The Flying Reporter

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER V

  The Long Flight to a Fire

  Jimmy's next chance was not long in coming. A few days after he made hissuccessful trip to Ringtown, Jimmy was called to the telephone in hishangar. Mr. Johnson was speaking.

  "We have just had a 'flash' from Cleveland," he said, "to the effectthat there has been a terrible disaster in a hospital there. The burningof X-ray films filled the hospital with deadly gases, and apparentlyscores of people have been killed. We are getting the A. P. service, butthe story is so big we should like to have our own man on the spot. I amsending Frank Handley over to you. Be prepared to take off the moment hearrives. You are to cooperate with him in handling the story. Handleyknows exactly what I want and will give you directions. We especiallywant good pictures. In all probability the wires will be clogged withthe volume of news matter filed. I am sending you to make sure that weget our story and the pictures. Get them back any way you can--by wireor by plane. But get them back. That is the important thing. Handley isalready on his way and should reach you very soon."

  "I'll be ready for him, Mr. Johnson," said Jimmy, "and I'll do my levelbest to carry out your orders. What is my deadline?"

  "We want to be sure to catch the state edition. The presses start atmidnight sharp. You ought to be here by eleven, and you _must_ be hereby eleven-thirty at the latest."

  "I'll be there," said Jimmy, but little could he foresee what it wasgoing to cost him to make good that promise.

  He hung up the telephone receiver and skipped out into the hangar tostart his engine to warming. Then he gathered up his camera, hisportable typewriter, and all the other equipment he ordinarily carriedin his plane. The cabin of his ship was especially fitted up with adesk, where he or any one else could write. In this desk he stowed histypewriter and camera, so they would not be thrown about in the plane incase of rough going. In the floor of the ship there was a specialopening for the taking of photographs vertically. The sides of the shipwere lined with windows, to permit easy observation in all directions.

  "We probably shall not have a minute to get anything to eat," thoughtJimmy. "I'll put a lunch aboard and we can eat it as we fly."

  He ran out to a near-by lunch wagon and had some sandwiches and milkprepared for him. By the time he got back with these, a taxi was justrolling up with Handley. Jimmy greeted his fellow reporter, whom heliked very much, and grabbed up the latter's little typewriter. Handleyfollowed with a suitcase. They stowed the luggage in the plane, whichwas now ready to sail. Jimmy helped Handley buckle on a parachute. Thenhe strapped on his own. They stepped into the cabin and in anothermoment were climbing aloft as rapidly as Jimmy's engine would lift them.

  Once more Jimmy flew south of west to connect with the Air Mail route toCleveland. A slight breeze was blowing at a higher altitude, so Jimmywent hedge-hopping along to avoid the wind as much as possible. The airseemed "dead" to him. It felt as though a storm might be brewing. So heplugged in with his head phones and listened for the hourly report ofthe Airways Weather Bureau. He hadn't long to wait. Soon he heard thewireless man at Hadley Field broadcasting. Jimmy listened intently. Helearned that the weather was fair all the way to Cleveland. But the skywas overcast and the ceiling low. Visibility was poor. There was littlewind. The prospect was for increasing cloudiness and bad weather.

  "We ought to make Cleveland all right," thought Jimmy. "It isn't quite400 miles from Hadley to Cleveland. There isn't any wind to speak of, soI won't have to stop at Bellefonte for gas. I ought to make the tripfrom Hadley in close to three hours."

  Jimmy looked down and saw that he was already almost abreast of thatairport. "In three hours," he muttered, "I'm _going_ to be in Cleveland.This ship can do it, and I'll make her do it." He opened his throttle alittle wider, and the plane darted ahead faster than ever.

  Away they soared, over the flat lands of New Jersey, above the hills ofPennsylvania, almost straight westward. As they drew near Ringtown Jimmystudied the country closely. He wondered if Johnnie were down therewatching him.

  "If he has a good pair of field-glasses," thought Jimmy, "he will easilybe able to identify the plane. We are flying so low that he can see mylicense number plainly. And he ought to be able to read the name NewYork _Morning Press_ painted on the sides of the ship. I guess I'll drophim a greeting."

  Hastily he drew a little pad of paper from his pocket, and while heguided the ship with his left hand scribbled this message with his righton the pad, which he placed on his right leg.

  "Hello, Johnnie. Going to Cleveland. Be back here about 9:30 to-night.Signal me as I go over. If you have a radio sending set, get in touchwith me then. Jimmy Donnelly."

  Snatching from his pocket his handkerchief and a piece of string, Jimmypassed them over to Handley. "Tie strings to each corner of thehandkerchief," he shouted into his ear, "and make a little parachute. Iwant to drop a message."

  Handley had the parachute made in no time. Jimmy handed him the messagefor Johnnie. "Tie it fast and put a weight on it," he shouted. "Look inthe desk."

  Handley found some linotype slugs. He tied two or three to the littleparachute. Jimmy motioned for him to toss the thing overboard. Handleyslid a window open and dropped the message for Johnnie. They were almostdirectly over the little village. They could see a number of people onthe ground watching them; for Jimmy was still flying as low as he daredto fly. The improvised parachute fluttered down, and several figuresdarted toward it. But long before Jimmy's message reached the earth,Jimmy himself was far beyond the town. It was impossible to see what hadhappened to his message, but Jimmie had no doubt it would get to JohnnieLee promptly.

  On they roared. Jimmy's ship was built for speed. He seldom drove it atits fastest, for that was hard on the engine. But to-day he pushed italong much faster than his ordinary cruising speed. He fully intended toreach Cleveland within the specified time.

  As they winged their way westward, Jimmy studied the sky intently. Noray of sunlight anywhere penetrated the dark cloud masses. The sky had asullen, angry aspect. Though the air was quiet, Jimmy felt that perhapsthis was the calm before the storm. He was quite sure that the goodweather could not last until he was safely back on Long Island. So helistened closely to the weather broadcasts and tried to read the signsin the sky.

  Jimmy made the Cleveland Airport by three o'clock. Before his shipglided to earth, he and Handley had consumed their little luncheon, andthus fortified were ready to plunge into the difficult task that layahead of them. They waited only long enough to order their planeserviced promptly, then they stepped into a taxi and were whirled towardthe city.

  At Handley's suggestion they drove directly to the office of the PoliceCommissioner, where Handley presented his credentials and asked that heand Jimmy be given police passes. This took a little time, but Handleywas too experienced a reporter to take any chances of delay later on.Their request was promptly granted. Thanking the Cleveland officials,the two New Yorkers hurried back to their taxi and were whirled off tothe scene of the disaster. So great was the jam of trucks and fireapparatus and other vehicles that their taxi could not approach withinseveral blocks of the hospital. Handley paid the driver.

  "We shall need you all the afternoon," he said. "Stay right here andwait for us. We shall probably have to drive about considerably."

  The driver agreed to wait for them, and Jimmy and his companion racedtoward the hospital. Handley had his typewriter and Jimmy his camera.Newsies were crying the latest extras of the local papers. The NewYorkers bought copies of every paper offered for sale and hastilyscanned them, marking names and addresses. Then they pushed on.

  Though it was now more than four hours since the explosion occurred,there was still great excitement and activity about the hospital.Policemen and firemen were still stationed about the place. The dead andinjured had been removed and the fire extinguished. But the buildingstill smoked, and the air was heavy with that peculiarly offensive odorthat comes from a burned buildin
g, combined with the noxious fumes fromthe burned X-ray films and chemicals that still persisted in theneighborhood.

  Coming to the scene so late, Jimmy and his comrade were at a greatdisadvantage. The dead and injured had been removed, the former to thecounty morgue, the latter to various hospitals within the city. Thosepeople who had been present when the fire started were mostly gone.Policemen, firemen, doctors, and officials, nervously unstrung by theday's tragedies and taxed by conflict with the surging crowds and byrepeated interviews with newspaper men, were blunt, brusque, and oftenrude. Crowds thronged about the place and it was difficult to move.

  "We want to get hold of some of the people who saw the thing from thestart and get statements from them," said Handley. "Then we want tointerview just as many doctors, nurses, patients, firemen, policemen,and others who were witnesses of the tragedy as we can get in touchwith. We ought to have pictures of the interior of the wrecked buildingand the outside. And we should have some showing the work of rescue inprogress. Maybe we can buy these latter pictures. You try for somephotographs and I'll get interviews. When you get your pictures, hunt meup. I'll be somewhere about the place."

  Jimmy thrust his police pass into his hatband and hurried toward thewrecked building. A policeman was guarding the entrance. Jimmy did notknow whether the policeman would permit him to enter or not. A thoughtcame to him. He stepped up to the bluecoat. "I'm told that you rescuedmore people than almost any other man on the force. I want your picturefor tomorrow's paper. Just step inside the reception room where I canget you without this crowd and let me snap a picture, won't you please?"And Jimmy darted right on into the hospital.

  The policeman, with a self-conscious look on his face followed. Jimmydidn't give him time to say a word. "Stand right over there, where thelight's good," he said. And when the policeman hesitated, Jimmy took himby the arm and shoved him against the wall. Then he backed off andsnapped a picture of him.

  "That's fine," said Jimmy, talking as fast as he could to prevent thepoliceman from saying anything, "but it doesn't show what it should.This reception room is hardly damaged at all. I want you with abackground that will show the danger you had to face. Some of the roomsupstairs are pretty well torn to pieces, aren't they? I want a pictureof you with that background. Come on." And Jimmy scurried up a stairway.

  The policeman followed. By this time he had found his tongue. He seemedpleased with Jimmy's interest. "The worst looking room is over here," hesaid, and he led the way through a corridor filled with debris. Theplaster had been blown from the ceiling, the walls were torn and broken,the window-glass was blown out, furniture was smashed and splintered,and the entire room was in a state of the utmost confusion.

  "Stand right there," said Jimmy, posing his victim before a shatteredand bulging section of wall. Then he snapped his picture before thepoliceman could protest.

  "I believe I can get some better pictures up here than any I have," saidJimmy, and he took several pictures that perfectly portrayed the havocwrought by the explosion.

  "I must get back to my post," said the policeman, suddenly rememberingthat he was supposed to be guarding the front door.

  Jimmy's heart fell. He thought he was about to be ordered out of thebuilding. But he was equal to the occasion.

  "You won't be leaving the place for a while, will you?" he asked. "Iwant to talk to you. I'll look you up at the front door just as soon asI get another picture or two."

  The policeman hesitated. He glanced at Jimmy's police pass, and thoughhe had been ordered to keep everybody out of the building exceptpolicemen, firemen, and hospital employees, he allowed Jimmy to remain,while he himself returned to guard the front door. Doubtless he thoughtthat the damage was already done, and that it would do no harm if Jimmydid get another picture or two. As for Jimmy, the moment the policeman'sback was turned he scurried higher up in the wrecked building and tookpicture after picture.

  His remark about the policeman's bravery had been a shot in the dark.Jimmy hadn't any idea whether the man had been present during thedisaster or not. But he knew the weakness most folks have for wishing toappear like heroes, and he knew that policemen are no exception to therule. As luck would have it, this policeman had actually had a share inthe work of rescue. Jimmy found that out when he hurried back to thefront door after getting all the pictures he wanted.

  "Please spell your name for me," he said, as the policeman turned togreet him. "I want to be sure I get it right."

  "L-a-f-f-e-r-t-y--Dennis Lafferty," the policeman spelled out, a letterat a time.

  "That's fine," said Jimmy. "I just hate to get a man's name wrong. AndI'd hate mighty bad to get yours wrong after all the fine work you did."

  Jimmy could see the man swelling with pride.

  "I only did my duty," he said.

  "Tell me about it," urged Jimmy. "Maybe the fellow who told me about itdidn't have the story straight."

  "Well," said Lafferty, "I was on duty directing traffic two blocks downthe street when the explosion occurred. I heard it and ran up here. Awoman was struggling to get out of the door right where we are, and Irushed up to help her. Just then I got a whiff of the gas. I knew rightaway what it was, for you see I was in the World War. So I jammed myhandkerchief over my nose, grabbed the woman by the arm, and helped herout of the building. When I turned to go back I saw clouds of yellow gasswirling out through the door. I knew it was worse than useless to goback into the building, so I ran around to the side of the structure tosee if there was some other way to get people out.

  "By that time the firemen had begun to arrive, and they were driven backby the gas just as I had been. Battalion Chief Michael Graham was thefirst chief on the grounds. When he saw it was useless to try to enterthe first floor, he ordered a motor extension ladder run up to the roof.Then he and some of his men went up it. I scrambled after them. Twofiremen hacked away a skylight and three or four of us was lowered intothe building by ropes."

  Just then Handley went hurrying past the front door.

  "Frank," shouted Jimmy. "Come here a moment."

  Handley turned, saw Jimmy, and came up the steps to him.

  "How are you making out?" he asked.

  "Fine," said Jimmy. "I want you to meet Policeman Dennis Lafferty. Hewas one of the first policemen to arrive after the explosion. Mr.Lafferty, this is Mr. Handley, my fellow reporter."

  Handley held out his hand to the policeman.

  "Mr. Lafferty was just telling me about the way he and some firemen gotinto the building by way of the roof. They saved a lot of people thatway. I've got some good snaps of Mr. Lafferty and I want to be sure toget his story correct." Then he turned to the policeman. "Won't you tellthe story to Mr. Handley?" he asked. "I've got to get some morepictures. Handley and I are working together on this story."

  "Sure," said the policeman. "It's all one to me."

  He began to talk to Handley and Jimmy hurried away to get some exteriorviews. He was able to climb up on a building across the street and get apicture of the crowd that jammed the street and the open lawn by theside of the clinic building. Extension ladders were still raised to theroof and to different windows, and by good luck a number of firemen werecoming down two of them. From other points of vantage Jimmy snapped thebuilding and the crowd several times. When he had taken all thephotographs he wanted, he hurried back to the front of the building.Handley had just met one of the hospital doctors, who had returned tothe building to try to secure some important papers. The physiciancourteously stopped to answer Handley's questions. Jimmy seized theopportunity to talk to Policeman Lafferty again.

  "Did you see any other people who helped in the rescue?" he asked.

  "Sure. I saw lots of them. There were dozens of folks who had a hand init."

  "Tell me about some of them, won't you please? What was the moststriking thing you saw?"

  "I hardly know," said Lafferty. "But there was a big colored fellow whosaved a lot of people. You ought to know about him."

  "What did he do
and what is his name?" asked Jimmy.

  "His name is Chapin--Bob Chapin. He's a tremendous big fellow. He worksin a garage near here. When he heard the explosion and found thehospital was afire, he grabbed up a ladder and ran up here quick. He putthe ladder up to a window where a lot of people was trying to get out.The ladder was too short. So Chapin picked it up, rested it on hisshoulders, and shoved the end up to the window. It just reached. Tenpeople come down the ladder while he held it on his shoulders. Then heran inside and carried out about as many more. He saved almost two dozenpeople."

  Just then Handley came hurrying back. "We've got to move along, Jimmy,"he said. "We've played in luck here. I've got more stuff than I everdreamed I could get. Now we must hustle over to the hospitals and themorgue and get names and see how the injured are doing."

  They said good-bye to Policeman Lafferty and thanked him for his help.Then they raced down the street toward the place where their taxi driverawaited. The man was there. They climbed into the car and were whirledoff at speed to the Mt. Sinai Hospital, where most of the victims hadbeen taken.

  By this time the hospital authorities had secured some sort of order.Lists of names were posted, which helped the reporters greatly. As theemergency patients were placed everywhere, in corridors and hallways aswell as in the wards, Jimmy and his comrade managed to reach several ofthem and get from them first-hand accounts of what happened in thehospital immediately after the first explosion occurred. Also they wereable to talk briefly with one or two nurses.

  From the Mt. Sinai Hospital they drove to the other hospitals andfinally to the morgue. They secured all the names available of both thedead and injured.

  "We've had wonderful luck," said Handley. "I've got enough stuff towrite columns, and I don't know how much more you have."

  "Let me tell you what I picked up," said Jimmy. "Some of it may bebetter than some of the stuff you have. Anyway it will be different."

  They hurried out to their taxi and got into it. "Here are my notes,"said Jimmy. "Now let me tell you briefly what they mean."

  Hastily he ran over the incidents he had gathered. Handley followed thenotes as he listened. When Jimmy finished, Handley looked at his watch."Give me that typewriter quick," he said. In another moment the keyswere flying under his fingers.

  "Wait," said Jimmy. "While you write I could be getting rescuepictures." Without a word, Handley grabbed his things and stepped fromthe cab. "I'll write right here on the hospital steps," he said. "Hurryback."

  Jimmy directed the taxi driver to take him to the nearest big newspaper.They drove off at speed. Jimmy found the city editor, told him who hewas, and asked if he could buy a few rescue pictures for use in the_Morning Press_ in New York. He showed his _Press_ credentials. The cityeditor turned him over to the photograph staff and Jimmy got severalgood prints that showed firemen carrying unconscious victims downladders at the wrecked hospital. He thanked the newspaper men for theirhelp, ran out to his taxi, and was rushed back to his comrade. Handleywas still pounding away on his typewriter, utterly oblivious to all thatwent on about him. He hardly even looked up when Jimmy sat down besidehim and started to read the story Handley had written. Jimmy marveled ashe watched his colleague dash off the tale. He wondered if he would everbe able to write like that. He was amazed at the gripping quality of thestory Handley had written. At last the latter tore the final sheet fromhis typewriter. He had made carbon copies as he wrote. Jimmy had alreadysorted out the two sets of sheets. He stuffed one copy of the story intohis own pocket and handed the other copy to Handley.

  "We've certainly played in luck," he said. "Let us hope I have as goodluck getting back to the office."

  Jimmy glanced up at the sky. So intent had he been upon his work that hehad forgotten about the weather. What he saw now brought a deep frown tohis face. "We'll have to be stepping," he said. "It's alreadysix-thirty. I should have been off before this."

  "I'll stay here and get more stuff," said Handley. "Good luck to you."He turned to the driver of the taxi. "To the airport as fast as you canmake it," he said. "This man has to be in New York by eleven o'clock."

  They dashed off at speed. At the airport Jimmy hurried to the office ofthe weather forecaster. There he found Mr. Beverly Graham, who was incharge of the entire eastern section of the Airways Weather Bureau, andwho had been the forecaster at Hadley Field in the days when Jimmy wasin the U. S. mail service.

  "Well, where in the world did you come from, Jimmy?" asked Mr. Graham,as he jumped to his feet and held out his hand. "I'm glad to see you."

  "Not half as much as I am to see you," replied Jimmy, shaking Mr.Graham's hand heartily. "You know I'm flying for the New York _Press_,and I've got the story of the hospital disaster in my pocket and acamera full of pictures. I've got to reach New York as quick as I canget there. What's the weather like along the line?"

  Mr. Graham frowned and looked at Jimmy intently. "I'm sorry you have tofly to-night," he said. "The weather couldn't be worse. There's thedensest kind of a fog from one end of Pennsylvania to the other."

  "I'm sorry, too," said Jimmy, looking glum. "But it has to be done. The_Press_ simply _must_ get these pictures."

  "I know how you feel about it, Jimmy. If you must go, perhaps you canget up above the fog. Be sure to ride high and follow your radio beaconexactly. That'll guide you all right if you don't have a forced landing.Your greatest difficulty will probably be to get down safely. The fogisn't so bad along the coast yet, but we can't tell what conditions willbe like when you reach there. The wind is pretty quiet. There's atwenty-mile wind at 5,000 feet. I can't tell you what it is like abovethat. We couldn't see our balloons beyond that height, and even thisinformation is two hours old. Fog and clouds have shut out every thingup high the past hour. Here's a weather chart for you with the latestnews we have been able to collect. Fog is solid through Pennsylvania."

  Jimmy studied the chart for a moment. His face grew very serious. Thenhe said, "Thanks ever so much. I must be off. Good-bye." He held out hishand and the forecaster shook it warmly.

  "I don't like it, Jimmy," he said. "I hope you get through safely.Remember to fly high and follow your radio beacon carefully. Don't takeany chance of getting lost in the fog. We'll do all we can to help youmake it."