"UBIQUE," The Scientific Bushranger.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 16, 16 July 1910, Page 15

"ÜBIQUE," The Scientific Bushranger.

By Q4EENCE W. MARTIN

Author of "The Bush Emblem," "The Lust . of Hate," etc ■CBIQITE XKTSOpUCBS TE3 LAST fOB aIS SCIENTIFIC SA3TS3BEA2ZH G (.Continued.}' ■i week later Steele presented himself at rst v's office in reply to an urgent call that gentleman over the telephone. ff found Thurston in a mood of childish Anon he clapped his bauds, and then, ?le «rv the ridiculous performance, sat in t cUair and guMi at an object in the . '"Let of the room, meanwhile muttering a* "Beautiful !-Ma S niiicenti' w≤ breathSteele was witness of his joy; but, finding t-ne amusement of his employer a bit monoLoos for his practical mind, he coughed j attract his attention. This cough had t be' repeated at several intervals before mniston noticed his presence. "01! there you are. Now, Steele, don't •roil taint it beautiful?" he chuckled, point- ];,„ at wliat seemed to be a huge glass case in fte corner. "It's all according to (what you term jeannfnl." replied Steele, who thought his employer iad taken leave of his senses. ■•Bus!" Thurston exclaimed, c&udvling. ''■jyhat on earth is it?" "i. safe, my boy! and it's the last word JB science!" And Thurston resumed his liapsodies. "Seems to mc more I£te an aquarium," retorted Steele. "Oh, yon mean the glass! That's the chief beauty of it," Thurston explained. "If you expect to keep burglars away by means of a glass safe, you have a poor action of the up-to-date burglar." And Steele threw himself into a chair, conrmlsed with laughter. "When yon've done cachinnating like a jsckass, I'll explain the mechanism, to you," letnrned Thurston, choking with rage to Sa4 his pet contrivance being made the jihject of derision. "Explain away, sir; I'm. all ears." "go's a jackass!" retorted Thurston. "Come over here; you will see it better," be added, .with sarcasm, Steele crossed to Ms side. Thurston inserted the key, and a ponderous door, j Emmrfiictnred of solid glass, a foot in ' thickness, swung open. Inside the glass j spaxtment was an up-to-date safe, of the best chilled steel, its massive bolts giving the impression of being impervious to anything short of dynamite. "There you are, my boy," chuckled Thurstan, in great glee. "This, yon must confess, jrfll puzzle your outlaw." "Yon have wires fixed inside the glass." In the event of anyone smashing SEbs glass, the wires, receiving -the shock, will set bells ringing on the outside of iha building." ! "But what about thermite? That melts eteel as easily as butter," said Steele. "That's the beauty of this safe," explained Thtirstoii. '"You see, it wcrala take c. deal of thermite to melt the glass, and ■thermite i≤ extremely difficult to obtain;

Bd, providing the outlaw had sufficient of the article to melt the glass, be wonld then lire to attack the safe." " "ia the safe any different from the usual tjjsT Steele questioned. '■la To prevent the use of thermite, the nrions manufacturers of safes put tisfr leads -together, and this—pointing to ifeafe—is the result." "md what is the difference?" Uraiston swung open the massive door, asi Steele observed that the door was of nmsaal thickness. "Is that solid?" he asked. "So; the doors are double. Tα between, the fc/era of chilled steel—steel that will turn «ie hardest chisel, by the way—is a body of tolrick. Providing .the burglar has yot ttaragh the first door, there is the conrpos-i- j tion, and behind that another door." "So that a burglar would, under ordinary toaiiiHonß, require a considerable time to Eccoiaplish his end?" cried Steele. "It wonld take him a day, even if he had I free hand." "Bo you keep many valuables in the ssfe?" "About five thousand pounds' worth, in sddition to more valuable papers," returned Thurston. "So you think the safe is impregnable?" "I do; it is the limit of science." "WeU, Übique will attain world-wide taie if he can overcome the intricacies of flut work of science," Steele mused. Thurston acquiesced. He locked the safe, Sni, inviting Steele to dinner, both men left the office. "Come at once; urgent, imperative.— SDinrston." Steele gazed -at the telegraph form, as if tereft of reason. "Wonder what on earth's tte matter with him now!" he muttered.

A few minutes after, Steele left the hotel, M, hulling a taxi-cab, was soon at Thurs-ton's-office. He found that gentleman belaying like one possessed, storming about tte office, cursing everything in particular, End sending his typewriter into a violent attack of hysteria. ; He burst upon Steele like a whirlwind. "Oh! So you've come!" he stormed. "I'm teen mad. Shut your infernal clatter!" le shrieked at the hysterical girl, who was Kplaly repeating a volley of crescendo yells. He commenced to pace the room again, aeunvlile giving vent to the most bloodcurdling threats of what he would accomplish, were the outlaw, Übique, ever capfared. "What! Has he paid you another visit?" 'Look for yourself!" Thurston screamed. Steele followed his pointed finger. There, a the corner of the room fhere the patent Mfc stood, was a heap of fused metal and Skss. "Meltea right through!" screamed Thnrs|w. gibbering in his frenzy of ragee. "Melt- «• Ana everything of value abstracteed!" Steele took out a small microscope, and e * un ined the fnsed mixture for a considerate tiaie. _ Well, what do you make of it?" shouted •"Huston. 'Whatever modus operand!, was employed, was not thermite," returned Steele. , don 't w ish to hear your clap-trap about *M\ Wasn,t employed!" yelled Thurston. *& I want to know Is, what on enrth , d "ash of a piece of mechanism Eo Perfect?" few? either De en accomplished by elec(Z~j an 4 sufficient power could aiot be aunea outside of a power hou3e—or It hns «n accomplished by some form of blowe ! but of all the methods at present °ra to mc concerning blowpipes, not one tae m wonld be nearly powerful enough Bt»T rk ttrou sa a safe liko yours." And gp? threw himself luto v chair, with an ewesslon of* Intense weariness. I shall go mud!" stormed Thar?iffln'rt *5 e " m l ' em P'°y-"S a rcpctedly Sf dett *"Ve, wie malifss m> ftsa o<- himev£ty eolieeH , Bb . e eteaa}eu , J p,,,.. c the most sdeiUMe production of tin? Maker's art, and H's opeped & easily * bo* of saraiaesj" He broke Off Ilia jperatloa to asfc fte £ M if too peUw "a iwtTwl yet.

The cfesstixm. has liardlv passed, fcig lips ■nrhsn. th& Inspector axrrs-ed. x-ffvr- a. n'Ti'TiTF»~'T Jig aroS© to ills fSGtj and confirmed Steele in. every particular"A powerful blowpipe, sir," he explained; "■though, as Mr Steele has just informed mc, nothing is known of the methods of such an affair." "And this is what I pay rates for!" screamed Thurston. "I am to be swindled and robbed, and no single person can inforjn mc iiow it ■was done! Bail!" iie sneered. "Police anil detectives are on a level — brainless incompetents!" "If that is your opinkm, I bid you goodday, sir." And ithe inspector strode toward tile door. "Are you going to Inquire into it?" Thnrston raged. "I am too incompetent; better employ a telepaxhist!" And the inspector left, slam- ' mini; the door viciously as he did so. "You'll do no good by getting into a rage, sir," began Steele. "Kage!" screamed Thnrston. "Rage! ■when I am merely asking for information — information I have a right to receive 1 I pay for it, don't I?" toe yelled. Steele vouchsafed no answer. He saw that Thurstou was beside himself with rage; the man, in fact, was in danger of suffocation by apoplexy. The veins on his forehead stood fonh like knotted cords; his lips twitched convulsively, and his hands clenched on the sides of his chair 'With the grip of a.drowning 'man. "Information!" he repeated. "How was it accomplished?" Steele rose to depart, as, plainly, he could do no manner of good while his employer •remained in this state. His hand was already upon the door, when it was flung orcn, and a messenger boy handed Steele : a letter. "Mr Steele," he volunteered. "All Tight, my lad; no answer," Steele replied. He tore open the letter, and Thurston gazed vacantly at him while lie perused it. Truly, Steele's face was a study in expression. "Wlat Is it?" queried Thurston, when Steele had finished. Steele, for answer, ihanded him the missive. "Read it to mc, man!" thundered Thurston. "I can't read in this state of mind!" Steele . read the long missive in a sad, depressing tone of voice, frequently adjured by Thurston to speak up.

"To 'Mr Irving Steele," It ran. "Having informed you that I would require more cash to enable mc to prolong my holiday, I naturally began to cast about for the "wherewithal to enable mc to continue in such a delightful spot as Sydney. For some time I was at my wits' end; but Fortune at last caane my way. I happened -to ibe in Adams' bar one day, and a yoice attracted my attention. .Needless to say, it was your employer, bragging -about his new safe. It is absolutely impregnable, 'he ■shouted, for the edification of the crowd. Now, my dear Steele, when a Tnan makes a public boast of his acquisition. I think you twill agree that he is tempting Fate. Well, I was Fate. He tempted mc, and I fell. I niay tell yon that his impregnable safe took mc just 20 minutes to open, and, with my hew blowpipe, I could open an care 'bursting with curiosity to learn how I•managed to accomplish the tricU." Then followed the method of working, written in a m-ost concise manner:— '■Take a blowpipe and two bottles, one to contain acetylene, the other compressed oxygen; connect blowpipe with the acetylene; light and direct flame against safe, tracing a circle of ten inches. When the metal is red-tart, turn a thin current of the oxygen into the flame; this -meH» —or, rather, superfices of the circle traced by the acetylene flame. Simple, isn't it? I may also stiite rtiiat I 'melted a circle of glass and

cut the wires before working in earnest. The best result, with this medium, was three steel plates and two sheets of copper in 20 minutes. I will call on you some day; you owe mc a considerable amount for technical education, you must admit. Anyhow, that can wait. I bid you Au revoir, a bien,tot.

"ÜBIQUE." Thnrston gave Tent to a forceful expletive, as Steele concluded. "Look here, Steele!" (he screamed. "Follow this up; spare no expense, and , prove yourself something better than a mere puppet this time!" But Steele's heart was too full for words. (To be continued weekly.)