Part 4 (1/2)

”Not a bit,” said Paul.

CHAPTER V

AN AIR RACE FINISH AND A CHALLENGE

All in all, Mr. Giddings expressed himself as more than pleased with the drawings for the Sky-Bird II. At the end of the explanation, he put the papers back in the envelope, and asked:

”Have you another set of these drawings in ink, Paul?”

”Yes, sir; this is a copied set; the original drawings from which we will make our tracings and blue-prints are at home.”

”You had better leave them there in a safe place, and work from your blue-prints in the old exhibition building at the fair-grounds, being careful to lock them up in your workbench every time you depart. I think you boys have a valuable thing here, and it is to your interest to keep others from knowing your plans or seeing the airplane until we have full government protection in the shape of patent rights. I shall turn this set of drawings over to a patent attorney in the city and ask him to make application to the Patent Office in Was.h.i.+ngton without delay.”

The next morning all three boys, filled with new confidence and energy, met at the fairgrounds as soon as they had had their breakfasts. Paul carried two rolls of fresh blue-prints, which he and John had made while their mother was preparing the meal. One of these sets he gave to Bob to take home as his own special property, and the other one he spread out on the workbench for consultation as their needs required.

Up to this time no effort had been made to keep children and curious adults out of the grounds, but as their machine was now beginning to take on real form, they determined to do this. On a piece of board, Paul printed in large letters, ”Private Grounds; Keep Out,” and Bob nailed this up on the outside of the high board fence at the entrance.

The gate itself they closed and barred on the inside.

”Guess that will be a sufficient hint to the grown-ups,” said Bob with a grin. ”If the kids climb over, we'll fasten a red flag to the front of our big hangar and paint 'Dynamite' in letters a yard long across the front of the building.”

”Yes, and if that doesn't keep them away we'll turn the hose on them,”

laughed John.

Then they fell to work on the new airplane, applying themselves like beavers. All three boys had had the splendid benefits of manual training when they were in the public schools, and knew how to handle every machine they had set up. In addition to this, Paul and Bob were first-cla.s.s amateur machinists, as their courses of engineering in Clark Polytechnic embraced the use of metal-working appliances of the latest design, as well as wood-working machinery, and they could have operated other machines had they needed them.

That evening the workers went back home tired but well satisfied with their progress. The next day the shavings flew again, and by the latter part of the week they had begun to a.s.semble portions of the fuselage, using a waterproof glue which had been especially prepared for airplanes, and applying galvanized screws to withstand rust in damp atmospheres.

As the days went by, the boys, like almost everybody in the country, watched the newspapers eagerly for reports of the progress of the contestants in the big Air Derby around the world. Only four of the eleven aircraft to start had succeeded in getting across the treacherous Atlantic, two of these being dirigible balloons, one a flying-boat, and the other a Vickers-Vimy biplane. After landing on European soil one of the lucky airs.h.i.+ps came to grief in Italy in making a stop for fuel, but the driver had obtained an Italian Cap.r.o.ni plane and was making his way eastward with all haste. The other dirigible, commanded by Americans, had reached Teheran, Persia, where gas-bag troubles had compelled her crew to continue by train. About the same time the flying-boat, piloted by a Boston man, and the biplane, in control of two Englishmen, had reached Yokohama, j.a.pan, within a few hours of each other. It was said that these contestants would wait there for the first steams.h.i.+p going to San Francisco, as they feared it would be impossible to fly across the great Pacific stretch of almost five thousand miles. Upon reaching San Francisco they planned to continue the journey to New York in airplanes furnished by California aeronautical friends.

The newspapers shortly after this announced the sailing of the rival parties at Yokohama. Storms and fog delayed the vessel. Finally she arrived at the Golden Gate, and then came the mad race across the North American continent in fresh airplanes. Near Cheyenne, Wyoming, the American plane was forced to the ground by engine trouble, allowing her compet.i.tor to get ahead several hours. This lead the American could not overcome, and the race ended at 5:15 o'clock on the afternoon of July 27th, with the English crew first and the American crew second.

Three days later the belated French crew, who had met with mishap in Italy, came in, winning third prize.

The Ross brothers were at work in the hangar when Bob Giddings, who had gone into town on his motorcycle after some more screws, came back waving the copy of the _Daily Independent_ containing this last account.

”Cartier and his bunch have arrived,” he cried, springing from his machine. ”Here it is on the first page. That accounts for all the prize-winners, and the excitement is practically over. The others will just lob in now--and they might as well.” He tossed the paper to John.

”Here, read it, you fellows,” he said. ”You can quit on the Sky-Bird long enough for that, I guess. I'll work while you lay off a few minutes.”

Bob rolled up his sleeves, and John and Paul spread out the newspaper on the bench and interestedly read the article in question. As they finished, and were turning around to resume work, Bob observed:

”Dad's got a rattling good editorial on this Air Derby, if I do say it.

Take a look at page 5 and see how he rips 'em up the back.”

Shoulder to shoulder, the two brothers leaned over the bench and read as follows:

”AROUND-THE-WORLD” RECORDS

The world has just witnessed the finish of another effort on the part of mankind to circle the globe in record-breaking time. And once more the newspapers of the universe, and the sporting chroniclers, are registering a new record in this cla.s.s of human endeavor. When, three days ago, the English team, headed by Chester Hodge, dropped out of a Curtis plane into Mineola Field, it was just 23 days, 6 hours and 15 minutes after the same crew had left that field in their Vickers-Vimy.