
A flamboyant inventor named James Arthur Fradin strides into a packed meeting of the Institute of Radio Engineers, armed with a bold claim: radio waves don’t travel through the ether at all, but through a mysterious “fourth dimension.” His calm confidence clashes spectacularly with the skeptical, hot‑tempered scientists who barrage him with insults and disbelief, turning the session into a lively, almost theatrical showdown. The narrator, a journalist sent to capture a human‑interest story, watches the drama unfold, noting the tension between rigid academia and Fradin’s unorthodox brilliance.
Amid the heated debate, a gaunt, enigmatic observer sits quietly, hinting that there may be more to Fradin’s theory than mere eccentricity. As the crowd’s anger rises, Fradin prepares to demonstrate his proof, promising a demonstration that could upend everything they thought they knew about electromagnetic waves. Listeners are invited to experience the mix of humor, rivalry, and scientific intrigue that sets the stage for an unforgettable experiment.
Language
en
Duration
~30 minutes (29K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Fictioneers, Inc.,1942.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2022-07-31
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1907–1977
A prolific pulp-era storyteller, he wrote fast-moving science fiction and fantasy for magazines and paperbacks, often under several pen names. His work helped fill the shelves of mid-20th-century genre reading with lost worlds, strange futures, and nonstop adventure.
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