The "May Queen" was lying at one side of the wharf, so Mr. Snider,
the Deacon, and Mr. Bowditch went to the end, while the people
gathered around them in a semi-circle. Mr. Snider had a small tin
box, which might once have held a pound of crackers. It was
punched full of tiny holes. Two wires were soldered on one side of
the box, and he connected these by long coils of fine wire with
the jars of an electric battery. A little tin tube had been
fastened to the bottom of the box so that it stood upright. Into
this Mr. Snider poured some powder which he took from two little
vials,--first he put in some white powder, and then some of a dark
blue color. He sealed up the top of the tube with beeswax and then
let everyone look into the box and see that, except for the little
sealed tube, it was absolutely empty.

Then he put on the cover, wound a cord completely around it, got
the wires clear, and with the greatest care lowered the box over
the end of the wharf. He kept on lowering until the box must have
been eight or nine feet below the surface. Then he stood waiting,
with the most solemn expression upon his face. Mr. Bowditch stood
beside him, holding a watch, and counting the minutes. Every now
and then he would say, like the tolling of a great bell: "One
minute gone! ... Two minutes gone! ... Three minutes gone! ..."

The people had watched the preparations with the utmost attention.
Not a movement made by Mr. Snider escaped them. Now they all stood
in profound silence. Some of the men had taken out their watches
and were keeping count of the time. After "Eight minutes gone!"
had tolled forth from the big man, he began counting the seconds:
"And ten seconds! ... Fifteen! Twenty! ... Thirty! ... Thirty-
five! ... Six! Seven! Eight!"