Creative Books

"Bless my tall hat! but that's just why I hurried over here. I
wanted to tell you when I saw you going off on a trip with Miss
Nestor. That's my big idea--Damon's Whizzer --propellers
revolving in compressed air like water. Isn't that great?"
"I'm sorry to shatter your air castle," said Tom; "but for the
life of me I can't see how it will work. Of course, in theory, if
you could revolve a big-bladed propeller in very dense, or in
liquid, air, there would be more resistance than in the rarefied
atmosphere of the upper regions. And, if this could be done, I
grant you that you could use slower motors and smaller propeller
blades--more like those of a motor boat. But how are you going to
get the condensed air?"
"Make it!" said Mr. Damon promptly. "Air pumps are cheap. Just
carry one or two on board the aeroplane, and condense the air as
you go along. That's a small detail that can easily be worked
out. I leave that to you."
"I'd rather you wouldn't," said Tom. "That's the whole
difficulty--compressing your air. Wait! I'll explain it to you.


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