Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship | Page 8

how best to give battle to the
flames.
It needed but an instant's thought on the part of Ned to make him
understand that Tom was right. It would be well-nigh fatal to use water
on carbide. Those of you who have bicycle lanterns, in which that not
very pleasant-smelling chemical is used, know that if a few drops of
water are allowed to drip slowly on the gray crystals acetylene gas is
generated, which makes a brilliant light. But, if the water drips too fast,
the gas is generated too quickly, and an explosion results. In lamps, of
course, and in lighting plants where carbide is used, there are automatic
arrangements to prevent the water flowing too freely to the chemical.
But Tom knew if the hose were turned on the fire in the red shed a
great explosion would result, for some of the tins of carbide would be
melted by the heat.
Yet the fire needed to be coped with. Already the flames were coming
through the roof, and the windows and door were spouting red fire and
volumes of smoke.
Several other employees of Tom's plant had made ready to unreel more
hose, but the warning of the young inventor, shouted to Eradicate and
Koku, had had its effect. Every man dropped the line he had begun to
unreel.

"Ha! Massa Tom say drop de hose, but how yo' gwine t' squirt watah on
a fire wifout a hose; answer me dat?" and Eradicate looked at Koku.
"Me no know," was the slow answer. "I guess Koku go pull shed down
and stamp out fire."
"Huh! Maybe yo' could do dat in cannibal land, where yo' all come
from," spoke Eradicate, "but yo' can't do dat heah! 'Sides, de red shed
will blow up soon. Dere's suffin' else in dere except carbide, an' dat's
gwine t' go up soon, dat's suah!"
"Maybe you get your strong man-mule, Boomerang," suggested Koku.
"Nothing ever hurt him--explosion or nothing. He can kick shed all to
pieces, and put out fire."
"Dat's what I wanted t' do, but Massa Tom say I cain't," explained the
colored man. "Golly! Look at dat fire!"
Indeed the blaze was now assuming alarming proportions. The red shed,
which was not a small structure, was blazing on all sides. About it
stood the men from the various shops.
"Tom, you must do something," said Mr. Swift. "If the flames once
reach that helmanite--"
"I know, Father. But that explosive is in double vacuum containers, and
it will be safe for some time yet. Besides, it's in the cellar. It's the
carbide I'm most worried about. We daren't use water."
"But something will have to be done!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Bless
my red necktie, if we don't--"
"Better get back a way," suggested Tom. "Something may go off!"
His words of warning had their effect, and the whole circle moved back
several paces.
"Is there anything of value in the shed?" asked Ned.

"I should say there was!" Tom answered. "I hoped we could get some
of them out, but we can't now--until the fire dies down a bit, at any
rate."
"Look, Tom! The pattern shop roof is catching!" shouted Mr. Swift,
pointing to where a little spurt of flame showed on the roof of a distant
building.
"It's from sparks!" Tom said.
"Any danger of using water there?" Ned wanted to know.
"No, use all you like! That's the only thing to do. Come on, you with
the hose!" Tom yelled. "Save the other buildings!"
"But are you going to let the red shed burn?" asked Mr. Swift. "You
know what it means, Tom."
"Yes, Father, I know. And I'm going to fight that fire in a new way. But
we must save the other buildings, too. Play water on all the other sheds
and structures!" ordered the young inventor. "I'll tackle this one myself.
Oh, Ned!" he called.
"Yes," answered his chum. "What is it?"
"You take charge of protecting the place where the new aerial warship
is stored. Will you? I can't afford to lose that."
"I'll look after it, Tom. No harm in using water there, though; is there?"
"Not if you don't use too much. Some of the woodwork isn't varnished
yet, and I wouldn't want it to be wet. But do the best you can. Take
Koku and Eradicate with you. They can't do any good here."
"Do you mean to say you're going to give up and let this burn?"
"Not a bit of it, Ned. But I have another plan I want to try. Lively now!
The wind's changing, and it's blowing over toward my aerial warship
shed. If that catches--"

Tom shook his head protestingly, and Ned set off on the run, calling to
the colored man and the