under the cylinder two human figures pottered about.
– It appears, your “Taiga” – the air ship? – Ignat told, addressing Simakov.
– No, “Taiga” – not the air ship – objected the captain. – What you see is only a high-rise electropower plant of “Taiga”. Our “Taiga” carries for itself the flying power plant attached on a steel rope.
– But what represents the ship? – impatiently Ignat asked.
– You will see it soon – the captain quietly answered.
Travelers passed many forest glades, so far, at last, came to a wide forest glade. This glade had an unusual appearance. Low cut trees – it is so low that stubs above the ground were not visible, lay on both sides of a glade as a mowed grass. Over a glade already far behind travelers loomed in the sky of “snakes”, at the end of a glade travelers saw a high pipe, and then and the huge black construction which occupied with the hulk all glade and rising dark weight level with tops of trees. Over the case of this overland dreadnought pipes were seen. The average pipe was wider and nearly above a factory pipe. It was also seen by them still published. Other pipes were much lower. The whole web of delays strengthened them. On “nose” and “stern” masts rose: obviously, radio station. Any pipe did not smoke. In the case of “ship” round windows were seen.
Travelers approached from a stern and therefore could not define a form and length of this extraordinary ship. It seemed, it stood directly on the earth. And having only approached closely, they could examine “Taiga”. The case of the ship reminded the submarine case. But by the sizes it was the real ship to three floors. On a nose the captain’s cabin with a searchlight over it towered. Ahead of it, lower – three propellers, and one propeller aft. The ship was based upon the wide platforms having the wheels skating rinks reminding skating rinks of road trambovochny cars. Below, under a window, there were closed hatches and exit doors. Several ladders conducted on the main deck.
– There now and “Taiga” – Simakov told. – It is the all-terrain vehicle adapted for long expeditions on a taiga and the tundra at any climatic conditions and at all times years. You still will manage to get acquainted in detail with it, and now to an idemta to have breakfast. All of us got hungry enough. And does not prevent to have a rest. We almost did not sleep this night.
After the captain all climbed a ladder on the deck. At the end of her Ignat noticed peacefully lying “Dragonfly”. She took very few place and reminded the dozing insect.
– How are you, captain? – Ignat someone’s cracked басок heard. Near an average pipe there was a thin suntanned young man. It was the mechanic Alexey Zhukov. His hands were soiled with oil.
– Everything is all right – Simakov answered on the run. – Here, brought guests, we will have breakfast. And at you as?
– Oll-rayt – Zhukov answered.
– Oll-rayt – Jim repeated and smiled. Guests got acquainted with Zhukov.
All went down in the saloon which was on average the floor, the capacious room with a high ceiling. The path from linoleum of cream color divided the room into two half. On both sides there were tables laid by pure cloths. On a ceiling – opaque lamps. In a corner – black диглг a loudspeaker. At a wall – the screen. Between little tables – in oak kegs bushes of the blossoming oleanders. Everything shone and sparkled purity.
– Here it is pleasant to me – Jim told. – Here what miracles hide the impassable Soviet woods!
The woman in a white dressing gown brought the smoking breakfast. Ignat pushed Jim and said in low tones:
– Look and it is the doctor who arrived to us.
Simakov burst out laughing and told, addressing Dubrovina:
– Marianna Ivanovna! Our guests are surprised that you today for the waitress.
– Ourselves serve ourselves – having greeted guests, Dubrovina told. – We have no patients, I have more time, than at others, here I also manage. Eat properly. The lunch will be late.
Jim and Ignat obeyed a good advice and have densely breakfast. Having sated, Ignat addressed the captain:
– Well, tell me in more detail about the ship.
5. The inventor tells
Our country was faced by a grandiose task: up to the end to discover Siberia with its inexhaustible power sources and natural wealth. The North is impassable. The seas are barricaded by ices. The Arctic is cut off by vast spaces of the tundra, a taiga, the woods, as impassable as ices of the polar seas. Ices are already punched by our ice breakers. And the woods remained impassable because we had no forest “ice breaker”. Came it is time to be accepted also to the woods. The grid of squares was imposed on vast “free” spaces – at first only on the card, and each square – each kilometer in this square – had to undergo careful inspection: geological, geochemical, botanical, hydrological. Unless this task can be resolved quickly horse draft and pedestrian circulation? The question of vehicles in a taiga demanded bystreyshy permission. Air traffic is good as means of bystry communication, but for the prospecting parties loaded with any tools, supplies, samples of ores and we designate, something was necessary other. It was necessary to construct the ship all-terrain vehicle which could overcome easily off road terrain, contain in itself all prospecting party, tools, food stocks for long months. The ship which would be both “car”, and “house”, and the marching laboratory which is very decently equipped. And I thought several years of a design of such all-terrain vehicle. Then we began to work as inventive crew at the Chelyabinsk plant.
Tens of projects were rejected by the Chelyabinsk committee of society of inventors, a little – the center. But, eventually, the project was approved and the means are allotted for construction. Two more years left on construction and experiences. Our ship all-terrain vehicle was born. It came to maintaining the Ural branch Academies of Sciences and academic council for studying of productive forces. This council developed the plan and a route of our first, skilled expedition. We are engaged in research of minerals, we study forest riches, in passing we do glades, we conduct meteorecords and many other things. Daily we report on radio official reports about our works.
Whether “Taiga” justifies the appointment? Ours child, alas, very much and very imperfectly. It is necessary to bring improvements a lot, but generally we as though resolved a task. We can make researches throughout all year, despite frosts, a snowstorm, polar night. It means, rates of development of the North at least treble.
Jim clapped the hands.
– Very well. Oll-rayt! – he exclaimed.
Simakov continued:
– We needed to overcome two main difficulties. The first – power. To move such large object as “Taiga”, it is necessary to have engines in many thousands of horsepowers. To arrange such zhyulvernovsky “steam house”? For forest area where fuel can be taken on the place – all right; but what you will order to do in the naked tundra where neither a tree, nor a bush, nor a blade? To take a coal reserve for several months? – It is impossible. Besides that the ship would “be inflated” many times over, it would become even heavier, and it should “float” on swamps, on dirt, on hummocks. It would get stuck. Liquid
