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FOREWORD

EARLY in the middle third of the twentieth century a brilliant astronoh a telescope in South Africa that two bodies were h space toward the solar system

Bronson’s calculations revealed to hi spheres would pass very close to the earth, make a circuit of our sun, and turn back toward space and infinity The larger of the tandering worlds would strike and annihilate the earth Finer and more delicate calculations tended to show that the snitude as the earth, would be “caught” by the sun and held in an orbit between the courses of Mars and Venus

In other words, Bronson’s discovery was an announcement of the end of the world

It would be an end of the world preceded by the close passage of two hty planets from some sun lost in the void—two planets which had been pulled fro star The world would be replaced by a new earth whose pathould take it alternately out to the cold orbit of Mars and back again to the vicinity of Venus

The bodies were naer one, Bronson Alpha, and the smaller, Bronson Beta

Sven Bronson knew the horrors that would attend the announces

He and Lord Rhondin, the Governor of the South African Dominion, summoned David Ransdell, a war veteran and flier, to carry the tangible demonstration to an American scientist, Cole Hendron Ransdell started out with photographic plates which proved the discovery

Cole Hendron, the greatest astrophysicist and engineer of the century, had already been notified of the approaching doohter Eve, who acted as his assistant, checked Bronson’s calculations

There was no doubt The earth was doomed

Hendron, Bronson and others united the foreanization known as “The League of the Last Days” and thesethe first layuess the truth were Ransdell, the flier, and Anthony Drake, a young New York man-about-toas in love with Eve Hendron

Most of the inforn themselves to universal destruction Cole Hendron, however, perceived a possibility of escape: if the planet which was to occupy the earth’s position were habitable, and if a vessel capable of transporting huh a few hundred thousand roup of people ht “jump” from the dooroup could then set about reëstablishing mankind on a new earth

Hendron and his assistants set to work at once Atoy adequate to drive such a vessel exactly as a rocket is propelled was released in his laboratories At first it could not be harnessed, as it fused everything hich it came in contact Nevertheless Hendron persisted in his plans for the space ship The “Ark” was the naiven to the ship eventually built

For its construction, Hendron established a vast an, and to it he took a thousand selected hu, healthy physiques, and great courage

While Hendron labored frantically, the world found out as in store for it

Society disintegrated The first, and relatively hare” of the Bronson bodies would be sufficiently close to cause vast terrestrial disturbances—tides, cyclones, terrific volcanic disturbances, and earthquakes All the seacoast cities of the world were evacuated New York, Boston, Philadelphia were cleared of their population, which was moved inland at the order of the President

One bit of fortune came in the discovery of a new metal in the reat eruptions Ransdell found it and brought it to camp where Hendron tested it This metal proved able to withstand the heat of the atomic blast The problem of propulsion of the “Ark” was solved

In the fantastic days that followed, Hendron and his band manufactured the Ark, and found time and materials to roup could be transported to Bronson Beta and not sacrificed The Michigan cantonry e killed more than half of the people of the earth Continents split apart Seas rose The internal fires of the earth burst to the surface The moon was smashed to atoms

Months afterward the celestial wanderers rounded the sun and returned Hendron’s two ships “took off” for Bronson Beta Other ships, frantically constructed by other nations, also leaped into space as doom fell upon our world

Bronson Alpha annihilated the earth and moved into the void

Bronson Beta swung into a course about our sun

Upon it, Hendron brought down the “Ark” With his Tony Drake was one of them, and his Japanese servant, Kyto Eliot James, the diarist and historian of the party was in the “Ark” So was Dodson, the surgeon, and Duquesne, the French physicist who had been saved at the eleventh hour as the Ark stood ready to rise from Holocaust

A safe landing was made The air of Bronson Beta was found to be breathable