As previously posted, An Aerial Adventure, or The Secret of a Scientist, was a previously unknown, well to historians at any rate, story by the famed journalist and editor Victor Courtney. Written at some point between the ages of 13 and 15, likely with help from teachers, parents and editors, the story describes an invented space aeroplane that the narrator, Barrington, has found himself aboard, its long journey to another world, then back again.
The story begins, essentially, with an abduction, one that sees our narrator hastily taken into space by his ‘friend’. Trapped in the space aeroplane, though one with enough supplies for five years and a perfect air recycling system, (that only need to be replaced with a backup once), Barrington finds himself doing nothing for months. Not going mad in this period is one of the stranger parts of this narrative. Chapters and chapters are devoted to the weird interactions with the two others on board, which I’ll get to in a moment.
While some aspects of the space aeroplane are not a convincing prophetic extrapolation of science, other parts are obviously well researched, and add to the convincing nature of the journey.
One thing that I find difficult to believe, though, is that this story, printed across a year of Saturday editions, is written so maturely for a 15 year old.
Example: “My belief is,” replied the inventor, “that that body has been cast off from some greater one. In the planets, as on the earth, such catastrophes as earthquakes do often occur. Now, perhaps, as you may perceive, such an occurrence or some similar disturbance has caused the separation of the body we have just perceived from the major portion of some planet.”
“Something similar to the account concerning the formation of a comet,” I observed.
“Yes, that is so,” he replied; “that is a species of comet; but from what I can discern from my telescope, this object is stationary, and is not moving in any manner whatsoever.
This does not seem to be something written by a 13 year old. Even if the age was incorrect, I doubt a 14 or even a 15 year old can write with such clarity and conviction in a dialogue between two adults. However, I might be wrong. Even so, with Victor’s father working in the newspaper industry, and the editor of The Daily News most likely to have improved it with additional editing, it’s probable that this is a collaborative effort.
Unfortunately, some of the science is outdated. Due to the recognised science of the time considering space to be made up of an ether, almost like water, the space aeroplane rocks like a cruise ship. It is unfortunate as Einstein disproved ether in 1905 but physicists in the UK didn’t finally let go of the theory of ether until around 1923. (Wills 2016)
With the vacuum of space not on anyone’s radar, the scene in chapter IV of the inventor going outside the ship for a space walk to repair something with nothing more than his usual clothing, and tubes up his nose for oxygen, is painful to read. For those of the time, perhaps it was simply fantastical.
There is also philosophy. Inventor: “I was almost then, and am still, almost unconscious of the danger that threatened me. Was I brave? No, certainly not.”
Barrington: “But you were not afraid to act thus; therefore you must have been undoubtedly so,” I argued.
“No,” the inventor retorted firmly. “I was almost foolhardy, for it is a man who fears to do a thing yet does it who can be termed a really gallant or daring individual.”
On a more consistent character note, improbably, Barrington goes from supporting his inventor friend, to being angry at his friend betraying him in this way, to then admiring his heroic nature. During the story his emotional pendulum frequently swings between hating him and loving him. With Stockholm Syndrome still not properly researched and confirmed as a legitimate condition, even today, I’d be hesitant to apply the theory to Barrington’s psyche, but it does feature all the hallmarks, and I’m concerned Barrington’s confinement has sent him mad. Not the best position for the narrator.
The chapters that followed describe the object they are flying towards growing steadily bigger. This idea, of a long journey, a very long journey, over months and months, being read in real-time in the newspaper is an interesting metatextual feat for 1909, though perhaps this happened in stories about cruises as well that I have yet to read.
Another aspect of note is that in the Newspaper’s releases May to August, nothing much happens. It is mainly the inventor talking about his life and adventures. In Australia, where this was printed, May to August are the slower months with colder weather. In 1909 there wasn’t as much happening outside and, unless one was working, time was usually spent indoors, perhaps reading a newspaper. It is interesting to note that, while the space aeroplane was launched in the papers in February, it doesn’t land on another planet until September, the beginning of spring. Perhaps this was deliberate as, with the warmer months beginning, less time would be spent reading a story in a newspaper.
And now, let’s dive deeper into the background of the inventor in the next post.
(To be continued)
