Sorry for voicing an opinion.
I didn't berate you for doing so. I simply voiced my own.
Union and Liberty: An American TL
- Thread starter wilcoxchar
- Start date
I didn't berate you for doing so. I simply voiced my own.
Thanks! I shall try to do more as the TL unfolds - for example, I'm making a basemap of Austria-Hungary, so when it's done I could try to make a map of post-Habsburg Austria.
That makes sense.
That'd be very interesting. So ITTL, what happens in Chihuahua, stays in Chihuahua?
Nice work, Ares96. It looks like a real history book. How much do you charge for your work?
Oh, I don't usually take money for them. But of course, a small donation will help get it done quicker.
Seriously though, if you want something in particular, just PM me about it, and I'll see what I can do.
Bleh, the flood of schoolwork has continued into this week so I haven't had much time to write the update. I may post a Teddy Roosevelt story in the meantime, since I've had some ideas for that, but we'll see which one I get the writing itch for.
Part Ninety: The Ascendance of William Jennings Bryan
I ended up getting the normal update done before the Teddy Roosevelt story. The TR story will probably be done by Wednesday, since the amount of schoolwork I have is dying down a bit. I'll add footnotes tomorrow.
Part Ninety: The Ascendance of William Jennings Bryan
The Passing of Wit[1]:
While Morton's presidency was eventful, it was also short. In December of 1898, Morton came down with pneumonia and died on the 11th of January, 1899 at the age of 74. Bryan succeeded him at the age of 38, becoming the youngest person to ever accede to the presidency of the United States. In the following months, Bryan's ascension to the presidency gave the Republican Party a jump in popularity as Morton had become disliked by many in the Republican Party during the previous two years. Bryan's first actions as president were to replace two cabinet members. Bryan replaced Jay Gould as Secretary of the Treasury with George Cortelyou, replaced Orville Platt as Secretary of War with William Howard Taft, and replaced Edmund Morrill with Thomas Edward Watson as Secretary of Agriculture[2].
After Bryan succeeded to the presidency, the first item on his agenda was to push for the repeal of the Merriwether-Breckenridge Act. Bryan's commitment to the free silver cause was astounding, and in his first months in office, Bryan gave several speeches advocating a return to free silver. The speeches worked to a great effect. Support for bimetallism even among Republicans and Progressives had been waning in the recent decade as the recovering economy lessened the importance of the issue. But as Bryan tirelessly pushed the issue, a renewed support for bimetallism grew and a bill to repeal the act passed the House of Representatives with support from the West and much of the South. However, speculation on the American economy led to a recession in the middle of 1899 as the bill was gaining support. This recession led to the Senate tabling the bill, with Ohio senator William McKinley leading the opposition to the bill saying that Bryan's stubbornness on the issue would lead to ruin.
Butting Heads:
The failure to repeal the Merriwether-Breckenridge Act did not deter Bryan from attempting to push further legislation through Congress. Between Bryan's inauguration and the end of 1899, Congress initiated bills to establish a federal minimum wages, a bill to establish a federal department of commerce, and legislation to regulate food transport costs. Of these, only the Interstate Commerce Act which established the Department of Commerce was passed[3]. It had the support of the West and the urban centers in the Old Northwest and the Northeast. The Agricultural Transportation Act only had the true support of members from rural districts. While it had gained support from much of the West, many southern representatives were against the bill and along with opposition from the Northeast, voted it down.
While Bryan failed in Washington, he was largely successful in the rest of the country. During his presidency, Bryan made an unprecedented number of trips around the country. Bryan traveled extensively by rail, and these trips made him known as a successor of Andrew Jackson as a hero of the common man[4]. Bryan's speeches aroused much support from the American public about one more issue, which was Bryan's other major success in his presidency. In 1900, a constitutional amendment was proposed in Congress to directly elect Senators. The amendment passed the House in May of 1900, and was passed by the Senate in September.
Next came the passage of the amendment by the states. The New England states, which had already established statewide election of Senators, were the first to ratify the Sixteenth Amendment in June and July of 1900. States in the West ratified the amendment through the rest of 1900 along with New Jersey, Winfield, and Wisconsin. States in the Old Northwest ratified the amendment in the early months of 1901. New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland joined the ratification in April of 1901. It finally reached the two thirds requirement with ratification by North Carolina and Cuba in August of 1901. The midterm elections of 1902 were the first with the Sixteenth Amendment in force.
[1] This section is named for the nicknames Morton and Bryan received during the 1890s as "Wit the Elder" and "Wit the Younger".
[2] All the cabinet members here are real people.
[3] The Interstate Commerce Act is passed ten years later than OTL. The first Secretary of Commerce is Missouri Congressman William Hatch.
[4] Bryan's reputation mostly came from his advocacy for better labor conditions for urban workers, and his accomplishments for farmers. Modern historians are much more critical of Bryan during his administrations.
Part Ninety: The Ascendance of William Jennings Bryan
The Passing of Wit[1]:
While Morton's presidency was eventful, it was also short. In December of 1898, Morton came down with pneumonia and died on the 11th of January, 1899 at the age of 74. Bryan succeeded him at the age of 38, becoming the youngest person to ever accede to the presidency of the United States. In the following months, Bryan's ascension to the presidency gave the Republican Party a jump in popularity as Morton had become disliked by many in the Republican Party during the previous two years. Bryan's first actions as president were to replace two cabinet members. Bryan replaced Jay Gould as Secretary of the Treasury with George Cortelyou, replaced Orville Platt as Secretary of War with William Howard Taft, and replaced Edmund Morrill with Thomas Edward Watson as Secretary of Agriculture[2].
After Bryan succeeded to the presidency, the first item on his agenda was to push for the repeal of the Merriwether-Breckenridge Act. Bryan's commitment to the free silver cause was astounding, and in his first months in office, Bryan gave several speeches advocating a return to free silver. The speeches worked to a great effect. Support for bimetallism even among Republicans and Progressives had been waning in the recent decade as the recovering economy lessened the importance of the issue. But as Bryan tirelessly pushed the issue, a renewed support for bimetallism grew and a bill to repeal the act passed the House of Representatives with support from the West and much of the South. However, speculation on the American economy led to a recession in the middle of 1899 as the bill was gaining support. This recession led to the Senate tabling the bill, with Ohio senator William McKinley leading the opposition to the bill saying that Bryan's stubbornness on the issue would lead to ruin.
Butting Heads:
The failure to repeal the Merriwether-Breckenridge Act did not deter Bryan from attempting to push further legislation through Congress. Between Bryan's inauguration and the end of 1899, Congress initiated bills to establish a federal minimum wages, a bill to establish a federal department of commerce, and legislation to regulate food transport costs. Of these, only the Interstate Commerce Act which established the Department of Commerce was passed[3]. It had the support of the West and the urban centers in the Old Northwest and the Northeast. The Agricultural Transportation Act only had the true support of members from rural districts. While it had gained support from much of the West, many southern representatives were against the bill and along with opposition from the Northeast, voted it down.
While Bryan failed in Washington, he was largely successful in the rest of the country. During his presidency, Bryan made an unprecedented number of trips around the country. Bryan traveled extensively by rail, and these trips made him known as a successor of Andrew Jackson as a hero of the common man[4]. Bryan's speeches aroused much support from the American public about one more issue, which was Bryan's other major success in his presidency. In 1900, a constitutional amendment was proposed in Congress to directly elect Senators. The amendment passed the House in May of 1900, and was passed by the Senate in September.
Next came the passage of the amendment by the states. The New England states, which had already established statewide election of Senators, were the first to ratify the Sixteenth Amendment in June and July of 1900. States in the West ratified the amendment through the rest of 1900 along with New Jersey, Winfield, and Wisconsin. States in the Old Northwest ratified the amendment in the early months of 1901. New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland joined the ratification in April of 1901. It finally reached the two thirds requirement with ratification by North Carolina and Cuba in August of 1901. The midterm elections of 1902 were the first with the Sixteenth Amendment in force.
[1] This section is named for the nicknames Morton and Bryan received during the 1890s as "Wit the Elder" and "Wit the Younger".
[2] All the cabinet members here are real people.
[3] The Interstate Commerce Act is passed ten years later than OTL. The first Secretary of Commerce is Missouri Congressman William Hatch.
[4] Bryan's reputation mostly came from his advocacy for better labor conditions for urban workers, and his accomplishments for farmers. Modern historians are much more critical of Bryan during his administrations.
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Yeah, were any of you guys ever fans of Robert Heinlein? He has a whole subtextual WJB thing, sort of an undercurrent if you will, where he basically has these hyperchristianist societies emerge after Bryan victories. Job, A Comedy of Justice being the strongest IMO, but you see it in the whole Future History series and WJB even shows up in Friday. I shudder to see this open, alt-US embrace Bryan.
How different is bryan in this TL? He is clearly as ardent a siverite her,e as in OTL, but how does he differ in other terms? Bryan has always fascinated althist fans because of his strong views on so many positions that are now never found on the same pole of the political spectrum - his cristianist, anti-darwinist, prohibitionist, and anti-elitiest stances are now vanguards of the right while his anti-imperialist, pacifist, and anti-trust positions are shunned by the right and only found among the left. I wonder how much this would be the case in wilcox's timeline, where he would have been born after the POD, grown up in an alternate Illinois and... moved with is family to the boomtown of Douglas, Kearney? I'm interested to learn more here.
How different is bryan in this TL? He is clearly as ardent a siverite her,e as in OTL, but how does he differ in other terms? Bryan has always fascinated althist fans because of his strong views on so many positions that are now never found on the same pole of the political spectrum - his cristianist, anti-darwinist, prohibitionist, and anti-elitiest stances are now vanguards of the right while his anti-imperialist, pacifist, and anti-trust positions are shunned by the right and only found among the left. I wonder how much this would be the case in wilcox's timeline, where he would have been born after the POD, grown up in an alternate Illinois and... moved with is family to the boomtown of Douglas, Kearney? I'm interested to learn more here.
Added footnotes. A little clue about the future there.
My guess is Bryan's popularity will plummet fast. It seems he is quite unwilling to compromise on most issues (plus reverting to silver is not a good idea, I don't think anyone did it in OTL). Will he cause the Republicans to loose some ground and the Progressives to gian some in the north east?
Anyways cool update. As we approach the 1900s it might be good to have post with some world atlas style facts. You know, top 10 economies, 10 most populous countries, ethnic/language composition of the US. A list of facts basically. But regardless I am still looking foward for the Roosvelt story, those are always good. There hasn't been one set in Asia or one with him teaming up with Pancho Villa. Just some ideas. Keep up the good work.
BTW has the football league expanded beyond New England? It seems that has been mostly the sport's base so far. How are other sports doing?
I'll do a few updates on a grand overview of the world in 1900 after the 1900 election update, which should only be one or two updates away.
The New England Football League will stay in New England, but the US will develop its own football leagues (with a couple other regional ones). Maybe I'll have the American League of Professional Football succeed. With most players being Irish immigrants, there shouldn't be the anti-British immigration problem, and maybe there would be more cooperation between the ALPF and the Football Association of the US. Having baseball and football develop side by side in the US would be interesting.
The New England Football League will stay in New England, but the US will develop its own football leagues (with a couple other regional ones). Maybe I'll have the American League of Professional Football succeed. With most players being Irish immigrants, there shouldn't be the anti-British immigration problem, and maybe there would be more cooperation between the ALPF and the Football Association of the US. Having baseball and football develop side by side in the US would be interesting.
Cool, really looking forward to those updates. If the US had two national sports, it would be interesting to see how they evolve. Perhaps baseball will be pressured to have fewer games, and football to have more games per season, in order to increase competitiveness.
Perhaps, but maybe not. The cool thing about baseball and football is that if the US uses European-timed seasons and with a few tweaks, there wouldn't be too much overlap between the baseball and football seasons. Baseball is April-October and football is August-May. Maybe have a few less games in baseball (since there probably won't be as many teams in the major leagues ITTL), and the baseball season would be winding down right when the football season starts and vice versa.
The Undisclosed Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt #5: Airship One
Finally done with the TR story! I feel the ending is a little rushed but I need to get started on schoolwork and I really wanted to finish it today. It also ended up being much longer than I expected.
The Undisclosed Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt, Episode 5: Airship One
The bright midday sun shined over Lake Michigan and the Chicago waterfront. President Roosevelt stepped out of the car and waved at the crowds lined along Michigan Avenue. "Mister President, we really need to be going if we are to return to Washington before nightfall," John Muir whispered in Roosevelt's ear. The President nodded but waved at the crowd for another moment before moving toward the waiting airship. The crowds cheered as the President stepped up the stairs into the official presidential airship, known as Airship One.
As the remainder of the launch preparations were being made, seven men emerge from Lake Michigan on the other side of the park. They removed their diving dress while the lead man motioned them toward the airship. The seven men ran over directly beneath the airship at the center, a far way behind the gondola. The bottom of the airship still loomed ten feet above their heads as it hovered, tethered to the mooring mast. "How are we going to get up there, John?" one of the men said looking up at the airship.
John Flemming, the leader of the anarchist group known as the Black Hawk League, turned to one of the others in the group. "Frank, did you remember to repack the grapple after we got out of the water?" Frank nodded. "Give it here," John said. Frank got the rope and hook out of his pack and handed it to John. John twirled the hook above his head and tossed it up at the airship. The sharpened hook tore a hold through the airship's cotton skin, and John pulled the rope taut as the hook slid and caught on the interior metal frame. "Everyone climb up quickly," John said and they quietly boarded the airship. John wast he last one inside the airship, and retrieved the hook and the rope. The only trace of their entrance was now the small rip in the airship's skin.
The President walked out of his cabin and peered out the window. The ridges of the Appalachian Mountains were laid neatly across the ground far below. Roosevelt walked along the deck toward the bridge of the airship. The pilot was at the wheel when Roosevelt entered the bridge. "Out for a stoll, mister President?" the pilot asked when he heard Roosevelt's footsteps on the wooden floor.
"Yes," Roosevelt replied. "I always enjoy the view from up here." Roosevelt stopped and looked down from the airship as the mountains slowly passed by.
In the hull above the bridge, the seven members of the Black Hawk League peered through a hatch at Roosevelt and the pilot. "There he is!" Frank whispered with excitement. "And he's alone with the pilot."
"Excellent," John replied. They opened the hatch slightly and tossed a small smoke bomb into the cabin. As smoke filled the room, the men dropped down into the cabin. Roosevelt and the pilot turned around in confusion and started stumbling. Suddenly, a baseball bat came into Roosevelt's field of view and collided with his head. Roosevelt and the pilot fell to the floor. The last thing Roosevelt heard before blacking out was a muffled voice yelling, "go secure the rest of..."
When Roosevelt came to, he found himself seated in a chair, still on the bridge of the airship. When he tried to move, he found that his hands were tied together with rope to the back of the chair. Looking around, Roosevelt saw two men standing near him and another standing at the wheel. They were wearing factory workers' overalls. One wore a black bandana around his head. "What is going on here?" Roosevelt yelled.
The man in the bandana turned to face Roosevelt. "Ah good, you've come to. Allow me to introduce myself. I am John Flammang, leader of the Black Hawk League. We have captured you and commandeered your airship."
Roosevelt struggled at his bonds. He heard a voice from behind him. It was the pilot. "Black Hawk League? What are they, pirates?"
Roosevelt glared at Flemming and growled in a tone two octaves deeper than his usual. "Worse. Anarachists."
"Wilhelm, what's the plan for our course?" Flemming yelled as he went to the anarchist who was now piloting the airship. Wilhelm pointed to the northeast, but he could not hear the man's answer to Flemming. Flemming gave Wilhelm an approving nod. Roosevelt could hear the engines louder and felt the airship picking up speed as it banked slowly to the left.
Flemming passed by Roosevelt and the pilot again as he went back toward the cabins of the airship. "What are you planning? Where are you taking us?" Roosevelt asked. Flemming stopped and turned to look back at the President.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Let's just say you won't be making it back to the White House." Flemming walked out of the bridge, leaving Roosevelt and pilot alone with two guards and Wilhelm.
"What are they doing? Does that mean they're going to kill us?" the pilot whispered feverishly to Roosevelt.
"Not if I can help it," the President whispered back. "Luckily I always keep a knife on hand, just for such occasions."
"You plan for these sorts of things?" the pilot said shocked.
"Nope. But it sure does help." The President wiggled his hands within the restraints and reached into the back of his belt. Slowly, he unsheathed the knife and sawed through the rope around his hands. As the rope fell to the floor, Roosevelt caught it. "We need to wait for an opportune moment," he whispered to the pilot.
Minutes passed. Roosevelt could feel the airship moving slowly through the skies. Clouds drifted by the windows. After another ten minutes, the door opened and Flemming reentered the bridge. "How are we doing Wilhelm?"
"I've just set us on the final course, mister Flemming," Wilhelm replied.
"Good. Now come with me Wilhelm." The lead anarchist leered at Roosevelt. "I suppose this is where we part. Farewell, mister Roosevelt." With a flourish of his hand, Flemming waved to the President as he opened the door of the bridge. "You two! Come to the middle stairwell in another five minutes. We don't want the President to pull any tricks."
When Flemming and Wilhelm left the bridge, the guards turned to face Roosevelt. "You've been pretty quiet so far," one of the guards said. "No last words? You'd think being president that would be important."
Roosevelt smiled. "Hmmm. You're right. You want to hear my last words? Come closer so you can hear them clearly." The guard laughed as he leaned in toward the President. "Get off my airship." In a single movement, Roosevelt let the rope drop to the floor and brought his balled fist around. It impacted the guard's face and sent him sprawling to the floor.
The other guard grabbed for a pistol at his hip but before he could pull it out of the holster the President had leapt up out of the chair and tackled the guard to the ground. Rolling to the side, Roosevelt slashed the ropes around his feet and stood up. He rushed over to the pilot and untied him. As the pilot ran to the wheel, the guards rose to their feet.
The president brandished the knife as the guards edged closer. The guard Roosevelt had tackled sprinted toward the President with his fist ready for a punch. Roosevelt deftly sidestepped the guard and dealt an elbow to the man's back. The guard slid along the wooden floor.
The other guard had regained his footing and had loaded his pistol. He fired three shots in quick succession. The first two bullets missed and shattered two of the windows. Roosevelt picked up a chair and held it out in front of him. The final bullet embedded itself in the seat of the chair.
The first guard had stood up again and now both were running at the President. Roosevelt whipped the chair around and it collided with both guards as they launched themselves at him. The guards fell unconscious into a heap. Roosevelt turned to the pilot. "How's it going over there?"
The pilot turned back to the President, flustered. "It's bad. The wheel isn't doing anything. I think they cut the rudder cables."
Roosevelt thought and looked out the window. The mountains were still far below them, but their path was now almost parallel to one of the ridges. A breeze blew through the cabin. "You keep things under control up here," Roosevelt told the pilot. "I'm going to free the rest of the crew." The President went to the cabin door and pushed. The door didn't budge. He pushed harder, but it still wouldn't budge. "Well, shoot," he said to the pilot, "the door's locked."
The pilot stood on one of the chairs and tugged at the hatch in the ceiling that the anarchists had entered through. "I can't get the hatch open either."
Roosevelt looked around the bridge trying to figure another way out. The breeze continued to blow through the bridge. "Wait, I've got it!" Roosevelt snapped his fingers and pointed at one of the open windows. "I should be able to climb on the outside of the gonola and get to the rest of the crew!" Before the pilot could reply, Roosevelt was leaning out the broken window.
The President looked along the side of the gondola. Stepping out slowly, he inched along the gondola using the window slats as footholds. After a while, Roosevelt looked up at the tail of the airship and noticed a figure on the elevator fin. Roosevelt took the grappling hook out of a suit pocket and fired it at the fin. Roosevelt propelled himself from the gondola and swung himself up into the air, shouting "BUUUULLYYYY!" as he flew. Flemming looked up in surprise as Roosevelt landed and steadied himself on the fin.
"What? You thought you could stop this bull moose with a little rope?"
Flemming stood up and Roosevelt noticed a black box at the anarchist's feet. "Ha! So what if you escaped? My plan is already in motion. When these bombs I have placed on the tail explode, you will be sent into a burning hellfire where all men who support government belong! The ultimate triumph of the individual over the collective is now, mister Roosevelt, and the revolution shall revere me as its instigator and leader!" Flemming sneered. "You two, get him! I need to set the timer on this bomb before we go."
The other two anarchists ran at Roosevelt, but he dodged and rolled to avoid their punches. A few more rounds of attacks and the President had backed up the trailing edge of the fin. One of the anarchists took a flying kick on the President, but Roosevelt turned and dodged it and sent the man flying off the edge of the fin. With Roosevelt distacted, the other man jumped onto the President's back. Roosevelt stumbled for a moment, but soon regained his balance. The man clawed at the President to try and force them both off the edge, but Roosevelt remained steady.
Suddenly, Roosevelt reached up and grabbed the man's flailing arms. "I've gotten pretty tired of you boys. Like I told your colleagues back on the bridge, GET OFF MY AIRSHIP!" With one burst of energy, the President hurled the man over his shoulders and sent him free-falling. Roosevelt stood for a moment at the edge of the fin watching the man fall before turning to face Flemming.
Flemming closed the bomb shut. "There, everything's finished. And it looks like I'm just in time too." Roosevelt charged at Flemming and hit him in the back. The two went tumbling on the fin. Flemming stood up and glared at Roosevelt. "You're too late. The bombs are already rigged to explode. Even if you kill me, you'll still die."
Roosevelt looked down at the bomb. The small clock on the bomb was ticking down from a minute. "I don't know if I can stop the bombs, but I can sure stop you from getting away!" Roosevelt charged Flemming again and this time they both bowled over the edge of the fin and began to fall to the ground.
Flemming struggled free of Roosevelt's grip. "Not the way I was expecting to kill you or for me to get off the airship but it will do."
"What are you-" Roosevelt began. Flemming pulled a cord on his pack and a rigid wing setup popped out of it. Flemming glided away while Roosevelt continued to fall. "Damnit!" Roosevelt yelled as he maneuvered his body to face upward. "How do I get back to the airship? I have to save everyone?" Roosevelt thought.
Thinking quickly, the President took out the grappling gun again and aimed. "Got to get this just right..." he said and fired. The rope coiled around one of the engines and went taut. "Perfect!" Roosevelt reeled himself back toward the airship. He took a last look at Flemming gliding away before being jarred back into the situation by a powerful explosion.
Roosevelt crashed through a window into the passenger deck just as the bombs went off. "What the devil was that!" he heard Muir yelling from one of the passenger cabins. Roosevelt shouldered the door open. Muir and two other crew members were tied up in the cabin, just like Roosevelt and the pilot were. "Sir!" Muir cried. "See James, I told you he'd save us," he smirked and whispered to the other man.
"Come on," Roosevelt yelled as he untied the two men. "We have to get to the bridge." The three men ran toward the bow of the airship. It began to tilt forward as smoke poured in through the window. Roosevelt managed to keep from stumbling and braced his shoulder to smash the door open. The door splintered as Roosevelt burst through it, startling the pilot even more. "Ow," Roosevelt yelped as his lumbering figure came to a stop.
"Mister President, we're losing altitude fast," the pilot said.
"I know. Those damned anarchists blew off the entire tail section of the airship!" Roosevelt yelled. "We need to get out of hear fast." Looking out the front windows, the men saw the treetops fast approaching.
"What do we do? We can't simply jump out, and the plane in the hangar only seats two people?" the pilot wondered.
Roosevelt thought. "I have an idea. We don't actually need to fly the plane, so even if we have to squeeze in it should work out." The others gave the President a quizzical expression, but Roosevelt was already heading for the hangar. "Come on everybody, we can't waste any time! I'll explain along the way."
The four men ran to the hangar and got in the biplane. Roosevelt sat in the front seat, while the pilot sat in the back. Muir and the other man stood on the lower wing just to the side of the plane's body, clinging to the crossbeams.
"Alright, now we just need to open the hangar," the President said. An explosion ripped through the back of the hangar as the fire reached the midsection of the airship. A crashing sound of splintering wood came from behind them as the airsihp's nose hit the trees. "Or we can just wing it." Roosevelt started up the plane's engine and it started rolling forward. As it picked up speed, it sped through the smoke. "Brace yourselves!" The plane crashed through the floor as it burned and dropped out of the hangar onto the forest floor. The President quickly turned the engine off, but the plane kept sliding down the hill. As it picked up speed, the right wing was shorn off by a passing tree and the plane turned and skidded to a halt. The four men jupmed out of the plane as it kept sliding. It finally stopped after sliding sideways into another tree, sending a shower of needles onto everyone. The airship continued to burn and collapse behind them.
Roosevelt brushed off his suit and looked around amid the wreckage of the airship. "Now where has my hat gotten to?" Finding his stetson laying in the leaves and branches near his feet. He picked it up and put it on. "Well, that was a bit of a close call," he turned to the others standing around. "Anyone know where the nearest road is?"
"I think I saw a road a mile or so to the northwest," the pilot said. The president nodded and the group started walking.
The group stumbled out of the woods onto the dirt path half an hour later. Walking along the road, they quickly found a crowd of people with cars parked and horses hitched nearby. As they neared, the crowd saw them and began running toward them. "What happened?" an older woman asked frightfully.
"Our airship just ran into a little accident," Roosevelt said and smiled. Upon recognizing the President, the woman let out a high pitch gasp.
One of the crew leaned over to Muir and whispered, "The airship exploding and crashing into a mountainside is a 'little accident'?"
"For him, yes," Muir whispered back.
Roosevelt continued talking with the crowd and arranged for everyone to be taken to the nearest town. Secretary Muir and the President rode in the back of one of the cars as the impromptu motorcade made its way down the dirt road.
The group was lodged in a hotel once they arrived back in the town, The next day, Muir telephoned Washington and arranged for the airship crew to take a train back to the capital.
The Undisclosed Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt, Episode 5: Airship One
The bright midday sun shined over Lake Michigan and the Chicago waterfront. President Roosevelt stepped out of the car and waved at the crowds lined along Michigan Avenue. "Mister President, we really need to be going if we are to return to Washington before nightfall," John Muir whispered in Roosevelt's ear. The President nodded but waved at the crowd for another moment before moving toward the waiting airship. The crowds cheered as the President stepped up the stairs into the official presidential airship, known as Airship One.
As the remainder of the launch preparations were being made, seven men emerge from Lake Michigan on the other side of the park. They removed their diving dress while the lead man motioned them toward the airship. The seven men ran over directly beneath the airship at the center, a far way behind the gondola. The bottom of the airship still loomed ten feet above their heads as it hovered, tethered to the mooring mast. "How are we going to get up there, John?" one of the men said looking up at the airship.
John Flemming, the leader of the anarchist group known as the Black Hawk League, turned to one of the others in the group. "Frank, did you remember to repack the grapple after we got out of the water?" Frank nodded. "Give it here," John said. Frank got the rope and hook out of his pack and handed it to John. John twirled the hook above his head and tossed it up at the airship. The sharpened hook tore a hold through the airship's cotton skin, and John pulled the rope taut as the hook slid and caught on the interior metal frame. "Everyone climb up quickly," John said and they quietly boarded the airship. John wast he last one inside the airship, and retrieved the hook and the rope. The only trace of their entrance was now the small rip in the airship's skin.
The President walked out of his cabin and peered out the window. The ridges of the Appalachian Mountains were laid neatly across the ground far below. Roosevelt walked along the deck toward the bridge of the airship. The pilot was at the wheel when Roosevelt entered the bridge. "Out for a stoll, mister President?" the pilot asked when he heard Roosevelt's footsteps on the wooden floor.
"Yes," Roosevelt replied. "I always enjoy the view from up here." Roosevelt stopped and looked down from the airship as the mountains slowly passed by.
In the hull above the bridge, the seven members of the Black Hawk League peered through a hatch at Roosevelt and the pilot. "There he is!" Frank whispered with excitement. "And he's alone with the pilot."
"Excellent," John replied. They opened the hatch slightly and tossed a small smoke bomb into the cabin. As smoke filled the room, the men dropped down into the cabin. Roosevelt and the pilot turned around in confusion and started stumbling. Suddenly, a baseball bat came into Roosevelt's field of view and collided with his head. Roosevelt and the pilot fell to the floor. The last thing Roosevelt heard before blacking out was a muffled voice yelling, "go secure the rest of..."
When Roosevelt came to, he found himself seated in a chair, still on the bridge of the airship. When he tried to move, he found that his hands were tied together with rope to the back of the chair. Looking around, Roosevelt saw two men standing near him and another standing at the wheel. They were wearing factory workers' overalls. One wore a black bandana around his head. "What is going on here?" Roosevelt yelled.
The man in the bandana turned to face Roosevelt. "Ah good, you've come to. Allow me to introduce myself. I am John Flammang, leader of the Black Hawk League. We have captured you and commandeered your airship."
Roosevelt struggled at his bonds. He heard a voice from behind him. It was the pilot. "Black Hawk League? What are they, pirates?"
Roosevelt glared at Flemming and growled in a tone two octaves deeper than his usual. "Worse. Anarachists."
"Wilhelm, what's the plan for our course?" Flemming yelled as he went to the anarchist who was now piloting the airship. Wilhelm pointed to the northeast, but he could not hear the man's answer to Flemming. Flemming gave Wilhelm an approving nod. Roosevelt could hear the engines louder and felt the airship picking up speed as it banked slowly to the left.
Flemming passed by Roosevelt and the pilot again as he went back toward the cabins of the airship. "What are you planning? Where are you taking us?" Roosevelt asked. Flemming stopped and turned to look back at the President.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Let's just say you won't be making it back to the White House." Flemming walked out of the bridge, leaving Roosevelt and pilot alone with two guards and Wilhelm.
"What are they doing? Does that mean they're going to kill us?" the pilot whispered feverishly to Roosevelt.
"Not if I can help it," the President whispered back. "Luckily I always keep a knife on hand, just for such occasions."
"You plan for these sorts of things?" the pilot said shocked.
"Nope. But it sure does help." The President wiggled his hands within the restraints and reached into the back of his belt. Slowly, he unsheathed the knife and sawed through the rope around his hands. As the rope fell to the floor, Roosevelt caught it. "We need to wait for an opportune moment," he whispered to the pilot.
Minutes passed. Roosevelt could feel the airship moving slowly through the skies. Clouds drifted by the windows. After another ten minutes, the door opened and Flemming reentered the bridge. "How are we doing Wilhelm?"
"I've just set us on the final course, mister Flemming," Wilhelm replied.
"Good. Now come with me Wilhelm." The lead anarchist leered at Roosevelt. "I suppose this is where we part. Farewell, mister Roosevelt." With a flourish of his hand, Flemming waved to the President as he opened the door of the bridge. "You two! Come to the middle stairwell in another five minutes. We don't want the President to pull any tricks."
When Flemming and Wilhelm left the bridge, the guards turned to face Roosevelt. "You've been pretty quiet so far," one of the guards said. "No last words? You'd think being president that would be important."
Roosevelt smiled. "Hmmm. You're right. You want to hear my last words? Come closer so you can hear them clearly." The guard laughed as he leaned in toward the President. "Get off my airship." In a single movement, Roosevelt let the rope drop to the floor and brought his balled fist around. It impacted the guard's face and sent him sprawling to the floor.
The other guard grabbed for a pistol at his hip but before he could pull it out of the holster the President had leapt up out of the chair and tackled the guard to the ground. Rolling to the side, Roosevelt slashed the ropes around his feet and stood up. He rushed over to the pilot and untied him. As the pilot ran to the wheel, the guards rose to their feet.
The president brandished the knife as the guards edged closer. The guard Roosevelt had tackled sprinted toward the President with his fist ready for a punch. Roosevelt deftly sidestepped the guard and dealt an elbow to the man's back. The guard slid along the wooden floor.
The other guard had regained his footing and had loaded his pistol. He fired three shots in quick succession. The first two bullets missed and shattered two of the windows. Roosevelt picked up a chair and held it out in front of him. The final bullet embedded itself in the seat of the chair.
The first guard had stood up again and now both were running at the President. Roosevelt whipped the chair around and it collided with both guards as they launched themselves at him. The guards fell unconscious into a heap. Roosevelt turned to the pilot. "How's it going over there?"
The pilot turned back to the President, flustered. "It's bad. The wheel isn't doing anything. I think they cut the rudder cables."
Roosevelt thought and looked out the window. The mountains were still far below them, but their path was now almost parallel to one of the ridges. A breeze blew through the cabin. "You keep things under control up here," Roosevelt told the pilot. "I'm going to free the rest of the crew." The President went to the cabin door and pushed. The door didn't budge. He pushed harder, but it still wouldn't budge. "Well, shoot," he said to the pilot, "the door's locked."
The pilot stood on one of the chairs and tugged at the hatch in the ceiling that the anarchists had entered through. "I can't get the hatch open either."
Roosevelt looked around the bridge trying to figure another way out. The breeze continued to blow through the bridge. "Wait, I've got it!" Roosevelt snapped his fingers and pointed at one of the open windows. "I should be able to climb on the outside of the gonola and get to the rest of the crew!" Before the pilot could reply, Roosevelt was leaning out the broken window.
The President looked along the side of the gondola. Stepping out slowly, he inched along the gondola using the window slats as footholds. After a while, Roosevelt looked up at the tail of the airship and noticed a figure on the elevator fin. Roosevelt took the grappling hook out of a suit pocket and fired it at the fin. Roosevelt propelled himself from the gondola and swung himself up into the air, shouting "BUUUULLYYYY!" as he flew. Flemming looked up in surprise as Roosevelt landed and steadied himself on the fin.
"What? You thought you could stop this bull moose with a little rope?"
Flemming stood up and Roosevelt noticed a black box at the anarchist's feet. "Ha! So what if you escaped? My plan is already in motion. When these bombs I have placed on the tail explode, you will be sent into a burning hellfire where all men who support government belong! The ultimate triumph of the individual over the collective is now, mister Roosevelt, and the revolution shall revere me as its instigator and leader!" Flemming sneered. "You two, get him! I need to set the timer on this bomb before we go."
The other two anarchists ran at Roosevelt, but he dodged and rolled to avoid their punches. A few more rounds of attacks and the President had backed up the trailing edge of the fin. One of the anarchists took a flying kick on the President, but Roosevelt turned and dodged it and sent the man flying off the edge of the fin. With Roosevelt distacted, the other man jumped onto the President's back. Roosevelt stumbled for a moment, but soon regained his balance. The man clawed at the President to try and force them both off the edge, but Roosevelt remained steady.
Suddenly, Roosevelt reached up and grabbed the man's flailing arms. "I've gotten pretty tired of you boys. Like I told your colleagues back on the bridge, GET OFF MY AIRSHIP!" With one burst of energy, the President hurled the man over his shoulders and sent him free-falling. Roosevelt stood for a moment at the edge of the fin watching the man fall before turning to face Flemming.
Flemming closed the bomb shut. "There, everything's finished. And it looks like I'm just in time too." Roosevelt charged at Flemming and hit him in the back. The two went tumbling on the fin. Flemming stood up and glared at Roosevelt. "You're too late. The bombs are already rigged to explode. Even if you kill me, you'll still die."
Roosevelt looked down at the bomb. The small clock on the bomb was ticking down from a minute. "I don't know if I can stop the bombs, but I can sure stop you from getting away!" Roosevelt charged Flemming again and this time they both bowled over the edge of the fin and began to fall to the ground.
Flemming struggled free of Roosevelt's grip. "Not the way I was expecting to kill you or for me to get off the airship but it will do."
"What are you-" Roosevelt began. Flemming pulled a cord on his pack and a rigid wing setup popped out of it. Flemming glided away while Roosevelt continued to fall. "Damnit!" Roosevelt yelled as he maneuvered his body to face upward. "How do I get back to the airship? I have to save everyone?" Roosevelt thought.
Thinking quickly, the President took out the grappling gun again and aimed. "Got to get this just right..." he said and fired. The rope coiled around one of the engines and went taut. "Perfect!" Roosevelt reeled himself back toward the airship. He took a last look at Flemming gliding away before being jarred back into the situation by a powerful explosion.
Roosevelt crashed through a window into the passenger deck just as the bombs went off. "What the devil was that!" he heard Muir yelling from one of the passenger cabins. Roosevelt shouldered the door open. Muir and two other crew members were tied up in the cabin, just like Roosevelt and the pilot were. "Sir!" Muir cried. "See James, I told you he'd save us," he smirked and whispered to the other man.
"Come on," Roosevelt yelled as he untied the two men. "We have to get to the bridge." The three men ran toward the bow of the airship. It began to tilt forward as smoke poured in through the window. Roosevelt managed to keep from stumbling and braced his shoulder to smash the door open. The door splintered as Roosevelt burst through it, startling the pilot even more. "Ow," Roosevelt yelped as his lumbering figure came to a stop.
"Mister President, we're losing altitude fast," the pilot said.
"I know. Those damned anarchists blew off the entire tail section of the airship!" Roosevelt yelled. "We need to get out of hear fast." Looking out the front windows, the men saw the treetops fast approaching.
"What do we do? We can't simply jump out, and the plane in the hangar only seats two people?" the pilot wondered.
Roosevelt thought. "I have an idea. We don't actually need to fly the plane, so even if we have to squeeze in it should work out." The others gave the President a quizzical expression, but Roosevelt was already heading for the hangar. "Come on everybody, we can't waste any time! I'll explain along the way."
The four men ran to the hangar and got in the biplane. Roosevelt sat in the front seat, while the pilot sat in the back. Muir and the other man stood on the lower wing just to the side of the plane's body, clinging to the crossbeams.
"Alright, now we just need to open the hangar," the President said. An explosion ripped through the back of the hangar as the fire reached the midsection of the airship. A crashing sound of splintering wood came from behind them as the airsihp's nose hit the trees. "Or we can just wing it." Roosevelt started up the plane's engine and it started rolling forward. As it picked up speed, it sped through the smoke. "Brace yourselves!" The plane crashed through the floor as it burned and dropped out of the hangar onto the forest floor. The President quickly turned the engine off, but the plane kept sliding down the hill. As it picked up speed, the right wing was shorn off by a passing tree and the plane turned and skidded to a halt. The four men jupmed out of the plane as it kept sliding. It finally stopped after sliding sideways into another tree, sending a shower of needles onto everyone. The airship continued to burn and collapse behind them.
Roosevelt brushed off his suit and looked around amid the wreckage of the airship. "Now where has my hat gotten to?" Finding his stetson laying in the leaves and branches near his feet. He picked it up and put it on. "Well, that was a bit of a close call," he turned to the others standing around. "Anyone know where the nearest road is?"
"I think I saw a road a mile or so to the northwest," the pilot said. The president nodded and the group started walking.
The group stumbled out of the woods onto the dirt path half an hour later. Walking along the road, they quickly found a crowd of people with cars parked and horses hitched nearby. As they neared, the crowd saw them and began running toward them. "What happened?" an older woman asked frightfully.
"Our airship just ran into a little accident," Roosevelt said and smiled. Upon recognizing the President, the woman let out a high pitch gasp.
One of the crew leaned over to Muir and whispered, "The airship exploding and crashing into a mountainside is a 'little accident'?"
"For him, yes," Muir whispered back.
Roosevelt continued talking with the crowd and arranged for everyone to be taken to the nearest town. Secretary Muir and the President rode in the back of one of the cars as the impromptu motorcade made its way down the dirt road.
The group was lodged in a hotel once they arrived back in the town, The next day, Muir telephoned Washington and arranged for the airship crew to take a train back to the capital.