Dawn of Steam: First Light

by Jeffrey Cook

  In any case Dr. Mitchell now seems extremely fond of Harriet, and his tone has changed entirely. Where before he was quiet and morose, he is now possessed of a manic energy and desire to help, taking in all details of our travels so far and what we might need to go forward. He seems quite taken with the plans for the dirigible, discussing them with the Coltranes at length, doing so even as I write this letter. He was speaking rapidly to Sir James of the inefficiencies of coal power, and how his new water powered theory was much more efficient, and easier to refuel.

  Apparently, one can fully outfit a dirigible with only river water, if one has the means to split the water into hydrogen for float ballast, and oxygen for fuel. The idea apparently came to him while he was setting up to power his cove using waves and tide, by means of his pinwheels. Sir James's look of wonder was only surpassed by his look of relief when Dr. Mitchell pointed out his purification system was a valid large-scale test.

  He has also shown significant interest, incidentally, in my camera, and though I can scarce understand a word he says, I have come to understand that he believes he can make a device with the same functioning, but lighter and faster to function. I have given him leave to examine my own camera, so long as he did not damage it, while Sir James has assured me that if any harm comes to it, he will make restitution and see it fixed properly.

  I marvel at the sudden change in the man, and all that his bouts of genius might mean for easing our way forward. Even more, I marvel at this new discovery of the hidden talents of Miss Wright.

  Because of the amount of time that will be required in order to fully refit the dirigible, it has been decided that after a few more days to go over all of the arrangements to be made, Sir James, Eddy, Mr. Toomes and myself will journey onward towards St. Louis to pick up the next member of our intrepid crew, while the Fishers, our engineering crew and the women of our company continue to enjoy Dr. Mitchell's hospitality.

  In any case, my love, I thought these curiosities and the revelations concerning Miss Wright might spark your imagination, as well as revealing something new about one of the heretofore most hapless of my companions. I send you all my love and best wishes.

  My love, always,

  Gregory Conan Watts

  From the collected communication of Elliot Toomes

  May 5th, 1815

  New York

  Sir,

  We have successfully completed the first of your instructions upon reaching the American colonies. We have made friendly contact with Dr. Mitchell, who is now aiding the Coltranes in making modifications to their dirigible for better travel. I do not know how long this will delay our movements, but for the moment, James Coltrane, Edward McBride, Gregory Watts, and myself will be journeying inland to retrieve the rest of the crew. I apologize that I lost track of Franzini and his companion previously, and assure you it will not happen again. I believe everything is in place to ensure their cooperation this time, however reluctant.

  I am including a map to Dr. Mitchell's cove, but urge utmost caution. The way in is as hazardous as previously reported. It can be reached by air readily enough, at least. Do not allow the appearance of the home to deceive you. I am pleased to report that the doctor's mechanical genius is entirely intact, despite some of the rumors which have made their way back to England.

  On the other hand, it appears that the rumors regarding his wife are entirely true. He has so far refused to reveal any details of what happened to her, but given the medical supplies we know the doctor had delivered here for quite some time, it can be surmised that some severe illness took her life. I will try to gain more details if I can, but do not believe this is as important as assuring that Franzini and his companion are brought into the fold without too much difficulty. I am still of the opinion that there are better people who could serve much the same role you intend, but I know you feel that the man's international contacts and his companion's unique skills make them vital to your plans for this company.

  I believe that the current company, particularly those in the loop of political gossip, are growing concerned about... something. So far, I have been able to answer every overt question aimed at me. Still, I will be eager to leave their company and see them off on their journey for the good of England.

  Your servant,

  Elliot Toomes

  May 6th, 1815

  New York

  40º 47'N 073º 58'W

  Dear Sir,

  I have come across a disturbing rumor, passed on to me through some of those gentlemen of the colony of New York that we met only a few days past. We are now traveling, and quite quickly, by railway. We have met with Dr. Mitchell and passed on your greetings, and while a few of us travel to St. Louis, he is assisting in refitting the dirigible to be better suited for the long distance travel planned for it.

  Thankfully, the doctor has his own mooring post, platform, and repair facilities set up to house and work on a dirigible, because otherwise, New York would be the only place such work could be done. As it turned out, as there has been no military action here since the Colonial Wars, there also is nowhere beyond New York that is yet situated to resupply a dirigible, or even properly moor one. We have been assured that this will soon be remedied, as there is construction being made in Boston, Philadelphia and St. Louis to construct suitable supply and repair platforms to allow more military defense dirigibles to be stationed in the colonies. This would both give the colonies a wider range of aerial defenses in case of future problems, and allow these stations to easily move troops and supplies between cities.

  Several cities in the southernmost colonies are vying for the rights to construct other such stations and receive recognition as viable air trading ports in anticipation of this change. However, as those colonies are not yet in accordance with English law, most notably the slave trade acts, there is considerable argument over whether they should be included in any sort of trade pact, even with the rest of America, to say nothing of the possibilities of cross-ocean trade.

  For the sake of some of the gentlemen who may be reading this in your company who are unaware of the situation in America, I feel I should note that the issue of the slave trade is a hotly debated one here, sir. Many of the farms and plantations of the Southern colonies have recently lost a number of their young men, and many landowners feel they have no other reasonable source of labor. Meanwhile, many former slaves who were committed to aiding the war effort are now returning home as free men as part of their agreement to serve in the American black regiments. These served in some infantry companies, and now are trying to find their place within society without money, education or means to gain either of these things.

  Indeed, I have become acutely aware of the debate in part because of the preponderance of such men who now work for the railroad, as it is a quickly expanding employer constantly in need of strong backs with little requirement for rarer skills or a high education. This is part of the reason the rails extend so quickly, and the industry has seen such success while many other companies are seeing some decline for lack of manpower, but this also puts them at the center of the increasingly heated regional debate. With Washington, Philadelphia and New York's houses of government so tied up in this Colonial issue with no end in sight, I can only wonder how long it will be before there are greater hostilities or the mother country needs to step in to arbitrate the dispute. I do understand that it is not as heated as it is certain to grow, as slave ownership is not yet outlawed, though some in the houses of parliament and upper ends of society have begun to suggest new laws to this end, but the end of the legal slave trade in England is now seeing its echoes in its colonies.

  As I had stated, regional interest aside, we have become aware of a difficulty. It seems that your opponent in your wager has hired his own adventurers, as you apparently suspected he might, to directly oppose us and prove Dr. Bowe's discoveries a complete work of fiction. While at some times this news might fill me with some excitement – after all, the idea of a race certai
nly adds some spice to the wager – we have learned that some among their number may be taking the instruction to directly oppose us somewhat more literally than one might expect. We were warned that some men of poor and mercenary reputation had been hired by these individuals upon their arrival to give some trouble to myself, Mr. Toomes, Sir James, and Eddy. We are almost certain that they will follow the conditions of the wager like gentlemen, and not directly threaten women or those who have been hired on only for the purpose of piloting the dirigible.

  While unsure of the extent of trouble we should be expecting, we nonetheless felt that it was best, when facing unknown parties, to complete our mission somewhat more discreetly than we had been doing, as well as with significantly more haste. Hence the reason we are riding the rails now, and I find myself with more than ample time to write to inform you both of the state of our mission, and facts of regional interest that may eventually impact the political situation at home. We have not yet learned the identity of any of the people placed in opposition to us by your rival, but as we gain any such information, I will pass it on as directly as I am able.

  If you will pardon my humble opinion, I find myself quite motivated now to do whatever is possible to stand in your opponent's way, for the idea of hiring American thugs to attempt to hinder a wager seems to fly in the face of gentlemanly behavior to me, though perhaps your opponent, whatever his station, is not up to your high standards, sir, or perhaps he is simply unaware of the tactics which his hirelings deem appropriate in this circumstance.

  Your most loyal servant,

  Gregory Conan Watts

  From the journals of Gregory Conan Watts,

  June 1st, 1815 (9)

  St. Louis

  38º38'N 090º12'W

  As I write this, my mind is still reeling over the events of the day. I attempt here to note the details down as factually and directly as I can recall, for the sake of my later reference. We spent some time in pursuit of Mr. Franzini, or as his signboard stated, the Great Giovanni Franzini, following news of the small traveling show with which he had become attached. In the aftermath of the war years, a few of these traveling shows have sprung up, following the example of similar spectacles to be found in the European mainland, and following such practitioners as the illusionist Jacob Philadelphia.

  Just as England has flocked to Sarah Siddons, delaying her announcement of retirement some few years amidst the national hunger for entertainment and diversion, the Americans too have sought after diversion and spectacle in various forms. Both transportation and cheap labor – in the form of displaced former soldiers and European immigrants seeking a new start in America after the collapse of the European alliance and all it brought with it – have cooperated. While no American performer of the reputation of Siddons has yet emerged (nor is any likely to), New York has some theaters with some claim to the title of the American Drury Lane. Meanwhile, companies touting their versions of Shakespeare and stage technicians with varying levels of talent and a variety of acts have begun to travel the civilized reaches of the Americas to fill this appetite for distraction.

  My further research and new resources as we traveled revealed that Giovanni Franzini was a European performer of some small repute and, by my observations, considerable skill, but he also had a reputation for affiliating himself with unsavory elements in the pursuit of wealth and promotion. Likewise, he is reputed to have a considerable appetite for gambling.

  While never directly arrested on the Continent, he had more than a few people of some social status accusing him of owing them a considerable sum of money, then skipping town with the debts still owed. He followed much the same pattern in England for a time, and did quite well for himself, with the rapidly growing theater-going population and rising popularity of stage phenomena, as well as the considerable national appetite for gambling. Once again, however, he found himself sought after by people with influence enough to have the backing of legal authorities, so while no firm charges have been placed against the man, I can understand why he was motivated to travel with some haste to the Americas, where his name was unknown.

  At long last, we found him and his theater company in a town on the western banks of the Mississippi River. There they performed for a circuit of the towns within a few days' travel of St. Louis, which is growing quite rapidly with the news that the railways are planned to reach that city. This growth is further augmented by the news they have received approval for a mooring station for dirigibles as soon as they prove they have significant enough military resources to properly protect this national resource. Many soldiers from the Napoleonic wars have flocked to the city seeking a post with growing, rather than dwindling, needs, and many entrepreneurs of varying reputations have begun trying to stake their own claim in the considerable trade-route possibilities that exist here in this gateway city between the North and South.

  After some difficult overland travel past the last of the ever-growing rails, we did make contact with a so-called Mr. Ian Moon, who was able to direct us to the traveling show's manager, though they were initially quite loath to let us even speak with Mr. Franzini, who had become their premier attraction. Still, when Mr. Toomes pulled him aside briefly for a quiet conversation, Mr. Moon became significantly more helpful, though I remain uncertain precisely what offer our employer has made to so entice Mr. Franzini or what he has that made certain that those who employ him would have so little difficulty parting with him. On the latter, I might be able to guess, however.

  Regardless, we were taken to a dusty little saloon full of women of obvious ill repute and scandalous dress, and men of rough character. In truth, the smell of the place alone almost enticed me to turn about and leave this part of the mission behind, but my fellows took to the task with enough vigor that I was reminded of my commitment to the mission, while being certain this would be far from the worst I would see going forward. It was here that I had occasion to see Mr. Franzini in action, for we had arrived just in time for the show. Despite priding myself on my observational skills, I cannot say how he performed even a single one of his tricks. I am certain that in some part, however, this is owed to the presence of his assistant.

  He referred to the woman as Julietta Penn, and perhaps that was her name, but she had a dark and Mediterranean look to her. Indeed, while feeling as though I should very much like to see her dressed with some sensibility, or at least offer her a blanket for modesty, in her own fashion she was utterly captivating. Dark skinned with hair a rich black, she spoke with a hint of an accent I could not quite place, certainly some part Italian, but also some brand of Eastern European. Her dress was covered in sequins, ruffles and feathers, and tight enough about the hip as to give some idea of the motion of her legs as she walked. On the raised stage, one could also see the not insignificant height of her heels, despite which she walked with the grace and elegance of any lady I have ever met, though I am quite certain this was no lady.

  I am uncertain if it scandalizes me less or more even now that despite her clingy dress, her eyes remain her most unforgettable feature, bright green and vibrant, locking on the members of the audience such that one would think she was performing directly for them. I have heard rumors of women of somewhat similar dress and manner appearing upon the Parisian stage – and perhaps that nation is as hungry for some distraction from the costs of war as England – but I had scarce believed it until now. Throughout the show, I found myself at least thrice closing my eyes and recalling my sweet Cordelia's face, if only to assure myself that I could.

  Giovanni Franzini himself, so aided by some combination of his own skills and his assistant's capable distraction and whatever capabilities at sleight of hand she herself possessed, put on quite the show. Small objects were made to appear and disappear, flowers were produced from thin air, and at the end of his show, he seemed to catch a musket ball in his bare hand. And while I am certain that all of this, most specifically the last, was a trick of quick fingers, tricks to draw the eye of the audien
ce away, and simple plays upon the audience's expectations, as all illusionist acts are, I cannot yet say for certain how a single one of these tricks was done, save for one which I would learn the full solution to later on in the evening. I can say for certain that to that point, Giovanni Franzini had perhaps the fastest hands I had ever seen. But I shall return to that rumination. Beyond admiration for his clearly superior reflexes and stagecraft, the man himself was most in need of a beautiful assistant, for he himself reminded me of nothing so much as a fox: thin, wiry, and shifty, with large eyes that seemed to take in everything and everyone as if they might either be the hen house or the dog guarding it.

  If he was indeed the gambler that he was reputed to be, I was quite certain at the time that he was looking for marks, as would later be proven quite true. A short man, to go with the slight physique, his thin and oiled beard served only to make his chin and jaw seem all the more narrow. A wispy and equally well oiled mustache did lend him a certain sort of sinister mystique from time to time, and at other times just served to make him seem the more untrustworthy. His dark brown hair contrasted strongly with a pale complexion, though I am uncertain how someone who travels so much by train and attends wide open towns like these could so obviously avoid the sun, and imagined him immediately to be the type to sleep in the daytime while working late at the gambling hall after his shows were completed.