Part 23 (1/2)

On rushed the water The tug rose and fell on the bosoates And as the sturdy vessel swayed this way and that, rolling at herevery moment to break and rush down the Canal, Blake and Joe stood at their posts, turning the cranks And beside them stood Mr Alcando, if not as cal fate

Captain Wiltsey of the _Bohio_ had given orders to run the engine at full speed, hoping by the use of the propeller to offset soreat to allow of ency dam!” suddenly cried Blake

”Gone out, you mean?” yelled Joe above the roar of waters

”No, it's being swung into place It'll be all over in a few ot the pictures e did”

Across the lock, about two hundred feet above the upper gate, was being swung into place the steel ened to meet and overcome just such an accident as had occurred

These dams orked by electricity, and could be put in place in two minutes; or, if thenearly half an hour, during which tiht be done But in this case the electrical machinery worked perfectly, and the daainst the side of the lock wall, and parallel with it, ung across

Al until the tug swung easily at hercables

”Whehistled Blake in relief, as he ceased grinding at the crank of hissoot soood films”

”You certainly deserved to!” exclai eyes ”You are very brave!”

”Oh, it's all in the day's work,” spoke Blake ”Noonder how that happened?”

”That's what I'd like to know,” said Captain Wiltsey ”I must look into this”

An inquiry developed the fact that a misplaced switch in some newly installed electrical ate was to blaned to be auto controlled by hus can be That is to say it was planned that no vessel could proceed into a lock until the fender chain was lowered, and that an upper gate could not be opened until a lower one was closed But in this case soates were opened at once, letting out the flood

This, however, had been foreseen, and the eency dam provided, and it was this solid steel wall that had saved the lock fro overwhelmed

As it was no harm had been done and, when the excitement had calates would noork perfectly, the tug was allowed to proceed

”Well, what are your plans now, boys?” asked Mr Alcando on the day after the lock accident

”Back to Culebra Cut,” answered Blake ”We have orders to get a picture of a big slide there, and we're going to do it”

”Even if you have to h

”Not et the kind oflike that There have been sos happen as they often have before in the Cut there may be a slide”

”Yes, they do follow rains, so I am told,” went on the Spaniard

”Well, I do not wish your Canal any bad luck, but if a slide does occur I hope it will coet views of it”

”In the daytiested Joe

For several days nothing of interest occurred Blake and Joe sent back to New York the filh the lock, and also dispatched other views they had taken They had gone to Culebra Cut and there tied up, waiting for a slide that ht never occur Naturally if the canal engineers could have had their way they would have preferred never to see another avalanche of earth descend