, that the airship is the real means of air transportation, and the future belongs only to it. Besides, the man for whom they had severely retaliated was dead, and none of his companions survived, as they thought they had done justly.The secret of the Albatross has been buried deep in the belly of the Pacific.

As for engineer Robbill having a base in the boundless Pacific Ocean, a small island for resting, this is just a hypothesis.In any case, whether some investigation should be made on such a small island, the two colleagues will decide otherwise. The great experiment of the Weldon Institute, long and carefully prepared, was at last about to begin.The Forward is the most perfect model of aeronautical technology ever invented, just like the Fortitude and Wonder of sailing technology. The Forward has all the advantages of an airship.Its volume enables it to rise to the maximum height that the balloon can reach, its airtightness allows it to stay in the atmosphere indefinitely, its firmness enables it to withstand the pressure of any gas expansion and storm attack, and its performance can be guaranteed. giving it a decent amount of lifting power.It is able to lift a complete electrical equipment including all accessories, which can deliver the strongest power to the propulsion propeller that has ever been seen.The Mammoth is oblong in shape for horizontal movement; its platform pod is similar to that of Captain Kleber and Captain Renard, and contains all the tools needed by the pilot: physical tools, cables , anchors, guide wires, etc., in addition, there are instruments, dry batteries and accumulators to give the airship a strong mechanical force.There is a propeller in the front of the boat; there is also a propeller in the stern, plus a rudder.But the efficiency of the machines on the Forward may be far from that of the Albatross.

After being inflated, the Forward was transported to the Fairmont Park glade, where the craft had been for several hours. Needless to say, its lifting power is provided by the lightest gas available.The buoyancy of gas used for general lighting is only about 700 grams per cubic meter, which is just enough to break the balance with the surrounding air; while the buoyancy of hydrogen gas can reach 1,100 grams.According to the famous Henry.Pure hydrogen gas produced by the Giffard gas method and special equipment is filled into the huge balloon.If the air capacity of the Advance is 40,000 cubic meters, then the buoyancy of the gas it obtains is 40,000 times 1,100, that is, 44,000 kilograms.

On the morning of April 29, everything was ready.Just after eleven o'clock, the huge airship was already swinging a few feet above the ground, ready to soar into the sky at any time. It was a beautiful day, as if it had been specially arranged for this important experiment.Generally speaking, it would be better if the wind could be a little stronger.In this way, the test will be more convincing.In fact no one has ever doubted that balloons are steerable in still air, but the situation is different in moving air, and the test should be carried out under the latter conditions. The wind has never blown, and there is no sign of it.On this day, too, as it happened, North America had no intention of taking a terrible storm from its inexhaustible stockpile and sending it to Western Europe.Such an atmosphere would certainly contribute to the success of the flight test.

Is it necessary to describe the crowds in Fairmont Park?A train brought curious people from the surrounding states to the capital of Pennsylvania; in order for everyone to see this scene, the business world was closed; bosses, clerks, workers, men, women, children, Members of Congress, representatives of the army, judges, reporters, local whites and blacks, all crowded into the open space in the woods;When Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans was greeted with applause like fireworks as he emerged from the gondola beneath the United States-flagged airship.Is it necessary to describe and calculate all this?Is it necessary to say that most curious people come not to see the Forward, but to see these two men who make the Old World the envy of the New?

Why two, not three?How come there is no Fricoran?He felt that the battle with the Albatross was enough to make him proud, so he declined the honor of following his master.And so he was out of the question, welcoming the wild outcry of the president and secretary of the Weldon Society. Needless to say, the members of this illustrious group were present in the special seats enclosed with ropes and stakes in the middle of the glade.Truk.Here comes Milner, Bart.Fern, William.special.Forbes and his two daughters, Miss Dole and Miss Matt, were there, on his arm.All come to this pageant to show that nothing can separate these lighter-than-air supporters!

At about 11:20 a cannon blast announced the completion of the final preparations. As soon as the signal is sent, the Forward will take off. At twenty-five past eleven, the second cannon fires. Pulled by the net rope, the Forward rose about fifteen meters in the glade.In this way, the pod rose above the excited crowd.Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans stood at the front of the pod and put his left hand on his chest to show that they were connected with those present; they then raised their right hands to the sky to signify that the largest balloon to date would occupy space. So one hundred thousand hands were placed on the breasts of one hundred thousand people, and another hundred thousand hands stretched out to the sky.

At eleven thirty, the third cannon fires. Let go!Uncle Prudang exclaimed solemnly. And so the Forward rose with great majesty.Majestic, the adverb is often used to describe aviation. What a spectacle this scene is!Like a giant ship just off the shipyard.Isn't this a huge ship that goes straight to the sky and the ocean? The Vanguard rose straight up, indicating that the air was absolutely calm, and stopped at an altitude of two hundred and fifty meters. From there it moves horizontally.Driven by two propellers, the Forward flew towards the sun at a speed of ten meters per second.This is the speed of the whale in the water.It is not inappropriate to compare it to that great beast that lives in the northern seas: its shape is in no way different from that of a gigantic cetacean.

Another huh sound flew towards the vigorous flyers. Then, according to the operation of the helmsman, the Forward made various flight actions: orbiting, oblique flight, straight flight, small radius circle, forward, backward, to let the most stubborn opponents who are negative about the controllability of the balloon completely Shout out if there is opposition!Of course, if there were any opposition, I'm afraid they would have been torn to pieces long ago. Such a spectacular experiment, why is there not even a breath of wind?What a pity.Otherwise, the public would surely have seen the Vampire perform various maneuvers: sideways like a sailing ship against the wind, or headed into the wind like a steamship.

At this time, the airship rose several hundred meters in the air. People understand the intention of this gesture: Uncle Prudang and Phil.Evans is going to a higher altitude to find air currents so that the experiment can be carried out more thoroughly.The airship has an internal inflation system similar to a swim bladder, and a certain amount of air is inflated or released through a pump to make the airship move vertically.Therefore, when the airship ascends, there is no need to discard heavy objects; when descending, there is no need to release the hydrogen gas that was originally charged, and it can be raised or lowered according to the pilot's intention.However, a valve is installed in the upper part of the balloon in case of emergency descent as a last resort.All in all, all the technologies that humans have mastered are used, but they have been developed to the point of perfection. At the moment the Forward is straight up.Its huge body becomes smaller and smaller in people's eyes, as if an optical phenomenon is at work.For those viewers whose cervical vertebrae are about to break, this is still very new: the huge whale gradually becomes a porpoise, and after a while, it will become an ordinary squid. The Forward is still rising, and has reached an altitude of four thousand meters.The sky is still so clear and there is no fog at all, so it can always be seen on the ground. And it remained just above the glade, as if several threads were pulling it from different directions.Even if a huge bell covered the atmosphere, it would be nothing but calm.Now there is no wind at this altitude, nor at any other altitude.The airship was running without encountering any resistance.Because of the distance, it appears very small, as if one were looking at it through the small end of a telescope. Suddenly, a cry came from the crowd, and then a hundred thousand voices shouted together, all their arms pointing to a point on the horizon.This one, in the northwest. Deep in the blue sky, an object is moving, approaching, and getting bigger.Is it a bird flying high in the sky?Is it a meteor whose trajectory is oblique to the atmosphere?In short, its speed is extremely fast, and it will soon pass above the crowd. A surmise flashed like electricity through all brains, and spread throughout the glade. The Forward seems to have seen this monster as well.It must have felt some kind of threat, and it was speeding up and fleeing eastward. People get it!A hundred thousand mouths are chanting the name, uttered by a member of the Weldon Society: Albatross!Albatross! It was indeed the Albatross.Robbie appeared in the sky again!It was swooping down on the Advance like a giant bird! Nine months ago, when the craft was blown up, the propeller snapped off and the platform broke in two.Thanks to the amazing composure of the engineer, who changed the direction of rotation of the forward propeller and turned it into a lifting propeller, the entire crew of the Albatross was saved from suffocation due to the rapid fall.Although they escaped the fate of suffocation, why didn't Robier and his companions die in the Pacific Ocean? This is because fragments of the platform, thruster blades, cabin partitions, all these leftovers from the Albatross floated in a heap of wreckage.Like a wounded bird that falls into the waves and whose wings keep it above the water, Robbier and his men spent hours on the wreckage before boarding a A rubber boat found on the ocean. Those killed were rescued.Those who believe in God's sovereignty think that it is God's will, while those who do not believe it is accidental. A few hours after sunrise, they were spotted by a boat that dropped a lifeboat that contained not only Robier and his mates, but also the wreckage of the floating craft.The engineer only said that his ship had crashed and sank, and the other party didn't ask him more about his identity and name. It was an English three-masted ship, the Two Friends of Liverpool, bound for Melbourne, and arrived at its destination in a few days. Rober knew that Australia was still far away from X Island, and he had to return there as soon as possible. In the wreckage of the aft cabin the engineer found a considerable sum of money, so that he could provide for all the needs of his companions without asking for help.Soon after arriving in Melbourne, he bought a schooner of about one hundred tons.So, Robier, who is good at sailing, returned to X Island. He has only one firm belief, one thing on his mind: revenge.But to get revenge, an Albatros must be rebuilt.For someone who's already built one, it's an easy job after all.They used all the old aircraft components brought back from the brig, including two propellers, that could be used.They rebuilt the mechanics, dry cells and accumulators.In short, the work was completed in less than eight months.A new Albatross, just as powerful and fast as the one that had been blown up, was just waiting to take off. The flight attendants are still the same crew.These people all learned about Welton, especially Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans was furious, and it was obvious. In early April, the Albatross left X Island.Unwilling to be spotted anywhere on Earth, it almost always flies in the clouds.After reaching the skies over North America, it landed in a desolate part of the western plains.When he got there, the engineer kept his name incognito, and inquired about the news that made him extremely happy: the Welton Institute will conduct experiments, and Uncle Prudden and Phil.The March, built by Evans, will take off from Philadelphia on April 29th. That's great for Robier and his mates, who are always on the lookout for revenge!The Forward is doomed, and it will be demolished in public!At the same time all this will prove to the spectators that the aircraft is superior to all airships and their like! So there was the scene that the Albatross swooped down from a high altitude like a vulture and appeared in the sky above Fairmont Park that day. Yes!It was the Albatross, easily recognized even by those who had never met her before! The Forward fled in panic.But it quickly understood that it was absolutely impossible to escape by flying horizontally.Therefore, the only way out is to escape vertically.Flee vertically, but not to the ground, because the aircraft will block its way; flee to high altitudes, to high altitudes where it cannot be attacked.It's risky, but logical. However, the Albatross followed it up.It was much smaller than the Vanguard, and it looked like a swordfish chasing a whale, ready to kill it with an arrow; or a torpedo rushing towards a cruiser, trying to destroy it in one fell swoop. The people below witnessed all this and were distraught.After a while, the Forward rose to an altitude of 5,000 meters.The Albatross has been following it, circling on either side of it, circling it in circles, the radius getting shorter and smaller, and the circle getting smaller and smaller.It can pierce that fragile skin with a single leap, completely killing the opponent.In that way, Uncle Prudang and Phil.Evans would fall down hard and be smashed to pieces! The audience was stunned, their breath was short of breath, their hearts clenched, as if they saw someone fall from a height and felt that their chest was pressed by a stone, and their legs were weak.An air battle was brewing, not like a naval battle where one could get away with it. This was the first time, but it probably wouldn't be the last, because progress is a law in today's world.The flag of the United States of America was flown on the middle loop of the March, as was the Albatross.It was a tulle with stars and the golden sun of Robier the Conqueror. The Vanguard attempted to continue its ascent to throw off its rival.It unloaded the weight on the boat and jumped another thousand meters.This time, it was just a small black spot in the sky.The Albatross's propellers, which had been turned up to maximum speed and kept pushing against it, were now out of sight. Suddenly, there was a scream from the ground. The Forward appeared to be getting bigger.The Albatross also appeared, descending with it.This time, the airship was falling.The gas overexpanded at high altitude and burst the skin.The entire sphere has collapsed in half and is falling straight down. At this time, the Albatross also reduced the speed of its propellers and was descending at a constant speed.When it was only 1,200 meters above the ground, it caught up with the Vanguard and leaned over. Robbie is going to clean it up?no!He's here to help, to save the people on the airship! The pilot of the Albatross and his assistant, as dexterous as they piloted the aircraft, jumped onto the platform of the forward in one fell swoop. Uncle Prudden and Phil.Would Evans refuse Robier's offer to rescue him?They can still do it.However, the engineer's men rushed at them and dragged them from the Advance to the Albatross. The Albatross then moved aside and stopped in mid-air.The Vanguard, which had leaked out, landed on a tree in the forest, hanging in the air like a handful of rags. A terrible silence hung over the ground, as if all life in the chest had ceased.People closed their eyes and did not want to see this unprecedented disaster. So, Uncle Prudang and Phil.Evans was once again Robier's prisoner.Now that they are captured again, will they be taken to the sky again where no one can track them? Think of it this way. However, instead of continuing to ascend, the Albatross descended towards the ground.is it going to landEveryone thought so, so they backed away to make room for it in the middle of the clearing. The crowd is furious, and there is a tendency to explode. The Albatross stopped two meters above the ground.Then, in the silence, the engineer's voice sounded. Citizens of the United States, he said, the President and Secretary of the Weldon Institution is once again in my hands.If I detain them, I'm only exercising the rights of an Avenger.But seeing their reaction to the Albatross' accomplishment taught me something: People are not fully prepared for the important revolution that the conquest of space will lead to.Uncle Prudden and Phil.Evans, you are free! The president and secretary of the Weldon Society, the pilot and his assistant all jumped to the ground in a single leap. The Albatross immediately rose to a place more than ten meters above the crowd. Robier went on to say: Citizens of the United States, my test is done.But I think that nothing should be too premature in the future, including scientific progress.Science should not go beyond the norm.It should be evolution, not revolution. In a word: it should be the general trend.Today, because of my premature appearance, causing controversy and division against me.The realization of the unity of all nationalities is not yet what everyone hopes for. So, I say goodbye.I take my secret with me, but man will not lose it.In the future, when mankind's education develops, it can benefit from this secret; if its reason is strengthened, it will not abuse this secret, and then this secret will be hers.Farewell, citizens of the United States, farewell! The Albatross beat the air with its seventy-four propellers, and under the action of two propulsion propellers, this time the appreciative applause disappeared in the east in a thunderous huh. The two colleagues, and all members of the Welton Society, felt so humiliated that there was only one thing they could do now: go home.The suddenly-changed crowd was waiting to be greeted with the sharpest sarcasm, and nothing more was needed at this time! Now, back to the old topic: who is this Robbie?Will you know in the future? Find out today.Robier is the science of the future, maybe the science of tomorrow.This is where the future is solid. As for the Albatross, was it still traveling in that part of the atmosphere that no one could take from it?There is no doubt about it.Will Robier the Conqueror reappear someday, as he claims?Will do!He will surely come to reveal to the world the secret of this invention capable of changing the social and political conditions of the present world. As for the future of machines operating in space, it belongs to flying machines, not airships. The cause of conquering space will finally belong to the Albatross! (End of the book)