Avalon- The Construction

by L. Michael Rusin

  Mike was surprised at her words.

  “Beth, you are one of the most valuable assets we have. When people heard about you bringing all those children to us, they were really impressed at your strength and courage. Heck, you’re one of the highest-ranking law enforcement officials in the state!”

  He smiled with a twinkle in his eye,

  “and let us not forget that you made Avalon very rich with your donation of all that gold.”

  “Thanks Mike. I appreciate your words.”

  She reached over and kissed him on the cheek, it was a bit lingering, and then she turned and walked away.

  Caroline punched him.

  “Whaaat?”

  “You know what, Michael!”

  He laughed but Caroline was frowning as she watched Beth walk into the crowd. That was one attractive woman, and men, all men, kept their eyes on her when she was around.

  “You will never have to worry about me. I’m in love with you.”

  Chapter 27

  A Barter System

  When the meeting concluded, the key players walked back to the town hall. Mike sat down beside Bob Waters,

  “Governor, until we have the minting operations established for formal currency, I think it’s imperative we come up with a set of standards for a barter system.”

  The governor leaned toward Mike,

  “What kind of a standard are you talking about, Mike?”

  Mike shifted in his chair and scooted closer to the table. He put a hand to each side of his temples, rubbing them methodically as he searched for the right way to present his thoughts.

  In a moment, choosing his words carefully,

  “Nothing will get people angrier than getting short-changed on a business transaction. I’ve seen it happen countless times. Regardless of how sincere the deal is initially, if there’s the slightest inclination that one side his been cheated, it will cause trouble and resentment. It’s just human nature.

  “The nice thing about money is that it simplifies things. If someone wants five dollars for something, the other guy might be able to haggle a bit and get it down to four dollars, but the person selling the item knows how far they can lower the price and still walk away from the deal with a small profit. You’re always going to have someone who is a bit shrewder than the next guy and who will come out ahead on a deal. But we can’t legislate fairness and we can’t dictate how people will barter when it comes to trading goods and services. We can only help simplify it with money.”

  “Okay, Mike, I understand that. What do ya propose?”

  “I think we should come up with a standard of value for most things, such as the worth of a chicken or a cow. Once everyone accepts and adopts a definitive standard, it will level the playing field. I’m not saying it will be easy, but we should have key things defined in terms of their worth because we want to keep peace among the people.”

  “Like how?”

  “Well, we can set a standard as to what a man or woman’s hourly wage should be. Not a minimum wage, mind you, but if it takes a blacksmith three hours to forge a tool, he should be compensated fairly for his or expenditure of time. Since the dollar is no longer being circulated in our society, and most people are resorting to barter, we need to define how much certain things are worth.”

  Mike thought about it for a moment.

  “We understand the system of weights and measures. We used this system for eons. There’s no reason to re-invent the wheel. In that regard, we can place a value on everything and call it whatever we want to call it. Things like potatoes can be sold by the pound.”

  The governor rolled his eyes and exhaled his breath in a long sigh.

  “That’s a tall order my friend, it’ll take a while to get done. There would be thousands of items to write down and who has the time or the imagination to do all that?”

  Mike adjusted his sitting position and crossed one leg over the other. The chair made a metallic noise as it echoed off the walls. The governor waited patiently for Mike’s answer.

  “I think we can start with a small list that defines the basics. For instance, we itemize the things were accustomed to such as a single chicken, a solitary cow, a calf, a horse and so forth. We can place a price on each itemized unit and say, for instance, that everything will be a minimum of a single dollar. There will be no need for smaller increments, such as thirty or fifty cents. That will eliminate the need for change.”

  “I like it, Mike. Keep going.”

  “Just because we set a price for a solitary item or unit such as an animal or hourly wage doesn’t mean that will be the final price of that item. It simply means it will be a minimum price and it can go up from there.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Let’s say we set the price of a horse at one-hundred dollars. But that man over there doesn’t have just a horse, he has a thoroughbred horse. The value of that animal is more than the value placed on a plow horse. So, he’s going to ask more for that horse, and rightfully so. We have to take into consideration how long it took to raise and train that horse from a colt to maturity. All that time is worth something. A thoroughbred horse would warrant more money.”

  The governor was impressed, but slightly confused.

  “Mike, I understand what you’re doing, but what will we use for money?”

  “Governor, money is nothing. It can be represented by beads, shells, coins, precious metal bars, paper with nice printing on it and many other things that we can designate. Money only means the instrument you, as a member of society, are willing to accept, such as a coin or paper bill. It is backed by something more tangible and valuable, such as gold or silver.

  “When a society or a country accepts a standard, commerce revolves around it. In other words, money is simply a medium of exchange that is accepted by a society at large. Money will allow us to trade for goods or services on an equal basis.

  “Before money was introduced into certain societies, bartering was the only means of conducting business. You shoe my horse and I’ll help you till and harvest your garden. It worked well, and some people became adept at what they traded for. ‘Horse trader’ was a term that signified someone who was adept at trading one thing or another.”

  Penny Rolls, who was taking notes for the Avalon newspaper, interjected.

  “It’s my understanding that coins were introduced by people who were tired of trading with sharp objects such as arrowheads. Round coins became acceptable because they could be separated into smaller pieces such as the ‘pieces of eight’ commonly used by the Spaniards. Other people used solid gold belts formed as chains they wore around their waist. They could be broken down into links that became accepted at a predetermined value.

  “I think what Mike is suggesting,”

  she continued,

  “is a good idea and we should develop this into a workable solution. Right now, we have no money or system of fair exchange for anything. But more and more people are just now coming out of hiding and they will need many things we aren’t even aware of right now. Sewing needles and thread, for instance, and combs and brushes, for our hair. Things like toothbrushes, and toothpaste, will have to be made by hand and later traded for something else, but how do they compare to, say, a pig or a chicken, or a cow? I’d like to be involved with bringing this to fruition.”

  “That was a nice, informative story,”

  Mike said.

  “Welcome to the committee.”

  Governor Waters was pleased that Penny wanted to be part of such a huge undertaking. Beth had walked into the meeting and had her own thoughts.

  “It’s interesting, what you’re contemplating here. I think bartering will be a good way to keep the people trading. If we decide later that we need to print or come up with something that will act as our money, Avalon can be the treasury because it has a great deal of gold on hand right now. And there’s a lot more where that came from. In fact, I’m thinking about making a trip to retrieve the rest of it s
oon.”

  She laughed and so did everyone else.

  The governor was delighted.

  “Wow! California may soon have its own money and treasury. I like that. Who would be the state treasurer?”

  Mike smiled, and he looked pointedly at Penny.

  “Done.”

  A month later, a list had been made placing a value on many commodities such as chickens, horses, seeds, soap, hand-sewn clothing, handmade tools, saddle-making, loaded ammunition, homemade black powder, wages per hour for a man and a woman, furniture, and myriad other things. The initial list consisted of over a thousand items the committee considered important. Other items and services would be added as needed. It was posted in the center of town and in leaflets they passed out or allowed people to take and share.

  In two more weeks, a plane landed with several armed Marines on board. There were several a large crates inside the plane. A radio message was sent to Mike and the governor. The radio message was from a representative of the president. His name was Doctor Salvador Mele, a consultant to the president as an economic advisor. He asked to meet with Mike and the governor as soon as possible. Mike flew down from Avalon and the governor drove to the airport in his patrol car.

  When Mike landed and finished parking his Cessna 182, the governor and Mister Mele were waiting in front of one of the hangars. Mike was surprised to see the armed Marines. They came to attention and saluted. Mike saluted back. Mister Mele approached Mike with his hand outstretched.

  “Admiral Reynolds, I assume.”

  “That would be correct. What can I do for you Mister…?”

  “It’s Mele and I have something special for you and the governor.”

  “What might that be?”

  “Please follow me, over there…”

  He pointed as he walked back to the aircraft.

  “This. If you and the governor will open the lid, will explain a lot.”

  Mike winked at the governor and motioned for him to go with him. They got in front of the large wood crate the marines lifted out of the plane and then stepped aside. Mike motioned for the governor to open it, and the governor motioned for Mike to do it. So, Mike shrugged his shoulders and flipped the lid up. Inside the box was millions of dollars in American money.

  “There is twenty-million in this box, another twenty-million in another one, and ten-million in larger bills. I have been instructed for you to put this money in a safe place, and to sign this document. It is a startup monetary fund for your bank of California. It will help you establish a monetary system with your people. We are suggesting you distribute this out to the people around here after they sign a Promissory Note to pay it back once they and the rest of the people around here are back up in production mode.”

  “How much are we to distribute to the people?”

  The governor was sort of shocked at this largess.

  “We will let you make that determination based on the people you loan it out to.”

  Mister Mele shoved his glasses back up on his nose.

  “Any suggestions as to the amount for starters?”

  “It was discussed at a meeting and it was suggested at least fifty-thousand dollars per person. Please sign these documents and we’ll unload the plane and be off.”

  Mike and the governor signed the documents and were left a copy of all they signed. The Marines unloaded the rest of the boxes, placed them in a hangar, boarded the plane along with Mister Mele, and they took off into the blue sky. Mike watched them until the plane disappeared. He turned to the governor and said,

  “Well, Governor, we’re going to have to have a bunch of Rangers over here to make sure someone doesn’t get rich overnight. What do you think?”

  Mr. Mele approached them,

  “Governor, Admiral, I almost forget, the President told me to tell you the collateral for this money is a small portion of the oil reserves you folks have here in California. Once we’re able, we’ll be putting out the fires. We have to monitor the radiation level first. Goota go, good luck.”

  He moved on the inside of the plane and in a few more minutes they were all gone and merely a speck in the sky.

  ◆◆◆

  A chemical engineer from Bishop and a few others initiated a method of producing insulin based on an article printed from Dr. Bones’ doom and gloom.net in 2011. Caroline found it in the resource library at Avalon.

  This valuable medicine was made from beef or pork, pancreas, finely minced in a large grinder and treated with 5cc of concentrated sulfuric acid approximately, diluted, per pound of glands. This same formula and process had received the Nobel Prize when it was initially developed. The mixture was stirred for a period of three or four hours and alcohol was added until the concentration of alcohol was 60% to 70%.

  Two extractions of the glands were made. The solid material was partially removed by centrifuging the mixture, and the solution was further clarified by filtering through paper. The filtrate was practically neutralized with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The clear filtrate was concentrated in a vacuum to about 1/15 of its original volume. The concentrate was then heated to 50°C, which resulted in the separation of lymphoid and other materials, and then removed by filtration.

  Ammonium sulfate (37 g /per 100 ml) was added to the concentrate and the approaching material containing all the insulin floated to the top of the liquid. The precipitate was skimmed off and dissolved in hot acid alcohol. When the precipitate completely dissolved, ten volumes of warm alcohol were added. The solution was then neutralized with NaOH, cooled to room temperature, and kept in the refrigerator at 5°C for two days.

  At the end of this time, the dark-colored supernatant alcohol was drained off. Alcohol contained practically no potency. The precipitate was dried in a vacuum to remove all traces of the alcohol, and it was then dissolved in acid water, making it readily soluble.

  The solution was made alkaline with NaOH to a logarithmic measure of hydrogen ion concentrate (pH) 7.327.5. At this alkalinity, a dark-colored precipitate settled out, and was immediately centrifuged off. This precipitate was washed once or twice with alcohol and water of pH 9.0 and the washings were added to the main liquid. This process was carried out fairly quickly, as the insulin was destroyed in alkaline solution. This acidity was adjusted to pH 5.0 and a white precipitate readily settled out.

  Tricresol was added to a concentration of 0.3% in order to assist in the iso-electric precipitation and acted as a preservative. After standing one week in the ice chest, supernatural liquid was decanted off and the resulting liquid was removed by centrifuging. The precipitate was then dissolved in a small quantity of acid water. A second iso-electric precipitation was carried out by adjusting the acidity to a pH of approximately 5.0. After standing overnight, the resultant precipitate was removed by centrifuging.

  The precipitate, which contains the active principle and a comparably pure form, was dissolved in acid water and the hydrogen ion concentration adjusted to pH 2.5. The material was carefully tested to determine the potency and then diluted to the desired strength of ten, twenty, forty, or eighty units per cc. Tricresol was added to secure a concentration of 0.1%. Sufficient sodium chloride was added to make the solution isotonic.

  The insulin solution was then passed through a Mandrel filter and the insulin was retested carefully to determine his potency. There was practically no loss in Brefeldin. The tested insulin was poured into sterile glass vials with antiseptic precaution and the stability of the final product thoroughly tested by approved methods.

  The method of estimating the potency of the insulin solution was based on the effect that the insulin produced upon the blood sugars in a normal animal. The rabbit served as the test animal. They were starved for twenty-four hours before the administration of insulin. Their weight was approximately two kg. Insulin was then distributed in strengths of ten, twenty, forty, and eighty units per cc. The unit was one-third of the amount of material required to lower the blood sugar of a two kg rabbit, which had fasted t
wenty-four hours from the normal level (0.118%) to (0.045%) over a period of five hours.

  In a moderately severe case of diabetes, one unit caused about 2.5 g of carbohydrate, to be utilized. In earlier and milder cases, as a rule, one unit had a greater effect, counting for 3 to 5 g of carbohydrate.

  Other medicines were formulated in an old computer chip factory on the outskirts of Fitch that had been quickly abandoned at the start of the war. It was important for the citizens to have access to as many medicines and formulations as was humanly possible.

  Each step forward improved living conditions. Other factories were built or reopened. Joshua Edwards took over a small warehouse away from the city limits of Fitch and converted it from an old tire storage area into two manufacturing centers. One was for loading ammunition and the other was for manufacturing black powder the way it had been done in pioneer days. Although the powder was corrosive, it was still a useful propellant and explosive for moving dirt. It would do until a better smokeless powder was manufactured and refined. It was being worked on already.

  Another man and his wife took over an abandoned apartment complex and moved in trundle sewing machines, requiring no electricity. They began making clothes to sell or trade. They rounded up abandoned clothing and cut the cloth into manageable strips that could be sewn into colorful shirts, pants and jackets. It was amazing how much fabric they were able to accumulate in a short period of time.

  Fitch, Avalon, and other small towns in the area, became hubs of trading, manufacturing centers, and an all-around repair center. The initial State Fair became a weekly event that people loved. They could gather and share in conversations, make new friends, and eat homemade goodies brought there for sale or trade. Always a festive atmosphere, many played instruments and entertained the crowd that passed by or stopped to enjoy the tunes. Most came on foot, but many came by horseback or in horse-drawn wagons.

  The tranquil weather was ideal for outdoor activities. April was historically wet, but there was a high-pressure area that hovered over the valley. The small storefronts erected at the fairgrounds went up each Friday afternoon and came down Sunday morning.