The Radio Robbery — S.P. Meek

It has long been a dream of metallurgists to conquer the science of transmutation of metals. Also it is a pet theme for writers of scientific fiction. We are well on the road to synthetic foods, why not synthetic metals? This time Capt Meek has devised a truly ingenious method for obtaining synthetic gold, which gives the radio yet another use. 


excerpt

“Did you have any trouble with your radio last night, Charley?"


The bullion teller swung around to face his assistant.


“Nothing else but,” he replied. "There was some kind of a tearing, roaring noise that started about seven-thirty and kept up all night, or at least until I turned in at midnight."


"I the same trouble," Glenn Hunter replied with interest. "It seemed to center at about 450 meters, but it took in a wide band on each side and just drowned out everything. It sounded like an old type spark-gap transmitter going full blast except that it was a steady hum instead of dots and dashes."


“That's what it sounded like all right. I hadn't thought of that, but it did have the same characteristics. I tried to tune it out by turning my loop, but I couldn't do it.  The loop helped some, but the source was too near and too loud for anything to get through it." 


"Moulton's set has an aerial, so I couldn't try loop tuning, but there was no use in trying to cut it out with condensers.  It was such a wide hand that it covered the whole dial.  What do you suppose it was?”


Charley Barnett never got a chance to expound his theory, for the conversation was interrupted by a messenger who handed Hunter a telegram.  He took it and tore it open.


"Listen to this," he remarked in disgust. " 'Six hundred pounds gold bullion nine hundred fine consigned Federal Reserve Bank Philadelphia due West Philadelphia station nine-twenty A. M. tenth. Be ready to receive. American Railway Express.' It wasn't enough for them to shove in two thousand pounds yesterday after quitting time, they have to start before we open in the morning. Oh, well, I suppose we've got to get ready for it. Go open the bullion vault for me and see where we can put it, will you, Charley? Have that last lot of bars moved, if necessary. I want to run through these assay reports before the stuff gets here."


Barnett took Hunter's key and set off for the vault whistling gaily. He nodded to the watchman on duty, entered the main vault and stepped inside. The vault was dark and he felt for the light switch and turned it on. The switch clicked, but no light rewarded his efforts and he reached in his pocket for his flashlight. To his disgust, he found that he had left it in his desk, but his searching hand encountered a box of matches. He drew them out and struck one.


There was tremendous report that shattered glass throughout the bank. The heavy steel door of the bullion vault was torn from its hinges and flew out past the guard and smashed against the opposite wall. The light-bulbs in the vault were broken by the force of the ex¬plosion and the guard was knocked unconscious. The alarm gongs throughout the bank set up a deafening clanging, and the guards rushed to their stations with drawn revolvers.