2008-8-5 03:51:00
by Ted Dewey
Four days slipped by. They were busy days for Henry and Oran Thomas. Henry's friend Butch, the man that owned the rubber tired fork lift and a truck, was put to work. He and Henry had taken the long way around and came in the back way. They had dismantled the two larger wind machines and had taken them down to Henry's house. There they would be put in crates and made ready for the big chopper when it arrived.
They tied the blades in neat bundles. The big pipes that were used as towers were unscrewed and loaded on the truck as well as the drive shafts and compressor units.
Finally, everything that pertained to the wind machines was in a neat pile in Henry's front yard, including all of the metal working tools from the machine shop.
Thomas had called the office in New York and he was told, "Buy it. We will need it all to build more machines."
Thomas was told to take the air car. "Take it in with you. It is very likely it will be the car of the future. There is neither gas or electric power in the sanctuary. These two items certainly belong together."
They had not as yet arrived at a price on the air car, but Thomas assured Henry that he would be dealt with in a fair manner.
Henry was satisfied. He now had about one hundred and fifty thousand in the bank and an income of about a hundred dollars a day. What more could he ask for?
A week had gone by. All the machinery had been crated and put on pallets. Everything was ready to go including the air car.
Henry was staying at the ranch house, keeping an eye on everything, making sure the merchandise piled out there didn't "get up and walk away." Thomas was at the motel waiting for the telephone to ring.
Then early one morning Henry was startled by a strange sound overhead. It was the whirling blades of a giant helicopter. He grabbed his hat and ran outside. The huge machine was settling dawn beside the pile of machinery.
For several minutes the whirling blades turned, stirring up a cloud of dust. Then suddenly they came to a stop. A door opened, stair steps unfolded and two men came walking out. One of them was Oran Thomas. Another man could be seen at the controls inside.
Henry greeted Oran with a big smile. "Good morning, my friend. What a chopper! I didn't know they made them so big!"
Thomas explained. "I got the call that they were coming so I met them at the airport." He grinned. "Got your bags all packed?"
Henry nodded. "I'm ready to go!"
Henry's friend Butch had left the fork lift. He would pick it up later. Now it came in mighty handy. It would of been a backbreaking job without it. In about an hour's time everything was loaded and they took to the air.
During his lifetime Henry had been on many a venture, but never before had he done anything like this. He leaned back in his seat and relaxed.
This company was sure going to do everything possible to save the world from total destruction, he thought. And now he was one of them. The chances of having an all-out atomic war were great. Informed sources and the best computers in the world thought so. And who was he to dispute them?
Very likely all the oil refineries would be blown up and set on fire. The reign of the oil companies would come to an end.
And the big power dams -- they would be bombed for sure, and the polluted waters would flood the valleys below. This means of power would be destroyed.
And atomic power? It would be outlawed forever! Once more the human race would return to what mother mature intended it to use: the wind, the sun and the rains.
One thing about using the wind nothing would be polluted. We would only borrow a bit of it as it passes by and let it go merrily on its way.
While waiting for the helicopter Henry had prepared a drawing that he hoped would make sense to the people he was working for.
He had used a bit of the Grand Canyon for an illustration. A place where it was about fifteen miles wide and a mile deep.
Over the period of many centuries the water from the Colorado river had carved this massive gorge which was now one of the seven wonders of the world.
At times the river had changed its course, carving out new and different channels as it went deeper and deeper into the earth. Many great pinnacles were left standing, a monument of what had at one time been there.
Henry had selected a couple of these. They were about a mile apart. A dry abandoned canyon was between them.
He had drawn them into the picture. Then from one pinnacle to the other suspended across the canyon was a giant steel cable.
Suspended from this about every fifty feet apart were smaller cables going straight to the bottom. Here they were fastened to concrete posts.
Also at fifty foot intervals were horizontal cables tying this network together. In each of the squares he put a giant wind machine with twenty-foot blades. Below in the bottom of the canyon was a huge steel pipe. This would be used as storage.
A unit like this could be erected in a short time at only the fraction of the cost of a huge concrete dam. There would be over eleven hundred units pumping air into the pipe below.
Many a time Henry had been up and down the Colorado river in a boat and always the wind was blowing. That same wild wind that had about upset the mighty ocean.
The place he had selected should be a perfect spot to put it to work for the good of mankind.
And there was room for many more in this canyon!
The whirling blades of the chopper had changed in rhythm. Henry opened his eyes and sat up straight. Had he been dreaming? He glanced back at Thomas who was seated behind him.
"Are we going down?"
"Yes. And right in the middle of Indian country. Are you ready?"
Henry rubbed his eyes. "I must have fallen asleep. I'm ready."
The big chopper came to rest on the ground. The big blades made swishing sounds as they idled above the big machine. The pilot opened the door and motioned with his hand. Henry and Oran stepped down and out into the bright sunlight looked around and walked over toward a big white canvas tent.
Three men were standing on the creek bank in front of it. One of them had a pair of binoculars in his hand.
The two men walked toward the trio. When they were about ten feet from them a big smile spread over Oran's face. He stuck out his right hand toward the fellow carrying the glasses.
"Well I'll be darned." He grinned. "If it isn't my old friend, Rodney Goldsmith! Hello, Rod!"
The man stepped forward and took the outstretched hand. "Hello Oran. Glad you finally got here. We arrived several days ago and have been digging a well."
Thomas motioned to Henry. "I want you to meet one of our charter members who happens to be a good friend of mine."
The two men shook hands.
Goldsmith was all smiles. "This is a pleasure indeed. So you are the inventor that I have been hearing so much about."
Henry blushed. "Just call me Henry, or Hank."
"And I am Rodney. Or Rod... Makes no difference," said this good-looking, middle-aged attorney from New York.
He turned to the two men that were standing back of him. "Better go help unload the copper. Just set the cargo most anywhere." The two men obeyed.
"Who are those fellows?" Thomas asked.
"Just a couple of guys from Phoenix that I hired. They claim to be experts at locating water and digging wells. See that pile of dirt there on the creek bank by those willows?" He pointed with his finger. "After witching it several times they decided to dig right there. Can you imagine that?"
Thomas looked puzzled. "Where else would be a good spot to dig?"
Henry laughed. "He's pulling your leg, Oran."
Rodney blushed. "Anyhow we struck water. Went down thirty feet to bedrock. The experts think that this well will never go dry and will supply us with plenty of fresh water."
Henry looked at the tall, snow covered mountains which surrounded the little valley. "I don't think it would take a water witch to arrive at that conclusion. And I would bet that this creek never goes dry."
Goldsmith looked at Thomas and smiled. "I like this man, Oran. I have a feeling that he is not a bit stupid."
Henry blushed. "Thanks..."
"The first thing that we had better do is go into the tent and have a chat. We have a lot to talk about. Did you bring the two machines in with you?"
"Yes everything is in the chopper. Even Henry's car that runs on compressed air."
"Good. Our first project is to get those wind machines going, then start building some more. The more power we have the easier our job will be."
He opened the flap of the tent. "Step right in gentlemen."
-- End Of Chapter Seventeen --
Copyright © 2008 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved