The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass; Or, The Midnight Call for Assistance Read online

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  _THE RADIO BOYS SERIES_

  (Trademark Registered)

  THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS

  OR

  THE MIDNIGHT CALL FOR ASSISTANCE

  BY ALLEN CHAPMAN

  AUTHOR OF

  THE RADIO BOYS' FIRST WIRELESS THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE RALPH THE TRAIN DESPATCHER, ETC.

  WITH FORWARD BY

  JACK BINNS

  _ILLUSTRATED_

  NEW YORK

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  PUBLISHERS

  Made in the United States of America

  BOOKS FOR BOYS

  By Allen Chapman

  12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.

  THE RADIO BOYS SERIES

  (Trademark Registered)

  THE RADIO BOYS' FIRST WIRELESS Or Winning the Ferberton Prize

  THE RADIO BOYS AT OCEAN POINT Or The Message that Saved the Ship

  THE RADIO BOYS AT THE SENDING STATION Or Making Good in the Wireless Room

  THE RADIO BOYS AT MOUNTAIN PASS Or The Midnight Call for Assistance

  THE RADIO BOYS TRAILING A VOICE Or Solving a Wireless Mystery

  THE RAILROAD SERIES

  RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE Or Bound to Become a Railroad Man

  RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER Or Clearing the Track

  RALPH ON THE ENGINE Or The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail

  RALPH ON THE OVERLAND EXPRESS Or The Trials and Triumphs of a Young Engineer

  RALPH THE TRAIN DESPATCHER Or The Mystery of the Pay Car

  RALPH ON THE ARMY TRAIN Or The Young Railroader's Most Daring Exploit

  GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, New York

  Copyright, 1922, by

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  _The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass_

  FOREWORD

  By Jack Binns

  In the first chapter of this volume there appears a statement by "Bob," one of the Radio Boys, as follows: "Marconi is one of those fellows that can never rest satisfied with what's been done up to date."

  Perhaps no more concise summary of the driving force back of the men responsible for the tremendous development of radio could be made. It is just that refusal to be satisfied with what has been accomplished that has made wireless the greatest wonder development in the history of mankind.

  Although the radio boys in this case are but creatures of the author's imagination, nevertheless they are typical of all the men who have taken part in bringing radio to its present stage. Even Marconi himself likes to take pride in the assertion that he too was at one time an amateur, because he insists that during his early experiments he was only a boy amateur tinkering with a little known subject.

  There is undoubtedly a great deal of truth in his claim, because the experiments that led to his success were made while he was a youth studying at the Bologna University in Italy.

  What is true of Marconi is equally true of all the others. We have only to think of a name prominent in the field of wireless, and then trace back the history of the man who bears it, and you will come to an enthusiastic amateur.

  There is another fascinating thing about wireless, and it is the fact that no matter how much work one may really expend in tinkering with it, and no matter how valuable the results, it does not seem like real work. This is aptly phrased by Joe in the book who says:

  "I'd like to take it up as a regular profession. Think of what it must be for fellows like Armstrong and Edison, and De Forest and Marconi. I'll bet they don't think it's work."

  There is no doubt that Joe wins his bet.

  Jack Binns