Chapter 5
Colliding With A Tower
"She seems to work," observed Tom, looking from where he was stationednear some electrical switches, toward Mr. Sharp.
"Of course she does," replied the aeronaut. "I knew it would, but Iwasn't so sure that it would scoot along in this fashion. We're makingpretty good speed, but we'll do better when the motor gets to runningsmoother."
"How high up are we?" asked Tom.
The balloonist glanced at several gauges near the steering wheel.
"A little short of three thousand feet," he answered. "Do you want togo higher?"
"No--no--I--I guess not," was Tom's answer. He halted over the works,and his breath came in gasps.
"Don't get alarmed," called Mr. Sharp quickly, noting that hiscompanion was in distress because of the high altitude. "That alwayshappens to persons who go into a thin air for the first time; just asif you had climbed a high mountain. Breathe as slowly as you can, andswallow frequently. That will relieve the pressure on your ear drums.I'll send the ship lower."
Tom did as he was advised, and the aeronaut, deflecting the rudder,sent the Red Cloud on a downward slant. Tom at once felt relieved, bothbecause the action of swallowing equalized the pressure on the eardrums, and because the airship was soon in a more dense atmosphere,more like that of the earth.
"How are you now?" asked the man of the lad, as the craft was again onan even keel.
"All right," replied Tom, briskly. "I didn't know what ailed me atfirst."
"I was troubled the same way when I first went up in a balloon,"commented Mr. Sharp. "We'll run along for a few miles, at an elevationof about five hundred feet, and then we'll go to within a hundred feetof the earth, and see how the Red Cloud behaves under differentconditions. Take a look below and see what you think of it."
Tom looked low, through one of several plate glass windows in the floorof the car. He gave a gasp of astonishment.
"Why! We're right over Lake Carlopa!" he gasped.
"Of course," admitted Mr. Sharp with a laugh. "And I'm glad to say thatwe're better off than when I was last in the air over this same body ofwater," and he could scarcely repress a shudder as he thought of hisperilous position in the blazing balloon, as related in detail in "TomSwift and His Motor-Boat."
The lake was spread out below the navigators of the air like somemirror of silver in a setting of green fields. Tom could see a windingriver, that flowed into the lake, and he noted towns, villages, andeven distant cities, interspersed here and there with broad farms orpatches of woodlands, like a bird's-eye view of a stretch of country.
"This is great!" he exclaimed, with enthusiasm. "I wouldn't miss thisfor the world!"
"Oh, you haven't begun to see things yet," replied Mr. Sharp. "Waituntil we take a long trip, which we'll do soon, as this ship isbehaving much better than I dared to hope. Well, we're five hundredfeet high now, and I'll run along at that elevation for a while."
Objects on the earth became more distinct now, and Tom could observeexcited throngs running along and pointing upward. They were severalmiles from Shopton, and the machinery was running smoothly; the motor,with its many cylinders purring like a big cat.
"We could have lunch, if we'd brought along anything to eat," observedTom.
"Yes," assented his companion. "But I think we'll go back now. Yourfather may be anxious. Just come here, Tom, and I'll show you how tosteer. I'm going down a short distance."
He depressed the rudder, and the Red Cloud shot earthward. Then, as theairship was turned about, the young inventor was allowed to try hishand at managing it. He said, afterward, that it was like guiding afleecy cloud.
"Point her straight for Shopton," counseled Mr. Sharp, when he hadexplained the various wheels and levers to the lad.
"Straight she is," answered the lad, imitating a sailor's reply. "Oh,but this is great! It beats even my motor-boat!"
"It goes considerably faster, at all events," remarked Mr. Sharp."Keep her steady now, while I take a look at the engine. I want to besure it doesn't run hot."
He went aft, where all the machinery in the car was located, and Tomwas left alone in the small pilot house. He felt a thrill as he lookeddown at the earth beneath him, and saw the crowds of wonder-gazerspointing at the great, red airship flying high over their heads.Rapidly the open fields slipped along, giving place to a large city.
"Rocksmond," murmured Tom, as he noted it. "We're about fifty milesfrom home, but we'll soon be back in the shed at this rate. Wecertainly are slipping along. A hundred and fifty feet elevation," hewent on, as he looked at a gauge. "I wonder if I'll ever get used togoing several miles up in the air?"
He shifted the rudder a bit, to go to the left. The Red Cloud obeyedpromptly, but, the next instant something snapped. Tom, with a startledair, looked around. He could see nothing wrong, but a moment later, theairship dipped suddenly toward the earth. Then it seemed to increaseits forward speed, and, a few seconds later, was rushing straight at atall, ornamental tower that rose from one corner of a large building.
"Mr. Sharp! Mr. Sharp!" cried the lad. "Something has happened! We'reheading for that tower!"
"Steer to one side!" called the balloonist.
Tom tried, but found that the helm had become jammed. The horizontalrudder would not work, and the craft was rushing nearer and nearer,every minute, to the pile of brick and mortar.
"We're going to have a collision!" shouted Tom. "Better shut off thepower!"
The two propellers were whirling around so swiftly that they lookedlike blurs of light. Mr. Sharp came rushing forward, and Tomrelinquished the steering wheel to him. In vain did the aeronaut try tochange the course of the airship. Then, with a shout to Tom todisconnect the electric switch, the man turned off the power from themotor.
But it was too late. Straight at the tower rushed the Red Cloud, and, amoment later had hit it a glancing blow, smashing the forwardpropeller, and breaking off both blades. The nose of the aluminum gascontainer knocked off a few bricks from the tower, and then, the shiplosing way, slowly settled to the flat roof of the building.
"We're smashed!" cried Tom, with something like despair in his voice.
"That's nothing! Don't worry! It might be worse! Not the first timeI've had an accident. It's only one propeller, and I can easily makeanother," said Mr. Sharp, in his quick, jerky sentences. He had allowedsome of the gas to escape from the container, making the ship lessbuoyant, so that it remained on the roof.
The aeronaut and Tom looked from the windows of the car, to note if anyfurther damage had been done. They were just congratulating themselvesthat the rudder marked the extent, when, from a scuttle in the roofthere came a procession of young ladies, led by an elderly matron,wearing spectacles and having a very determined, bristling air.
"Well, I must say, this is a very unceremonious proceeding!" exclaimedthe spectacled woman. "Pray, gentlemen, to what are we indebted forthis honor?"
"It was an accident, ma'am," replied Mr. Sharp, removing his hat, andbowing. "A mere accident!"
"Humph! I suppose it was an accident that the tower of this buildingwas damaged, if not absolutely loosened at the foundations. You willhave to pay the damages!" Then turning, and seeing about two score ofyoung ladies behind her on the flat roof, each young lady eying withastonishment, not unmixed with admiration, the airship, the elderly oneadded: "Pupils! To your rooms at once! How dare you leave withoutpermission?"
"Oh, Miss Perkman!" exclaimed a voice, at the sound of which Tomstarted. "Mayn't we see the airship? It will be useful in our naturalphilosophy study!"
Tom looked at the young lady who had spoken. "Mary Nestor!" heexclaimed.
"Tom--I mean Mr. Swift!" she rejoined. "How in the world did you gethere?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," retorted the lad. "We flewhere."
"Young ladies! Silence!" cried Miss Perkman, who was evidently theprincipal of the school. "The idea of any one of you daring to speak tothese--these persons--wi
thout my permission, and without anintroduction! I shall make them pay heavily for damaging my seminary,"she added, as she strode toward Mr. Sharp, who, by this time, was outof the car. "To your rooms at once!" Miss Perkman ordered again, butnot a young lady moved. The airship was too much of an attraction forthem.