CHAPTER XVII
THE EMERGENCY DAM
The crashing and splintering of wood, the grinding of one vesselagainst the other at the concrete pier, the shrill tooting of thewhistles, and the confused shouts of the respective captains ofthe craft made a din out of which it seemed order would nevercome.
"If I could only get this on a film!" said Joe to himself during acalm moment. But the cameras were below in the cabin, and the tugwas now careened at such an angle that it was risky to cross thedecks. Besides Joe must think of saving himself, for it looked asthough the tug would be crushed and sunk.
"Pull us out of here!" yelled Captain Watson to the man on thelock wall in charge of the electrical towing locomotives. "Pull usout!"
That seemed one way out of the trouble, for the _Nama_ was beingcrushed between the Brazilian steamer and the wall. But the orderhad come too late, for now the tug was wedged in, and no powercould move her without tearing her to pieces, until the pressureof the big steamer was removed.
So, wisely, the men in charge of the towing machines did notfollow Captain Watson's orders.
"Over this way!" cried Blake to his chum, and to Mr. Alcando, whowere standing amid-ships. Joe was at the bow, and because that wasnarrower than the main portion of the tug, it had not yet beensubjected to the awful pressure.
But there was no need of Joe or the others, including CaptainWatson, changing their positions. The Brazilian ship now begandrawing away, aided by her own engines, and by the tow ropesextending from the other side of the lock wall. The _Nama_, whichhad been partly lifted up in the air, as a vessel in the ArcticOcean is lifted when two ice floes begin to squeeze her, nowdropped down again, and began settling slowly in the water.
"She's sinking!" cried Blake. "Our cameras--our films, Joe!"
"Yes, we must save them!" his chum shouted.
"I'll help!" offered the Spaniard. "Are we really sinking?"
"Of course!" shouted Captain Watson. "How could anything elsehappen after being squeezed in that kind of a cider press? We'llgo to the bottom sure!"
"Leave the boat!" yelled one of the men on top of the lock wall."We're going to tow you out of the way, so when you sink you won'tblock the lock!"
"Let's get out our stuff!" Blake cried again, and realizing, buthardly understanding, what was happening, the boys rushed below tosave what they could.
Fortunately it was the opening of many seams, caused by thecrushing process, rather than any great hole stove in her, thathad brought about the end of the _Nama_. She began to sink slowlyat the pier, and there was time for the removal of most of thearticles of value belonging to the boys and Mr. Alcando.
Hastily the cameras, the boxes of exposed and unexposed film, werehoisted out, and then when all had been saved that could bequickly put ashore, the tug was slowly towed out of the way, whereit could sink and not be a menace to navigation, and withoutblocking the locks.
"Poor _Nama_" murmured Captain Watson. "To go down like that, andnot your own fault, either," and he looked over with no veryfriendly eyes toward the Brazilian steamer, which had suffered nodamage more than to her paint.
"You can raise her again," suggested one of the lock men.
"Yes, but she'll never be the same," sorrowfully complained hercommander. "Never the same!"
"How did it happen?" asked Blake. "Was there a misunderstanding insignals?"
"Must have been something like that," Captain Watson answered."That vessel ought to have stayed tied up on her own side of thelock. Instead she came over here under her own steam and crashedinto me. I'm going to demand an investigation. Do you know anyoneon board her?" he asked quickly of the Spaniard. "I saw you wavingto someone."
"Why, yes, the captain is a distant relative of mine," was thesomewhat unexpected answer. "I did not know he was going to takehis vessel through the Canal, though. I was surprised to see him.But I am sure you will find that Captain Martail will give youevery explanation."
"I don't want explanations--I want satisfaction!" growled the tugcaptain.
"There goes the _Nama_," called Blake, pointing to the tug.
As he spoke she began to settle more rapidly in the water, but shedid not sink altogether from sight, as she was towed toward theshore, and went down in rather shallow water, where she could bemore easily reached for repairs.
"It was a narrow escape," Joe said. "What are we to do now, Blake?Too bad we didn't get some moving pictures of that accident."
"Well, maybe it's a good thing we didn't," returned his chum. "TheCanal is supposed to be so safe, and free from the chance ofaccidents, that it might injure its reputation if a picture of acollision like that were shown. Maybe it's just as well."
"Better," agreed Captain Watson. "As you say, the Canal issupposed to be free from accidents. And, when everything getsworking smoothly, there will be none to speak of. Some of theelectrical controlling devices are not yet in place. If they hadbeen that vessel never could have collided with us."
"I should think her captain would know better than to signal forher to proceed under her own power in the Canal lock," spoke Joe.
"Possibly there was some error in transmitting signals on board,"suggested Mr. Alcando. And later they learned that this was,indeed, the case; or at least that was the reason assigned by theBrazilian commander for the accident. His vessel got beyondcontrol.
"Well, it's lucky she didn't ram the gates, and let out a flood ofwater," said Joe to Blake a little after the occurrence.
"Yes, if that had happened we'd have had to make pictures whetherwe wanted to or not. But I wonder what we are going to do for aboat now?"
However, that question was easily settled, for there were otherGovernment vessels to be had, and Blake, Joe and Mr. Alcando, withtheir cameras, films and other possessions, were soon transferred,to continue their trip, in the _Bohio_, which was the name of thenew vessel. The _Nama_ was left for the wrecking crew.
"Well, this isn't exactly the quiet life we looked for in thecanal zone; is it, Blake?" asked Joe that night as he and his chumwere putting their new stateroom to rights.
"Hardly. Things have begun to happen, and I've noticed, Joe, that,once they begin, they keep up. I think we are in for something."
"Do you mean a big slide in Culebra Cut?"
"Well, that may be only part of it. I have a feeling in my bones,somehow or other, that we're on the eve of something big."
"Say, for instance--"
"I can't," answered Blake, as Joe paused. "But I'm sure somethingis going to happen."
"No more collisions, I hope," his chum ventured. "Do you know,Blake, I've wondered several times whether that one to-day was notdone on purpose."
Blake stared at his chum, and then, to Joe's surprise replied:
"And I've been thinking the same thing."
"You have?" Joe exclaimed. "Now I say--"
"Hush!" cautioned Blake quickly, "he's coming!"
The door of their stateroom opened, and Mr. Alcando entered. Hehad a room across the corridor.
"Am I intruding?" he asked. "If I am--"
"Not at all. Come in," answered Blake, with a meaning look at hischum.
"I wanted to ask you something about making double exposures onthe same film," the Spaniard went on. "You know what I mean; whena picture is shown of a person sitting by a fireside, say, andabove him or her appears a vision of other days."
"Oh, yes, we can tell you how that is done," Joe said, and therest of the evening was spent in technical talk.
"Well, what were you going to say about that collision?" asked Joeof Blake when Mr. Alcando had left them, at nearly midnight.
"I don't think it's exactly safe to say what I think," was Blake'sresponse. "I think he is--suspicious of us," he finished in awhisper. "Let's watch and await developments."
"But what object could he--"
"Never mind--now," rejoined Blake, with a gesture of caution.
Several busy days followed the sinking of the _Nama_. The movingpicture boys went thro
ugh the Miraflores locks, making some finefilms, and then proceeded on to the Pacific Ocean breakwater, thusmaking a complete trip through the Canal, obtaining a series ofpictures showing scenes all along the way. They also took severalviews in the city of Panama itself.
Of course theirs was not the first vessel to make the completetrip, so that feature lost something of its novelty. But the boyswere well satisfied with their labors.
"We're not through, though, by any means," said Blake. "We have toget some pictures of Gatun Dam from the lower side. I think a fewmore jungle scenes, and some along the Panama Railroad, wouldn'tgo bad."
"That's right," agreed Joe.
So they prepared to make the trip back again to Colon.
Once more they were headed for the locks, this time to be liftedup at Miraflores, instead of being let down. They approached thecentral pier, were taken in charge by the electrical locomotives,and the big chain was lowered so they could proceed.
Just as the lower gate was being swung open to admit them to thelock, there was a cry of warning from above.
"What's that?" cried Joe.
"I don't know," Blake answered, "but it sounds as though somethingwere going to happen. I didn't have all those feelings fornothing!"
Then came a cry:
"The upper gate! The upper gate is open! The water is coming down!Put the emergency dam in place! Quick!"
Joe and Blake looked ahead to see the upper gates, which weresupposed to remain closed until the boat had risen to the upperlevel, swing open, and an immense quantity of foamy water rushout. It seemed about to overwhelm them.