CHAPTER XV
AN UNDERGROUND MYSTERY
“Say, have you fellows heard about that new vacuum tube?” asked Joe, as the boys were tinkering with their set a day or so after the incident of the wildcat.
“What about it?” the others asked, with interest.
“They say it’s the most powerful tube in the world,” Joe continued enthusiastically. “Think of it—this tube is capable of supplying a hundred kilowatts of oscillating high frequency energy to an antenna.”
“Must be some hefty tube,” remarked Bob, rather absently. He was trying to tune in on a station some distance away and there was considerable interference.
“No, that’s just the beauty of it,” said Joe, still on the subject of this wonder tube. “It’s small. Only weighs ten pounds.”
“I suppose that will have a big effect upon radio in general,” said Herb.
“I’ll say so,” Joe returned. “Why, they say that two of these tubes operated in parallel would do the work of a million dollars’ worth of machinery in transatlantic communication.”
“Some tube, all right,” said Jimmy. “I bet it will bring the inventor some hard cash, too.”
“He deserves it,” declared Joe. “Anyone who has brains enough to invent a thing like that ought to be a millionaire.”