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Title of Story
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The Silver Ball
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Critical Introduction
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Descriptions of politicians are invariably satirical if it is set in contemporary times and they accept the offer from a scientist for help. Authors create a contrast between the policy minded bureaucrat and the science minded inventor, and 'J. B. C.' (most likely
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Story Summary
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An invading fleet of gunboats await payment near Melbourne and a scientist scares them away with a device that separates the water around the ships into its 'chemical constituents'.
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Science Fiction Subgenres
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Invention Opera
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Inventions
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A silver ball with a chemical compound that instantly separates water into its chemical constituents. i.e. Hydrogen and oxygen resulting in a release of energy.
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Science
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William Nicholson, in 1800, used electrolysis to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
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Science Extrapolations
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ThermoLoop developments in 2025 point to releasing hydrogen from water using heat and a catalyst, similar to this invention.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/02/17/3027044/0/en/NewHydrogen-Reveals-Secret-to-Its-Breakthrough-Technology.html
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How this Story was Identified
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ChatGPT Python script and API analysing entire concatenated To Be Continued Australian Newspaper Fiction Database and assigning possible genres for later close reading. Finding The Silver Ball helped find two others by T. B.C. which were sequels. The Blue Bolt, and Mr. Austin's Airships and Professor Paff's Paralyser.
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Date Details Added to IA
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October 2024
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Attributed Author
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"J. B. C."
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Biographical and Other Sources
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Unfortunately, with a substantial number of people with J. B. C. as their initials it has not yet been possible to identify the author without any doubt. An argument could be made for Sir John Burton Cleland, however his specialty was microbiology and ornithology, and records suggest he never lived in Victoria.
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Single or Serialised
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Single
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First Published Date of Last Installment
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1908-01-02
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Year For Sorting
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1908
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Date Range
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1908-01-02
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Number of Installments
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1
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Complete or Supplemented
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Complete
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Estimated Word Count
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1400
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Length
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Short Story
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Links in To Be Continued
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https://readallaboutit.com.au/#/title/429644
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Newspaper Publisher Citation
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Punch
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Newspaper Name Location Years
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Punch, Melbourne, Victoria, 1900-1918
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Location Town City
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Melbourne
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Location State Territory
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Victoria
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Provincial or Metro
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Metropolitan
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First Republished on InfiniteAnthologies.com
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YES
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General Subjects
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Satire
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Science Fiction
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Language
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English
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Copyright
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Unknown. If T. B. C. is John Burton Cleland (1878-1971) then it may not yet be in the public domain. Further research is needed.
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Apply for Access to Any Media Held by IA
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To access the associated media with this item, please register / login as a guest researcher via the menu.
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Content Advisory
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These items are historical texts digitised from their original publication, and reflects the social attitudes, cultural values, and language of the time in which they were created. Some content may include depictions or references that are racist, sexist, ableist, colonialist, or otherwise offensive by contemporary standards. This material is presented uncensored for scholarly, archival, and educational purposes. It serves as a record of past cultural attitudes and is preserved here to support critical engagement, historical reflection, and the advancement of inclusive scholarship. Reader discretion is advised.
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Edition Creator
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Neil Hogan
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OCR from TBC and Trove
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The Silver Ball
By J. B. C.
It had come at last. Melbourne was besieged by a foreign fleet, which awaited at anchor in the Bay the payment of ten million pounds from the Commonwealth of Australia, which was very busy collecting the amount.
All day and all night long the warships lay looking like fifteen immense whales in the water. People went about their business as usual, but those with nothing to do gathered on the foreshore to gaze upon them; at night the crowd was enormous; but always the grey mass of murderous gunboats were a menace constantly in the minds of all. Three days had been given for the handing over of the bullion, and the third day had begun.
It was at about 10 o'clock in the morning that an eccentric looking individual called at the Prime Minister's office and demanded to see the political chief of the Commonwealth on business of vast and urgent importance. He was a short, square-set man of fifty, with grey and beetling eyebrows, a clipped, bristling moustache, thick, short, stand-up hair, and he was dressed in a sac suit, the coat double-breasted, and adorned with immense mother-of-pearl buttons, the size of crown pieces. Altogether, he presented a quaint but shrewd aspect, enhanced by bright eyes which glistened behind the glass of big, circular, horn-rimmed spectacles, giving him the aspect of an amiable owl. He gave his name as Professor Paff.
Something in his appearance impressed the anxious and worried attendant, and he had no difficulty in obtaining admission to the Prime Minister.
"Well. Professor," said the Minister as genially as the depressing situation would permit; "what can I do for you?" "Sir," responded the Professor gravely, "I come to offer my services to save the Commonwealth."
The Prime Minister was at first inclined to smile and ask him to produce the ten millions, but something made him refrain, and he replied:
"I shall gladly listen to what .you wish to say if you will promise to be brief. What do you propose to do?"
"Sir," said the Professor very solemnly, "I propose to make those terrible ships disappear at midnight, at which hour I understand your anxiety with them ends if their demand is not met."
The Prime Minister nodded, half inclined to think that he had to deal with a pathetic lunatic, but still impressed bv the man's obvious health and intelligent sincerity.
"To do this," the Professor continued, "all I require is the free use of the platform surrounding the Exhibition dome. I undertake to do absolutely no harm to the building, to anything, or anybody, except the enemy, and only wish to place on the platform a mortar of my own and a few other small materials. I can promise you a splendid sight if you choose to attend with a small, select party, but the sight will be visible to all who are awake. It would be worth while for everybody to remain awake to see it."
At this the Prime Minister became more than half convinced as to his visitor's insanity, and yet there remained a vague faith which he could not analyse. He stayed silent for a minute pondering. Then he remarked:
"You are a scientist, I presume ?"
"Yes, sir," replied the Professor gently, "just a simple scientist. But I guarantee to do what I promise." Then almost savagely added, "Trust me, sir, and they'll get their ten millions at; midnight."
After all, thought, the Prime Minister, it can do no harm to humour him, and still that indefinable feeling of faith influenced his good nature.
"Very well, Professor, you may make your experiment, but I think we shall not make it public. I shall myself be with you, however, accompanied by a few friends. It will be interesting to see the modern Mars at work."
"They will get a Message from Mars, I assure you, sir," responded the Professor grimly.
At a quarter to twelve o'clock that night a small party of gentlemen were gathered in the shadow of the Exhibition dome. There were the Prime Minister and other Ministers, the Naval Commandant, the Inspector-General of the Military Forces, and half-a-dozen newspaper reporters. Amidst them was the Professor quietly attending to a few wires attached to an immense mortar, and now and again taking an observation through a telescope and making a note on a surveyor's plan laid out upon a small table. All his movements were rational, and marked with that quiet deliberateness which distinguishes the scientist.
Fortunately it was bright moonlight, and the sleeping city was clearly defined stretching below, while in the distance were plainly visible the massed bulks of the hostile war boats, their lights glittering, and occasionally a searchlight swivelling its rays like an evil eye for miles in an orbit around the shore.
The little group stood around smoking cigars, and for the most part silent, the conversation being only fitful, and such as indicated high nervous tension, for the issue was of tremendous moment, and, somehow, in spite of themselves, they had all, like the Prime Minister, become impressed by the little Professor's reverential earnestness.
Suddenly the Post Office clock began its somewhat doleful chimes preliminary to striking the hour of midnight.
"Now, gentlemen," said the Professor quietly. The chimes finished, the first stroke of the hour boomed forth.
"Now!" exclaimed the Professor, with just a perceptible tremor in his solemn tone.
Then he touched something, and immediately from the mouth of the mortar there shot into the air a gleaming, silver-like ball, which went whirling higher and higher in the direction of the big blots of boats lying inert upon the bosom of the Bay. The ball moved so slowly and so leisurely that its progress could be easily followed, and the excitement of the spectators grew tense and unbearable as it looked as if it would overshoot its mark and miss, but just as this seemed imminent it paused and remained poised in the air for perhaps four seconds, and then commenced gradually, deliberately and ominously to descend like a hawk swooping upon its prey.
The dozen or so men held their breath. What would happen? The Professor, pale, and looking like a sorcerer making a moonlight incantation, raised his hand and hoarsely whispered: "Wait!"
And next moment a mighty blaze shot up from the sea with a noise like the blare of a billion or so of brass bands. It was awful.
"The city will be destroyed!" "The Bay's on fire!" "The Day of Judgment!" all kinds of exclamations of this and similar sort came from the awestruck spectators.
"No. gentlemen, nothing like that," remarked the mild voice of the Professor. "The worst that can happen will be that the deserted village of Williamstown may suffer a little BUT THOSE WARSHIPS WILL NOT BE THERE IN THE MORNING!"
Then, as they watched, bursting with conflicting emotions, they could perceive that the marvellous conflagration kept itself confined to a circle of about a mile only in diameter. It was just as if the water within that circumference were a vast cauldron of boiling, flaming oil, which the ingress of the outside water was slowly but steadily and surely adulterating and quenching.
The Prime Minister sought the Professor and grasped his hand in a strong grip of fervent patriotic gratitude.
"You see, sir," remarked the Professor calmly, but blinking through his horned spectacles, for tears were pouring down his cheeks, "it is very simple. That silver ball contained a compound which separated the salt water into its chemical constituents within the radius of its influence, deep down and around. The result was a chemical conflagration."
The Professor would have delivered a learned discourse on the subject, but the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Ministers and their friends would not permit, and he was borne away in triumph to be presented to the amazed citizens.
When the sun arose next morning it was seen that the invading fleet had entirely disappeared.
