The Flying Reporter

Flight

er he made his successful trip to Ringtown, Jimmy was call

ig we should like to have our own man on the spot. I am sending Frank Handley over to you. Be prepared to take off the moment he arrives. You are to cooperate with him in handling the story. Handley knows exactly what I want and will give you directions. We especially want good pictures. In all proba

d Jimmy, "and I'll do my level best to ca

ses start at midnight sharp. You ought to be here by ele

le could he foresee what it was going

his plane. The cabin of his ship was especially fitted up with a desk, where he or any one else could write. In this desk he stowed his typewriter and camera, so they would not be thrown about in the plane in

anything to eat," thought Jimmy. "I'll put

ow reporter, whom he liked very much, and grabbed up the latter's little typewriter. Handley followed with a suitcase. They stowed the luggage in the plane, which was now ready to sail.

. It felt as though a storm might be brewing. So he plugged in with his head phones and listened for the hourly report of the Airways Weather Bureau. He hadn't long to wait. Soon he heard the wireless man at Hadley Field broadcasting.

om Hadley to Cleveland. There isn't any wind to speak of, so I won't have to stop a

urs," he muttered, "I'm going to be in Cleveland. This ship can do it, and I'll make her d

nsylvania, almost straight westward. As they drew near Ringtown Jimmy studi

ne. We are flying so low that he can see my license number plainly. And he ought to be able to read

le he guided the ship with his left hand scribbled this messag

:30 to-night. Signal me as I go over. If you have a radio

d them over to Handley. "Tie strings to each corner of the handkerchief," he

nded him the message for Johnnie. "Tie it fast and

ctly over the little village. They could see a number of people on the ground watching them; for Jimmy was still flying as low as he dared to fly. The improvised parachute fluttered down, and several figures darted tow

for that was hard on the engine. But to-day he pushed it along much faster than his o

llen, angry aspect. Though the air was quiet, Jimmy felt that perhaps this was the calm before the storm. He was quite sure that the good weather

little luncheon, and thus fortified were ready to plunge into the difficult task that lay ahead of them. They waited o

Handley was 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 w

id. "Stay right here and wait for us. We sha

riter and Jimmy his camera. Newsies were crying the latest extras of the local papers. The New Yorkers bought co

l stationed about the place. The dead and injured had been removed and the fire extinguished. But the building still smoked, and the air was heavy with that peculiarl

within the city. Those people who had been present when the fire started were mostly gone. Policemen, firemen, doctors, and officials, nervously unstrung by the day's tragedies and ta

licemen, and others who were witnesses of the tragedy as we can get in touch with. We ought to have pictures of the interior of the wrecked building and the outside. And we should have some showing t

him to enter or not. A thought came to him. He stepped up to the bluecoat. "I'm told that you rescued more people than almost any other man on the force. I want your picture for to

rd. "Stand right over there, where the light's good," he said. And when the policeman hesitated, Jimmy

This reception room is hardly damaged at all. I want you with a background that will show the danger you had to face. Some of the rooms ups

e," he said, and he led the way through a corridor filled with debris. The plaster had been blown from the ceiling, the walls were torn an

ore a shattered and bulging section of wall. Then he s

ny I have," said Jimmy, and he took several pictures tha

oliceman, suddenly remembering that he w

about to be ordered out of the build

e asked. "I want to talk to you. I'll look you up at the

loyees, he allowed Jimmy to remain, while he himself returned to guard the front door. Doubtless he thought that the damage was already done, and that it would do no harm i

he knew the weakness most folks have for wishing to appear like heroes, and he knew that policemen are no exception to the rule. As luck would have it, this

id, as the policeman turned to greet h

ferty," the policeman spell

a man's name wrong. And I'd hate mighty bad to

e the man swel

d my duty,

Maybe the fellow who told me about

her. Just then I got a whiff of the gas. I knew right away what it was, for you see I was in the World War. So I jammed my handkerchief over my nose, grabbed the woman by the arm, and helped her out of the building. When I turned

hief on the grounds. When he saw it was useless to try to enter the first floor, he ordered a motor extension ladder run up to the roof. Then he and s

went hurrying pa

d Jimmy. "Come

w Jimmy, and came

u making ou

rty. He was one of the first policemen to arrive after the exp

ut his hand to

that way. I've got some good snaps of Mr. Lafferty and I want to be sure to get his story correct." Then he turned to the policeman. "W

policeman. "It'

raised to the roof and to different windows, and by good luck a number of firemen were coming down two of them. From other points of vantage Jimmy snapped the building and the crowd several times. When he had taken all the photographs he wanted, he hurried back to the fro

people who helped in

. There were dozens of fo

won't you please? What was th

e was a big colored fellow who saved a lo

nd what is his na

here quick. He put the 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 his shoulders, and shoved the end u

layed in luck here. I've got more stuff than I ever dreamed I could get. Now we must hust

reet toward the place where their taxi driver awaited. The man was there. They climbed into the ca

nts were placed everywhere, in corridors and hallways as well as in the wards, Jimmy and his comrade managed to reach several of them and get from them firs

hospitals and finally to the morgue. They secured

"I've got enough stuff to write columns,

y. "Some of it may be better than some of the

o it. "Here are my notes," said Jimmy. "No

he listened. When Jimmy finished, Handley looked at his watch. "Give me that type

s." Without a word, Handley grabbed his things and stepped from the ca

ious victims down ladders at the wrecked hospital. He thanked the newspaper men for their help, ran out to his taxi, and was rushed back to his comrade. Handley was still pounding away on his typewriter, utterly oblivious to all that went on about him. He hardly even looked up when Jimmy sat down beside him and started to read the story Handley had written. Jimmy marveled as he watched his coll

he said. "Let us hope I have as go

n about the weather. What he saw now brought a deep frown to his face. "We'll have to

He turned to the driver of the taxi. "To the airport as fast as you can

e found Mr. Beverly Graham, who was in charge of the entire eastern section of the Airways Weather Bure

mmy?" asked Mr. Graham, as he jumped to his fee

ing for the New York Press, and I've got the story of the hospital disaster in my pocket and a camera full

to fly to-night," he said. "The weather couldn't be worse. There's

g glum. "But it has to be done. The

o get down safely. The fog isn't so bad along the coast yet, but we can't tell what conditions will be like when you reach there. The wind is pretty quiet. There's a twenty-mile wind at 5,000 feet. I can't tell you what it is like above that. We couldn't see

ous. Then he said, "Thanks ever so much. I must be off. Good-

er to fly high and follow your radio beacon carefully. Don't take any cha