large/6687/subspace_survivors_1201_librivox_64kb_mp3/subspacesurvivors_4_smith_64kb_82
large/6687/subspace_survivors_1201_librivox_64kb_mp3/subspacesurvivors_4_smith_64kb
English
6687
In what was almost a vacuum though she was, the whole immense mass of the _Procyon_ was hurled upward like the cork out of a champagne bottle. IN WHAT WAS ALMOST A VACUUM THOUGH SHE WAS THE WHOLE IMMENSE MASS OF THE PROCYONE WAS HURLED UPWARD LIKE A CORK OUT OF A CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE
the highest, sharpest mountain peak they had been able to find. The Bailey boom, with its spider-web-like network of grounding cables and with a large pulley at its end, extended two hundred feet straight out from the side of the ship. A twenty-five-mile coil of Graham wire was mounted on the remote-controlled Hotchkiss reel. The end of the wire was run out over the pulley; a fifteen-pound weight, to act both as a "senser" and to keep the wire from fouling, was attached; and a few hundred feet of wire were run out. Then, in Lifecraft Two--as far away from the "business district" as they could get--the human bodies were grounded and Deston started the reel. The wire ran out--and ran--and ran--and ran. The full twenty-five miles were paid out, and still nothing happened. Then, very slowly, Deston let the big ship move straight downward. Until, finally, it happened. There was a blast beside which the most terrific flash of lightning ever seen on Earth would have seemed like a firecracker. ESS A GOOD FIVE HUNDRED MILES HIGH DIRECTLY ABOVE THE HIGHEST SHARPEST MOUNTAIN PEAK THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE BAILEY BOOM WITH A SPIDER LIKE WEB NETWORK OF GROUNDING CABLES AND WITH A LARGE POLE AT ITS END EXTENDED TWO HUNDRED FEET STRAIGHT OUT FROM THE SIDE OF THE SHIP A TWENTY FIVE MILE COIL OF GRAM WIRE WAS MOUNTED ON THE REMOTE CONTROLLED HOTCHCUS RAEL THE END OF THE WIRE WAS RUN OUT OVER THE POLE A FIFTEEN POUND WEIGHT TO ACT AS A CENSER AND TO KEEP WIRE FROM FOULING WAS ATTACHED AND A FEW HUNDRED FEET OF WIRE WERE RUN OUT THEN IN LIFECRAFT TOO AS FAR AWAY FROM THE BUSINESS DISTRICT AS THEY COULD GET THE HUMAN BODIES WERE GROUNDED AND DESTON STARTED THE REEL THE WIRE RAN OUT AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN THE FULL TWENTY FIVE MILES WERE PAID OUT AND STILL NOTHING HAPPENED THEN VERY SLOWLY DESTON LET THE BIG SHIP MOVE STRAIGHT DOWNWARD UNTIL FINALLY IT HAPPENED THERE WAS A BLAST BESIDE WHICH THE MOST TERRIFIC FLASH OF LIGHTNING EVER SEEN ON EARTH WOULD HAVE SEEMED LIKE A FIRECRACKER
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