Dick Hamilton's Airship; Or, A Young Millionaire in the Clouds

by Howard Roger Garis

  CHAPTER XXIX

  THE RIVAL AIRSHIP

  "What did it?"

  "Had we better descend?"

  "Everybody get busy!"

  "Fire extinguishers here!"

  These and other confused cries sounded throughout the airship,following Larry's alarm.

  "No, don't go down!" shouted Mr. Vardon. "We'll stay up as long as wecan. We'll fight the fire in the air--above the clouds!"

  "Hold her steady, Innis!" called Dick to his chum, who was at the wheel.

  "Steady she is!" was the grim answer.

  And while the Abaris was rushing onward those aboard her prepared tofight that most deadly of enemies--fire--and at a terribledisadvantage--nearly ten thousand feet in the air!

  Fortunately preparations had been made for this emergency, and a numberof portable extinguishers were placed in various places on the walls ofthe cabin.

  These the young aviators now pulled down and rushed with them to themotor compartment, from which the black smoke was pouring in greatervolume.

  "Look out for a gasolene explosion!" warned the lieutenant. "Is thereany of it there?"

  "Only a little," answered Mr. Vardon. "The main supply is in the decktank. But there is a small can in there for priming the cylinders, incase we have to."

  "It smells like oil afire," said Larry Dexter.

  "That's what it is--probably some oily waste started by spontaneouscombustion," said Mr. Vardon.

  As he spoke he threw the contents of his extinguisher inside the motorcompartment--it was hardly large enough to be called a room. The smokewas so black that no blaze could be seen.

  "Open some of the windows!" shouted Paul. "It's choking in here."

  "That's right!" agreed Larry, with a cough and a sneeze.

  "Stoop down--get near the floor of the cabin," ordered the armylieutenant. "The air is always more pure there."

  He, too, emptied the contents of his extinguisher in the compartment,and his example was followed by the others. The smoke seemed to beless now, and much of it went out through the opened windows, whichPaul slid back in their groves.

  "There's the blaze!" cried Dick, as he saw, through the lessening hazeof smoke, some bright, red tongues of fire.

  "Douse it!" cried Paul, handing his chum a fresh extinguisher, for Dickhad used his.

  The young millionaire threw on the chemical powder, for this happenedto be that sort of an extinguisher, and almost instantly there followeda sharp explosion.

  "Look out!" yelled Dick, ducking instinctively. "I guess this is theend of everything!"

  But, to the surprise of all, the motor still kept up its hum, and theycould tell, by the "feel" of the craft that she was still progressing.The gale had now almost completely died out, and the Abaris was makinggood time, and on her proper course, when the fire was discovered.

  "The fire is scattered!" Dick yelled, as he rose up and took anotherlook in the motor-room. "I guess it was only that little tank ofgasolene that went up." Afterward this was found to be so.

  The blazing liquid, however, had scattered all about the motorcompartment. Fortunately the walls were of steel, so that the fierystuff could burn itself out without doing much damage.

  "More extinguishers!" yelled Dick, as he saw the spots of fire aboutthe motor. "First thing we know, some of the insulation will be burnedoff, and we'll have a short circuit!"

  The motor-room was almost free of smoke now, and there were only a fewscattered spots of fire. Standing in the entrance, Dick threw thecontents of several extinguishers inside, as they were passed to him,and he had the satisfaction of seeing the flames gradually choked bythe chemical fumes thus released.

  "Now I guess we're all right," said Mr. Vardon, when no more fire couldbe seen. "And the marvel of it is that our motor never stopped!"

  "That's the one thing that saved us from making another descent--ourlast," murmured Dick. "That's sure some motor, all right."

  But they were congratulating themselves too soon, it seemed. For,hardly had Dick spoken than the monotonous whine of the powerfulmachine seemed to weaken in tone. It died out--the high note sunk to alow one, and gradually went out.

  "What's up now?" asked Paul, peering over Dick's shoulder. The motorcompartment was still too hot to enter with safety, and it was alsofilled with acrid vapor, from the extinguishers.

  "I--I'm afraid it's going to stop," gasped Dick, for he was out ofbreath from his exertions, and from the excitement of the occasion.

  "Stop!" cried Paul. "If she does we'll have to go down!"

  And stop the motor did. There was a sort of final groan or gasp, as ifof apology, and then the wheels stopped revolving and the bigpropellers outside the cabin, which had been forcing the craft onward,gradually ceased their motion.

  "Quick?" shouted Mr. Vardon. "Throw on the self-starter, Dick! We maycatch her before she loses all her momentum!"

  "All right!" answered Dick. He made one jump to the switch that putinto commission the electrical starter. But he was too late to "catch"the motor. It had died down, and, though the young millionaire madecontact after contact with the copper knife-switch, there was noresponse.

  "We're falling!" cried Innis, from the pilot-house, as he noted theheight gage, and saw that the hand was constantly receding. "We'refalling, Dick!"

  "I know it--no help for it," answered our hero, hopelessly.

  The Abaris was certainly going down. When the propellers had ceased tourge her forward she began to dip toward the earth, even as a stonefalls when the initial impulse from the sling, or the hand of thethrower, is lost.

  Foot by foot she dropped, and those aboard her looked helplessly at oneanother. They had made a brave fight against the fire, but it seemedto have gone for naught. They could not keep up with the motor stalledas it was.

  "I guess we'll have to make another landing," said Innis, as heremained at the wheel.

  Of course they were entitled to one more, but it would be the last, anda long and hard part of their trans-continental flight was still aheadof them. If they went down this time, and, after making repairs, cameup into the air once more, they would not, under the rules, be allowedto land again before reaching San Francisco.

  "It's tough luck, but I guess we'll have to do it," said Larry Dexter.

  "Maybe not!" Dick cried. "I have an idea."

  "What is it? Tell us quick!" begged Innis, for he, as well as all ofDick's friends, wanted to see him win the prize.

  "I think the insulation has been burning off some of the wires of themotor," was his answer. "That would make a short circuit and put itout of business. Now if we can only keep afloat long enough to changethose wires, we may be able to start the motor again, and keep on ourway before we touch ground."

  "You've struck it!" cried Mr. Vardon. "Dick, you take charge of thewheel--you and any of your friends you want. I'll look over the motor,and make repairs if I can."

  "And they'll have to be made pretty soon," called out Innis from thepilot-house. "We're falling fast."

  "Throw her nose up," cried Dick. "That's what we've got to do to saveourselves. We'll volplane down, and maybe we can keep up long enoughto have Mr. Vardon put in new wires in place of the burned-out ones.If he can do that, and if we can start the motor--"

  "It sounds too good to be true," said Innis. "But get in here, Dick,and see what you can do. You've got to volplane as you never didbefore."

  "And I'm going to do it!" cried the young millionaire.

  The motor-room was now free from smoke, and the fire was out. A pileof charred waste in one corner showed where it had started.

  "That's the trouble--insulation burned off!" cried Mr. Vardon, as hemade a quick inspection. "I think I can fix it, Dick, if you can keepher up long enough. Take long glides. We're up a good height, andthat will help solve."

  Then began a curious battle against fate, and, not only a struggleagainst adverse circumstances, but against gravitation. For, now thatthere was no forw
ard impulse in the airship, she could not overcome thelaw that Sir Isaac Newton discovered, which law is as immutable asdeath. Nothing can remain aloft unless it is either lighter than theair itself, or unless it keeps in motion with enough force to overcomethe pull of the magnet earth, which draws all things to itself.

  I have told you how it is possible for a body heavier than air toremain above the earth, as long as it is in motion. It is this whichkeeps cannon balls and airships up--motion. Though, of course,airships, with their big spread of surface, need less force to keepthem from falling than do projectiles.

  And when the motor of an airship stops it is only by volplaning down,or descending in a series of slanting shifts, that accidents areavoided.

  This, then, is what Dick did. He would let the airship shoot downwardon a long slant, so as to gain as much as possible. Then, by throwingup the head-rudder, he would cause his craft to take an upward turn,thus delaying the inevitable descent.

  All the while this was going on Mr. Vardon, aided by LieutenantMcBride, was laboring hard to replace the burned-out wires. He workedfrantically, for he knew he had but a few minutes at the best. Fromthe height at which they were when the motor stopped it would take themabout ten minutes to reach the earth, holding back as Dick might. Andthere was work which, in the ordinary course of events, would taketwice as long as this.

  "I'm only going to make a shift at it," explained the aviator. "If Ican only get in temporary wires I can replace them later."

  "That's right," agreed the army man.

  "How you making it, Dick?" asked Larry, as he came to the door of thepilot-house.

  "Well, I've got five hundred feet left. If he can't get the motorgoing before we go down that far--"

  Dick did not finish, but they all knew what he meant.

  "Another second and I'll have the last wire in!" cried Mr. Vardon. "Doyour best, Dick."

  "I'm doing it. But she's dipping down fast."

  "Oh, for a dirigible balloon now!" cried the lieutenant. "We couldfloat while making repairs."

  But it was useless to wish for that. They must do the best they couldunder the circumstances.

  "There she is! The last wire in!" shouted the aviator. "How muchspace left, Dick?"

  "About two hundred feet!"

  "That may do it. Now to see if the self-starter will work!"

  Eagerly he made a jump for the switch. He pulled it over. There was abrilliant blue spark, as the gap was closed.

  The electrical starter hummed and whined, as if in protest at beingobliged to take up its burden again.

  Then, with a hum and a roar, the motor that had stalled began torevolve. Slowly at first, but soon gathering speed.

  "Throw in the propeller clutch!" yelled Dick. "We're going righttoward a hill, and I can't raise her any more."

  "In she goes!" yelled Lieutenant McBride, as he pulled on the lever.

  There was a grinding of gears as the toothed wheels meshed, and the bigwooden propellers began to revolve.

  "There she goes!" cried Mr. Vardon.

  The Abaris, which had almost touched the earth, began to soar upwardunder the propelling influence. Dick tilted back the elevating planeas far as he dared.

  Had the motive power come in time, or would they land on the hill?

  But success was with them. Up went the big airship. Up and up, flyingonward. Her fall had been checked.

  And only just in time, for they went over the brow of the hill but witha scant twenty feet to spare. So close had they come to making alanding.

  "I congratulate you!" cried Lieutenant McBride. "I thought surely youwould go down." He had out his pencil and paper to make a note of thetime of landing. It would have been the last one allowed, and it wouldseriously have handicapped Dick. But he had escaped, and still hadsome reserve to his credit.

  "And now I guess we can eat," said the young millionaire, with a sighof relief.

  "A quick bite, only," stipulated Mr. Vardon. "Some of those wires Iput in last are a disgrace to an electrician. I want to change themright away. They won't stand the vibration."

  "Well, coffee and sandwiches, anyhow," said Dick, and the simple mealwas soon in progress.

  Steadily the airship again climbed up toward the clouds, from which shehad so nearly fallen. And with a sandwich and a cup of coffee besidehim, Mr. Vardon worked at the wires, putting in permanent ones in placeof the temporary conductors. This could be done without stopping themotor.

  "I wonder if it was the fire Grit was anticipating all the while heacted so queer?" asked Innis.

  "I don't know--but it was something," Dick said. "I shouldn't wonderbut what he did have some premonition of it. Anyhow, you gave thealarm in time, old boy!" and he patted his pet on the back.

  Grit waved his tail, and barked. He seemed himself again.

  It took some time to make good the damage done by the fire, and it wasaccomplished as the airship was put back on her course again, and sentforward toward the Pacific coast. They were all congratulatingthemselves on their narrow escape from possible failure.

  It was that same afternoon, when Mr. Vardon had finished his task, thatsomething else happened to cause them much wonderment.

  The motor was again in almost perfect condition, and was running well.Most of the party were out on the deck behind the cabin, enjoying theair, for the day had been hot, and they were tired from fighting thetire.

  Suddenly Grit, who was in the pilot-house with Dick, ran out into themain cabin, and, looking from one of the windows, which he could do byjumping up in a chair, he began to bark violently.

  "Well, what's the matter now?" demanded Dick. "Is it another fire?"

  Grit barked so persistently that Dick called to Paul:

  "See what ails him; will you? He must have caught sight of somethingout of the window."

  "I should say he had!" yelled Paul, a moment later. "Here's a rivalairship after us, Dick!"