The Flying Reporter

Great Flood

rl was really needed at home in this emergency, for there would be much to do. But Mr. Dexter was so grateful to Jimmy for saving his son's life, and for perhaps

own homes. Jimmy wanted to be near his plane. The lad who had guided Jimmy from his plane to the burning home said that his grandfather lived in the white house by the mowing where the plane was standing, and would be glad to take the tw

s and studied the topography of the region over which he had to fly the next day. Northend, the town that had been wiped out by the flood, was some miles north

all of water to go but straight through the heart of Northend. These two mountains at the southern end of the town are like the shoulders of a bo

nts. "Gee!" said Carl. "There's plenty of moun

ow that stream south to Northend. What we'll do for a landing-place I don't know. The map doesn't look very promising. But I suspect we can pick out some place that will answer. Anyway, we'll cr

em an alarm clock. Soon the boys were sound asleep in a bed as soft as down.

tly. "Confound that thing!" he said. "Something's

ds. But when they reached the kitchen there was a surprise in store for them. Their hostess was not only up and dressed, but a substantial breakfast awaited them. Jimmy hardly knew what to say or how to thank her. She told him t

hat hard on his heels would come rushing a whole company of newspaper men, if indeed some of them had not even preceded him in the dark. His job was to get to Northend as quickly as he could, and collect the material he needed. An hour's start, he knew well, would make all the difference in the world to him. So he opened his throttle and pushed his ship along at a fast pace. He

sently the Morning Press fliers found themselves almost surrounded by mountains. It was like flying through a break in the side of a bowl into the bowl itself. Ah

mountain the water reached, and what had been the city of Northend looked like a collection of tiny islets in the

rries floating in a bowl of

t had gotten in with the huckleberries. But in the residential districts the houses stood apart, well separated, and on the very outskirts of the town they were farther and farth

shouted Jimmy. Ca

re was there evidence of activity, save in one or two places where small boats were being navigated from house to house. Jimmy was thrilled at the thought that he was the first outside correspondent actually to reach the scene

r two of the scene. Get a picture that shows the whole

dow, he got several good pictures. The rising sun was shini

trace the course of the river by the line of debris and wreckage. For the flood had gone tearing through the city, wrecking, smashing, demolishing everything in its pathway. Before it had been swept a vast mass of material, consisting of outbuildings, uprooted trees, broken telephone poles, railroad ties, old boats,

s, only their four wheels showing above the flood. Here were the remains of an iron bridge that must have weighed scores of tons. Yet the iron work was rolled into a great mass, like a ball of rop

f the stream as he had seen it a few miles above Northend. There it was only a little river, a few rods wide. This breach in the centre of the town was of vast width. Suddenly Jimmy understo

illion odd things had lodged. Old boxes, chicken-coops, boards, timbers, door-steps, wooden gates, tin cans, and a multitude of other things had been forced in between houses or up on porches, or through first floor windo

the heights before the flood overwhelmed the city, or else they were folks from the neighborhood who had come to the assistance of the marooned townspeople. Long ago, all those who could be rescued had been rescued, or had gone to their deaths. How many of them there we

nd he also saw that there were people on the flat roof. Now he flew toward this building, dropping as low as he dared to come. Suddenly his eye shone with pleasure. On the front of the structure he caught sight of a large sign, with the gilded name "Northend Daily News." H

g the story of the flood. I'll bet a dollar it is," thought Jimmy. "If only I

t from you? I am from the New York Press." Then he turned to Carl. "In my tool kit you'll find a

up, and when they neared the building again throttled his engine down until the ship seemed hardly to have any forward motion. Carl, meantime, had paid out the

ers with a piece of chalk. They were a message for him. This is what they said. "Have entire story. Press room flooded. Have made ma

s got the story set up and the mats made for casting the stereotype plates. If we can

Berlin with the mats and make arrangements for edition for you." The next time he flew over the

it," sho

ed his plane to a higher elevation, and went soaring straight t

Jimmy knew he was overshooting too much to dare attempt to kill his surplus speed by fish-tailing. He burst the gun wide open and eased back on the stick. In a second the ship was once more over the tree tops, and Jimmy circled back again into the wind for another try at the field. He did a nose high slip and then proceeded in disgust to pancake her in. It was a dangerous move, even for the most skilled pilot, for always there is danger of fallin

to them," he said, starting toward a group of

kers. They told him the story of the breaking of the dam. This was a huge reservoir in the hills, only a short distance above the city. Continuous rains to the north had swollen every brook and rivulet until the impounded water had reached a th

other drop. The result was appalling. Straight through the town the huge wall of water had gone, thundering and destroying, smashing and devastating, sweeping away

me rescues. They told Jimmy about those they knew of. There had been many deeds of daring. Jimmy learned the stories. Now a great effort was being made to save those who were still in danger. For the waters were yet deep and the current swift. Indeed, in the centre of the town the water wa

ft, and it evidently leaked badly. But still it was a boat. Jimmy look

his boat?"

ain't much of a boat. I caugh

dollars for it for o

you it ain't safe to get in it. We tried it and

Jimmy. "Got somethi

re oars in the boat. Jimmy got two strong

d, stepping toward the

pushed the craft into the flood, stepped carefully into it, and shoved off. The farm

you can, Carl," said Jimmy. "I'l

ntil they came to the built up part of the town. Here the water rushing between the houses caused eddies and delaying currents. But they kept on steadily

e houses at a terrifying rate. It was appalling to think what it must have been like when the flood was at its crest. There was little to do now except bail and steer. There was still plenty of d

ried past, it will be a deuce of a job getting back. Get your rope in hand. Put your oars in th

every other building in town. The water was up to the second s

the boat around the corner of the building. There'll be an eddy the

they would have a hard time to make an entrance. Jimmy raised his pole to smash the glass. He w

rope, quick,

k the rope and carefully snubbed the boat. "Look ou

t alongside the building. Jimmy and Carl climbed ca

d you the message," said Jimm

"Come up on the roof

the man Jimmy had seen at the desk. He was

aid. "Tell me about the flood, and about yo

em back here by truck or any way they wish, but I must have them at the first possible moment. We'll establish headquarters over on the shore, near the place from which you started. We've been watching every move you made. That's near the highway that skirts the west side

ed a long rope to Jimmy's boat and had worked the boat around into the eddy at the down-stream sid

arry out his commission. "I ask just one thing," he said. "Giv

tions me, but I'll give out no more proofs. That's only fair. It's in return for

. Sure enough, there was anothe

e they believed they were safe in the big steel and stone structure. But reporters had managed to get abroad and before the telephone lines were all down they had telephoned in dozens of stories about the flood. Later some of them had made their way back to the News building in a boat, with detailed stori

d shoved off. The trip back was even harder than the journey out to the News building, for now Jimmy had a great roll of mats to keep dry. He was forced to bail with one hand. It was difficult work to kee

as Jimmy was starting for his ship, he saw that the other airplane was landing close to where his own ship stood. He delayed to see who the newcomer was. He was sorry enough he had waited, when the latter stepped from his pl

ignant intensity. He had done everything he could, at every turn, to trick and discredit him. And Jimmy knew well that the fellow would hardl

t no time at all to reach that city. But Jimmy had to circle several times before he was willing to land. Even then he was fearful of the result. For the only place that looked possible was the flat land along the river, and this

is bond. So now, after studying the ground carefully, he picked out the most promising looking spot and came down in a long glide. Just as his ship was about to hit the ground, he gave her the gun

editor of the Berlin paper, delivered the mats and the message, and was back at his ship. But on the way he had stopped at a garage to engage some gas

ltitude. Below him he noticed the great pulp mill and the enormous pile of pulp wood, that rose like a lit

sufficient altitude, he darted away to the west, shot between the hills, and

ver, over the same route by which he had come. He dropped Carl at Springfield, after getting his

im to the Press office, where he delivered his news proofs and films to the city editor, then sat down and for a long time

hat left a bad taste in his mouth. That was the thought of Rand. On several occasions now he had gotten the better of the fellow. Each time Jimmy had triumphed ove

. "He is vicious enough to do most anything." And