Big Clocks and Steam Junkies

Big Clocks and Steam Junkies

         “Daniel! Daniel! Get up, young man! Your breakfast is getting cold!” Margaret Flaherty yelled at her son. “Oh that boy!”

         Shaking her head, she couldn’t understand how a young man kept a job and was not able to arise on time. Finally, she heard the familiar footsteps running down the stairs.

         “I’m sorry, Mama! I stayed studying. I  want to pass that exam! No matter how tired I am, I have to do well today!” said an exuberant Daniel.

         “Don’t worry, Danny. You will do well! Now sit down and eat your breakfast. Can’t pass an exam without the most important meal of the day!” chimed Michael Flaherty.

         Feminine laughter filled the dining room as Daniel’s sister, Lizzy came to breakfast.

         “He’s too nervous to pass!’ she teased.

         Elbowing Lizzy as she sat down, the two siblings did their usual morning bickering. Margaret was proud of her family. She raised decent children, she thought to herself. The eldest, Thomas, just started the seminary. Lizzy was to be married when her studies were over next week. And her dear Daniel, slaving away, shoveling coal at the electrical plant where the coal ran the steam-powered turbines that gave their beautiful city its power.

         “Daniel! Hurry up! You’ll miss the trolley if you don’t leave now!”

         Smiling as always, Daniel nodded his head and shoveled the last of his eggs into his mouth. Jumping up from the table, he kissed his mother on the cheek and rushed out.

Her heart ached for him. When Daniel wanted to take the two year program at the local university, Michael didn’t discourage his son. He worked extra shifts to pay for his schooling and he excelled. If he passed the exam, he’ll  become an engineer’s apprentice on one of those amazing steam ships.

Michael, watching his wife’s eyes tear up, got up and gently embraced her.

“There, there now, love. God will give our boy favor and he’ll succeed. Stop your fretting.”

How Margaret loved her Michael and the life they had.

“Off with you, Michael Flaherty! You need to get to your own job! This household doesn’t run on empty pockets. Get going, Mister!”

“Yes, my love!”

With a  wink, he was off. Lizzy gave her mother a hug and left for school. Alone, Margaret went to sit in her favorite chair to rest. She prayed quietly for her family and asked the Lord to remember her Daniel, that his dreams will come true.

“Well,” standing up. “This house won’t clean itself.”

Rolling up her sleeves, Margaret started her daily chores. Meanwhile, Daniel rushed to make it to the trolley. He took a little time to admire the stately Victorian homes, the carefully manicured lawns and colorful gardens that made up Daniel’s neighborhood. Sure, it was a lower middle-class area, but they were a proud, tight-knit group.

Daniel slowed his pace as he neared a particular house where, on the lovely wraparound porch, stood the raven-haired beauty that haunted his dreams. Phoebe O’Malley had to be the most wonderful girl in the world. She was waiting for her one of her sisters so that they can head to school. Smiling broadly, Daniel tipped his hat to the ladies.

“Good morning, ladies.”

The sisters smiled and returned the greeting. Phoebe sighed as Daniel continued on. She thought him a knight in shining armor. He was one of the most eligible bachelors in Newcastle and she waited for the day he would come courting.

“Stop drooling, Phoe!” teased her sister, Julia. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself          !”

“When you find a man you fancy, you’ll act the same way.” chided Phoebe.

After her sister, Louisa finally came outside, the sisters were off—in the opposite direction. Phoebe sighed once again, watching Daniel.

As one daydreamed of love, another daydreamed of steam and things that ticked. After running several blocks, he reached the trolley stop. Daniel’s mind filled with images of raven haired women; steam engines; facts and figures. The clang of the trolley bell sounded and the mass of metal amid clouds of steam appeared. The trolley was one of the greatest technological marvels of the day. It was powered by a small, compact steam engine that didn’t require tons of coal. The trolley was created by the greatest inventor of the age, Dr. Ezra Tiberius Osborne. Excited, Daniel dreamed of meeting him.

         “If I pass the exam, one day, I’ll be as great as he is!” he thought to himself.

         Getting on the trolley, his journey to the testing site began. The trolley appeared to go at a snail’s pace, as the exam time drew near. To settle his nerves, Daniel concentrated on the view of Victoria Street. The heart of Newcastle was nothing but hustle and bustle with people constantly in motion. The stately buildings; the wonderful shops and amazing restaurants made Victoria Street jewel of the province.

         “This is such a great place.” he thought happily.

The skyscrapers literally kissed the clouds. To his left was the majestic city hall, looking absolutely breathtaking. A couple of blocks down stood the incredible Prince Albert Music Hall. The craftsmanship of the wonderful statues that framed the entrance astounded the senses. Victoria Street's centerpiece was the St. Augustus Cathedral, the most beautiful building in Newcastle. Thomas attended the seminary that was attached to the cathedral.  It was a great honor for the family.

“They’ll be just as proud as me when I become an engineer! Daniel exclaimed.

Embarrassed at his outburst, he sunk down in his seat. A pat on the back from his neighbor, Angus McBride, surprised him.

“Don’t be ashamed, son. We’re all rooting for you. Do your best on the exam, laddie!”

Receiving well wishes from friends, neighbors and strangers alike gave Daniel confidence. Soon, the trolley was empty and Daniel sat quietly contemplating his future. Once he passes the exam, he’ll be able to become an engineer’s apprentice and achieve his dream. His father had taken his family on a tour of a steam ship years ago. Daniel immediately fell in love with every gear; every pressure valve; every puff of steam. Every sinew in his mortal body wanted to be a courageous steam junkie working on a magnificent flying marvel.

“Wasserman Steam Works, Daniel,” said the conductor. “Good luck to you!”

Daniel tipped his hat and hopped off the trolley. Fighting the chill that crept up his spine, he kept a steady pace until he reached the entrance of the Wasserman Steam Works.

“State your business.” barked the guard at the front gate.

I’m here to take the engineer’s exam, sir.” Daniel said, trying to cover up the squeak in his voice.

“Name, please”

“Daniel Flaherty, sir.”

The guard sized up the young man as he checked a list. Obviously a lower middle class boy who got very lucky, the guard shook his head.

“Times have certainly changed.” He muttered to himself.

Only upper class young men from the best universities took the engineer’s exam. Seeing this, young man had him wondering how much the world was changing.

“Walk through the front entrance, turn left. You’ll find the main office. Report to the receptionist and she will give you directions to the exam room.”

Hitting a lever, the huge gates parted with a clank and a hiss of steam from the machinery. Fumbling through the cloud of steam, Daniel followed the guard’s direction. Entering the main office, he took off his hat and before he could open his mouth, the receptionist handed him a clipboard.

“Fill out the application and hand it back to me when you complete it.”

Looking down her nose at Daniel, the receptionist knew on sight that the young man was not of the class she was used to. Here was a young man who didn’t know his place, she thought cruelly. Not bothering with pleasantries, she snatched the clipboard when Daniel handed it back to her.

“When you leave the office, walk straight ahead and you’ll see double doors. There’ll be a metal catwalk. Cross it and the exam room will past the next set of double doors. Be quick about it! The exam facilitator isn’t going to hold the exam for late individuals.”

Daniel was summarily dismissed by the receptionist. Insulted by her rudeness, he exited the office speedily.

“Can these people be any meaner?” he said angrily.

Feeling that chill again, Daniel followed the receptionist’s directive. Once he passed through the second set of double doors, he couldn’t continue.

“Never have I seen such an unbelievable site!”

Underneath him was the most amazing thing he had ever seen in life. The narrow, metal catwalk stood above a magnificent assemblage of gears, pipes, boilers and huge plumes of steam. The Wasserman Steam Works was indescribable. Why, even the coal ovens were almost a city block long! Hard working men, covered in soot and sweat, worked at a steady pace. While awestruck, Daniel spied a sight that peeked his curiosity.

“Why would anyone build such a massive clock? It could literally swallow up a city block!”

At the far end of the cavernous boilerworks was a gigantic clock. Its’ face alone was a big and bright as the sun itself. Surrounding it were a gaggle of smaller clocks. Weirdness was the only word that entered Daniel’s mind staring at the clock.

“Odd thing, that clock.” Daniel said aloud.

“Time is relative. Mankind is ruled by timepieces. One day, time shall bring this world to its very knees.”

Ignoring the ominous aura settling around him, Daniel encountered a gentleman in an expensive suit, a platinum-topped cane and an oppressive, eerie aura. Regaining his composure, he realized he was facing the world renowned Ezra Osborne. Shaking the proffered hand, the doctor continued speaking.

“Are you here to take the exam, young man?”

“I am, Dr. Osborne! This exam is very important to me. I hope to pass with flying colors!”

Dr. Osborne thought the young man exuberant and delightful.

“What is your name, young sir?”

“Daniel Flaherty, Dr. Osborne. It is indeed an honor to meet such a distinguish personage as yourself!”

“That was very flattering, Mr. Flaherty. Professor Newton pointed you out to me as I visited your university. He showed me your compact steam-powered electrical generator. I was very impressed by your ingenuity. Keep up the work, my boy. Your name may be found alongside some of the most famous scientific names of our time.”

“Thank you, sir!” Daniel said reverently, not believing he would receive such a complement.

“Even though I enjoy meeting young aspiring engineers, I don’t want to keep you from your appointed destination. Good luck, Mr. Flaherty.”

Tipping his hat to him, Dr. Osborne and his odd aura continued in the opposite direction. Snapping out of his stupor, Daniel ran the rest of the way to the exam room. Making it in the nick of time, Daniel immediately dissolved into a pool of sweaty nervousness. Barely able to listen to the exam’s facilitator, Daniel kept thinking of Dr. Osborne, who, for the lack of a better description, was a very odd bird.

“I guess great geniuses have their quirks.” he thought to himself.

Soon, the exams were passed out and time was announced. With much trepidation, Daniel began tackling the test. One and a half hours into the exam, the facilitator announced a fifteen minute recess. Getting up and stretching, he went looking for the restroom. Finding it and quickly relieving himself, Daniel sighed. Happy to be away, he didn’t notice the other young man in the restroom.

“Stiff upper lip, old boy! We won’t be defeated, will we?”

Daniel turned and saw a smartly dressed young man. It was obvious that he was of the upper class. Not wanting to feel inferior, he put a smile on his face and offered a hand.

“I’m Daniel Flaherty. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Samuel Houston Walker’s the name. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Samuel smiled, surmising that this young man was clearly out of his league. The engineer’s exam was always taken by the privileged class, which Daniel obviously was not. Still, he possessed good manners and someone loved him enough to purchase him a decent second-hand suit.

“Well,” Samuel thought to himself, “I can be friendly. I doubt I’ll see this fellow again.”

The two young men walked back to the exam room, making polite small talk. The break over, it was time to resume the test. Daniel took a deep breath and attacked the exam. He uttered a simple prayer for assistance in passing the exam.

“My dream has to come true!” he wanted to scream.

At last, the exam ended. The facilitator collected the exams and dismissed the participants.

Arising slowly, Daniel noticed Samuel leaving with the other young men of his ilk without a backward glance. Miffed, he expected some sort of camaraderie after completing such a difficult task.

As his father often said, “The upper class wants nothing to do with folks they consider beneath ‘em!”

Heading alone to the entrance, he stopped at the spot where he encountered Dr. Osborne. Daniel determined within himself to become an engineer’s apprentice.

“All of you upper class snobs will be hearing from me!”

Standing by the humungous clock, spied Dr. Osborne. Staring at Daniel’s retreating figure through a telescope, he smiled, as if he had a secret he was dying to tell.

“Mr. Flaherty. I shall be seeing you very soon. Come, there’s work to complete.”

“By your leave, Doctor.”

On command, a clock materialized out of the steam to follow his master. A frightening thing, the metallic body had all the movements and limbs of a human being. Its head was a timepiece; once it turned, there was a functioning brain, surrounding by a glass casing. All manner of wires attached the brain to the rear of the timepiece’s machinery. With every tick and tock, small lights illuminated the brain, making it much more menacing. Dr. Osborne walked at a leisurely pace with his metal companion close behind. Reaching the end of the catwalk, there were a series of levers. After pulling one, there was a loud hiss of steam and with a clank and whirring of gears, a door slid open and revealed a steam-powered lift. Entering, Dr. Osborne and his ticking friend proceeded downward. Fifteen minutes later, they reached bottom. And what an incredible bottom it was!

“Home at last, my wonderful friend. Let us get to the laboratory.”

A winding staircase took Dr. Osborne down even further from the lift. It led him to a cavernous maze of tunnels that seemed to go everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. Lights framed the walls of the tunnels and they shone on even more clocks. Clocks of every imaginable size were mounted on every inch of the stone walls. Each clock was set to every city, great and small, all over the globe. Entering a tunnel, the largest laboratory ever constructed was found. Filled with chemicals known and unknown; embalmed glass containers filled with assorted human body parts and tubes, wires, diodes and mechanical works in progress were located in all the available spaces in the room. More clockmen worked in the laboratory. They carried out their fiendish  experiments; building steam-powered killing machines, making certain each were keeping perfect time.

“Soon, my mechanical sons, this world will run seamlessly with me keeping time. No one will oppose us. This country, this entire globe, shall belong to me!”

No maniacal laughter followed his pronouncement; he simply put on his labcoat and started working on an unfinished experiment. Needless actions waste so much time.

As the doctor began his labors, Daniel was nearing home. Still miffed at his treatment, he almost didn’t notice Mrs. O’Malley waving to him frantically.

Waving back, Daniel was unprepared for Mrs. O’Malley running up to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards her home. Out of breath, she took a moment to recover.

“You must help me, Daniel! That naughty cat has gotten onto the roof again. Mr. O’Malley had gotten him down just this morning. Could you please get my Horatio down, please?”

‘Yes, ma’am.”

Taking off his coat and hat, Daniel walked over to the side of the house where the ladder still stood. Carefully climbing up, Daniel realized he didn’t have to do much. Horatio, hearing someone approach, happily padded over and sat at the edge of the roof. Scooping him up, the young man eased down the ladder with his purring bundle. A grateful owner grabbed her cat and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you so much, Daniel. Oh, my goodness, I didn’t know what to do, Mr. O’Malley not returning until six. What a lifesaver you are! You must come in for lemonade. First cool glass of the season! Will you join me as a thank you?”

Not wishing to be rude, Daniel agreed and followed Mrs. O’Malley into her home. Showing him to the parlor, he wasn’t sure what to do once Mrs. O’Malley returned. In the kitchen, a smile and a happy hum accompanied Mrs. O’Malley while she prepared three glasses of lemonade. She knew Phoebe would be arriving home following a short school day. What better way to bring two young people together than a cool glass of lemonade and a cat who will do anything for a treat?

“I hope she hurries. Mother expected me to be back in time for a late lunch and chores.”

Hearing the girlish laughter and chatter, Daniel’s heart leapt into his throat. Floating passed the parlor door was his dream, Phoebe, and her sisters returning. After overhearing an excited gasp and more chatter, Phoebe walked into the parlor behind her mother and a tray of lemonade and macaroons.

‘I am so sorry, dear. I completely forgot that my daughters would be home early today. Why not nice visit with Phoebe?  I think you two can find a thing or two to chat about.”

Handing her daughter and her visitor a glass, Mrs. O’Malley retreated to a nearby corner and picked up some embroidery to work on. Phoebe shyly glanced at Daniel, who was blushing and speechless. Finally, the young woman spoke.

“I heard that you were taking the engineer’s exam today. Do you think you did well, Daniel?”

“It was a very difficult exam, but I believe I may have passed it.”

“Could you tell me about it? I would love to learn about what it is you want to accomplish.”

Smiling as widely as a mouth could expand, he began explaining the test, which soon led to an explanation of steam-powered machinery and curiously enough, the upcoming Newcastle Summer Festival, that included a formal dance. Forgetting he was so nervous, Daniel took initiative regarding his dream girl.

“Miss Phoebe, would you like to accompany to the dance? I know you may have already been asked, but I would be honored to be your escort, that is, if your father permits me.”

Blushing herself, Phoebe had turned down three other young gentlemen, hoping Daniel would at last have the gumption to ask. She smiled sweetly, which turned the young man into a puddle of goo.

“I would love to attend the dance with you, Daniel. I’m pleased you asked!”

If his heart had wings, they would both be in heaven now. God was most assuredly the greatest ever! His prayers had been answered. The most beautiful girl in Newcastle will be on his arm and if all goes well, he will have permission to court her. Mrs. O’Malley smiled.

“Well, Phoebe my dear girl, you set you cap for him. Now it’s time to win his heart.”

Looking at his pocket watch, Daniel couldn’t believe over an hour had passed by. He thanked Mrs. O’Malley for lemonade and a lovely visit. Explaining that his mother had work for him to take care of, he made his apologies and stood to leave.

“Please don’t wait until the dance to visit.  It would be nice to see you again. Would it be agreeable with you and Father?”

“Of course, dear. Daniel is most welcome to return. I enjoyed having him. As a matter of fact, your graduation dinner is on next Saturday. Would you join us to help Phoebe celebrate?”

‘I will most definitely love to, Mrs. O’Malley. Thank you for inviting me.”

Escorting him to the door, mother and daughter waved at the retreating figure. Phoebe ran up the stairs to tell her sisters about Daniel. Tearing, Mrs. O’Malley had that feeling a mother gets when she knows her daughter has found that one special young man. Daniel didn’t realize it yet, but love is preparing to blossom into the most incredible thing ever.

Running home, Daniel couldn’t believe his good fortune. Still dazed, Margaret wondered what got into her son, the way he bounded through the door.

“What’s gotten into you? Did something happen?”

He pulled his perplexed mother into a waltz and danced across the parlor with her. Taking her dish rag, she pushed him off, laughing.

“Stop your foolishness and go wash! I have lunch on the table and a long list of chores that need to be done before your father returns. Now, scoot!”

Still in good spirits, Daniel did as his mother commanded. Eating quickly, Daniel soon started his chores. Going outside, he walked into the garage on the pretense of getting the mower out. Hidden in the back of the garage was something Daniel had been working on since beginning his studies at the university. Uncovering it, he smiled.  It was a steam-powered electrical gun. Not perfected quite yet, Daniel was sure after assuming his apprentice duties he’d acquire the knowledge necessary to make his device foolproof. Anger engulfed him as he recalled why he needed to create the device.

“I was indeed a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Osborne. I will make sure you will always remember me.”

Memories horrified him still as he remembered what he discovered after an accident trapped him in the mines. He and his mates were excavating a new tunnel after another deposit was located. An unstable beam collapsed and started a cave-in. Daniel was trapped. Finding a lantern that survived the onslaught, he started walking. Before he took two steps, he saw a light shining behind a crack in the tunnel wall. Touching it caused the weak wall to crumble. Seeing an iron staircase, curiosity trumped fear he proceeded downward. After perhaps an hour of descending, Daniel reached the bottom. The sight that filled Dr. Osborne with maniacal pride horrified Daniel as he saw the doctor and his clockmen walking the underground tunnels. He heard Dr. Osborne speak to his mechanical men and his heart nearly stopped from the shock.

“Once we have completed our task, we will control any and everything in this world. There is no one that can oppose us! We shall be masters of the universe!”

The tick tock of the clockmen became deafening. Their weird celebration frightening Daniel beyond anything he had ever experienced. Knowing he would be discovered if he tried to investigate further, Daniel wisely crept back up the staircase. When he arrived, another rumble covered the opening in the wall. Three hours later, he was rescued and that shaft was deemed unstable and was closed off. Determined to find out what Dr. Osborne was planning spurred the young man into action.

“I will not allow you to destroy this world. You think me clever? You will soon see how clever I am.”







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