Allen Chapman

“ As it careened, the underwater spur rose with it, and as the vessel was passing over it at the time, the spur had come up like a mighty hand and lifted the ship with it.
“She’ll be thrown off!” cried Joe, pantingly.
“And probably turn turtle!” added Herb, horrified.
The boy’s faces were as pale as death as they sensed the nearness of tragedy. If the ship were upset, it might mean the loss of scores of lives.
Their agony of apprehension was increased by the certainty that they could do nothing to prevent it. They had to stand by helplessly, and perhaps see fellow men go to their death. ”

“ In the rays of the sun it gave off a bluish white reflection, and as the brilliant light was reflected back from projections and angles it seemed as though the berg were scintillating with jewels.
It was a sight to arouse the enthusiasm of a painter, and the boys were impressed by the beauty of the spectacle, even though their errand was to destroy it. A brisk breeze that covered the sea with whitecaps was blowing, but in the lee of the berg absolute calmness reigned. ”

“ The dog followed the boys like their shadows, as they moved about the vessel in the wake of the lieutenant and the crew.
“Guess he’s adopted us,” said Herb.
“Adopted Jimmy, you mean,” corrected Joe. “See how close he keeps to his heels. He thinks Jimmy is the best thing that ever happened.”
“And who shall say he’s wrong?” said Jimmy, throwing out his chest. “I’ve often heard that dogs have more sense than human beings. They surely have than some human beings I could mention,” and he looked significantly at his mates. ”

“ A big iceberg had been sighted by a freight steamer. Latitude and longitude were given, and the Meteor was soon tearing through the water in quest of the menace to life and property.
“How long will it take us to sight the iceberg?” inquired Bob.
“We’ll probably reach it sometime tomorrow morning,” answered Johnson. “Why are you so anxious to see your first iceberg?”
“Not so much to see the iceberg, as to see it blown up,” replied Bob. “It must be a sight worth watching.”
“The real excitement,” affirmed Johnson, “is in boarding the iceberg and setting the charge. ”

“ It may have helped sometimes, but it is wholly unreliable.
“And if a ship ever strikes an iceberg, I suppose it’s good-night for the ship,” ventured Herb.
“It always is if it hits it full,” replied the captain. “The ship has no more chance than if it struck the Rock of Gibraltar. Why, do you know that some of those monster bergs are ten times the size of the Woolworth Building in New York City?”
“Gee!” exclaimed Jimmy. “The Woolworth Building is seven hundred and ninety-two feet high. Do you mean that the iceberg is ten times as high as that?” ”

“ I’ve had enough of fires to last me a lifetime.”
“We did have a pretty tough fight for life,” assented Bob. “What with the fire on one hand and the bears on the other, we had a mighty sight more of excitement than we bargained for.”
“Yet that’s what we went to Spruce Mountain to get,” observed Joe Atwood.
“We got it all right,” remarked Jimmy. “And yet, since we got out of it safely, I’m mighty glad we had the experience. And leaving the fire out of the account, what a whale of a good time we had! Good air, good eats, good company. Everything was good.” ”

“ Nothing can happen more wonderful than what’s taking place every day in radio. You can tell me that some day we’ll be talking to the men on Mars—if there are any men there—and I won’t be the one to say we can’t.”
“In other words, you’re ready to fall for anything,” laughed Jimmy, who had by this time recovered from the effect of the blow and was his own jolly self again. “But now, to get down to earth again, suppose you tell us where we’re going. We’re a long way from home.”
“It’s that appetite of Jimmy’s that’s beginning to talk now,” gibed Herb. ”

“ How far are we from the town?”
“Not more than a couple of miles,” answered Bob. “What can we do to help you? We can send the hospital ambulance down for your friends, if you like.”
“Oh, I guess we won’t need that,” said Captain Springer, looking around among his companions, who also shook their heads negatively. “There is none of us seriously hurt, and a day or two of rest in some good hotel will set every one to rights. What you can do, if you will, is to stop at a garage and have a car sent out for us. What’s the best hotel in town?”
“The Sterling House is as good as any,” replied Herb. ”

“ Strong’s machine swung around the corner. The boys said good-by to the doctor, climbed in, and the trip had begun.
It was a beautiful, clear morning, and as the sun rose and flooded the landscape with brilliant sunshine, the boys felt that life had little better than this to offer. Fine weather, a clear road, a good car—what more could any healthy boy desire?
As they left the town, Mr. Strong opened the throttle a bit, and the car picked up speed until it was purring along at a good clip. ”

“ The message didn’t say there was any actual loss of life. A fire isn’t like an earthquake. People usually have a chance to get away from it. And as to the property, most of it was probably insured.”
“And these first reports are usually exaggerated,” put in Marston. “Folks lose their heads in the excitement, and then, too, the newspapers make a big story of it for the sake of startling headlines. You just take my advice and don’t worry too much until you get later news.”
But their well-meant sympathy was of little avail. The Radio Boys were in an agony of grief and apprehension. ”

“ Every member of the crew volunteered, and Mr. Mayhew selected two of the best men. Then he sent the rest back to the ship, and the little group of rescuers turned to their task with feverish energy.
“Some one will have to be lowered into the crevasse,” said the officer. “Who shall it be?”
Like a flash both Bob and Herb demanded the post of greatest danger. Bob was selected, as being the stronger. A rope was quickly made fast under his arms, and he was quickly lowered into the cold green depths of the iceberg. ”

“ A Government ship these days is nothing more nor less than a traveling dispensary. Scarcely a day passes without some call of this kind.”
“I should think it would be especially hard when you can’t see your patient,” remarked Joe.
“It is,” the doctor admitted. “I can’t feel their pulse, I can’t note their temperature, I can’t judge by their appearance, I can’t do a dozen things a doctor likes to do when he’s treating a case. I have to depend on descriptions, more or less intelligent. But with all those handicaps, an immense amount of service can be rendered over the radio. ”

“ As for the passengers, it’s safe to say that they’ve lost all curiosity concerning icebergs, and will be content from now on to view them from a distance.
“It was not only the danger from the spur that should have kept him from getting so close,” went on the ensign, “but the possibility of part of the berg falling over on the ship. The bergs are breaking up all the time, and they only need something like the vibrations from a ship’s engine to set them going. The only safe thing with an iceberg is to give it as wide a berth as possible.”
“That underwater spur gives one the creeps,” said Joe. ”

“ Bob sprang to the floor. He was joined immediately by Joe, who shared the stateroom with him. As they hastily threw on a few articles of clothing, they could hear shouts and cries on deck and the rush and scurry of feet overhead and along the passageway outside. Dominating everything, however, was a sullen roar of water as it poured into the hold of the vessel. ”

“ The material damage could be replaced, the town could be rebuilt and be made more beautiful than before, but nothing could restore their people if death had laid a hand on them.
They talked together for a long time, in low and trembling voices, and tried to cheer each other up. Then at last they climbed into their bunks and tried to sleep. But sleep refused to come to them, except in brief and fevered dozings, and it was a haggard group of Radio Boys that left the stateroom in the morning. ”

“ I shouldn’t wonder if you could help out our radio operators once in a while, if you like. You boys are all radio fans, and it would be right in your line.”
“Suits us right down to the ground!” exclaimed Bob enthusiastically.
“We’ll just eat that up,” declared Joe.
“Lead us to it,” urged Jimmy.
“Hits us where we live,” affirmed Herb.
“All in good time,” rejoined the captain, rising. “Now come out with me on deck and I’ll introduce you to my officers. They’re a fine lot of men. You’ve already met Ensign Porter, but I want you to meet the others.” ”

“ The two boys made their way again to the port side of the vessel. Their progress was made difficult by the splinters of ice that strewed the deck and made it slippery.
“What are those things over there on the berg?” asked Jimmy. “There, on that level space? They seem to be moving.”
Joe strained his eyes in the direction indicated.
“It does look that way,” he said. “Maybe they’re some of the Meteor’s men who have been sent there for something.”
“They don’t look like men,” remarked Jimmy, in a puzzled way. ”

“ But there are so many chances connected with Arctic exploration that one more doesn’t make much difference. There’s Amundsen now and McMillan, the one up in the Arctic ice and the other in Baffin Land. They’re counting largely on keeping in touch with civilization by radio, and occasionally they have. But there have been quite a number of cases where stations in the United States have tried to communicate with them but evidently didn’t, for they have received no answer. The fault hasn’t been with the sending set, which was plenty powerful enough to reach them. ”

“ THE RADIO BOYS WITH THE ICEBERG PATROL CHAPTER I
THE CRY FOR HELP
“Say, fellows, whom do you think I got a letter from?” cried Bob Layton, as he ran out of his front gate to meet a group of boys who were coming down the street.
“From the President of the United States, judging from the way you’re all worked up about it,” replied Joe Atwood, with a grin.
“My guess would be the King of England,” chimed in Jimmy Plummer.
“Quit your kidding!” exclaimed Bob. “They don’t know that I’m alive, and don’t care whether I am or not. The letter came from Paul Bentley.” ”

“ His companions followed his example, and presently a score or more were frolicking around like so many dolphins and enjoying themselves to the utmost.
“Come on in, the water’s fine!” they shouted to some of their more hesitant companions on the boom.
“Well, that beats me!” exclaimed Herb. “I’ve always heard that sailors were a hardy bunch, but this is the limit. The water must be freezing!”
“Not a bit of it,” said a voice beside them, and they looked up to see Ensign Porter. “I think you’d enjoy it if you went in yourselves. That is, assuming you can swim.” ”

“ All we know is that there’s so much electrical energy let loose when the aurora is working that our poor little signals get lost in the shuffle. Some day, though, the radio sharps will be able to tell us all about it.”
“I should think that that would have a serious effect upon the radio sets of the airships they are planning to fly to the Pole,” remarked Joe, as his thoughts went back to the Shooting Star and her outfit. “Just at the time they most need to communicate with the people south of them, they may find that there’s nothing doing.” ”

“ Why don’t you own up to the truth, Joe, and make Herb happy?”
“Oh, sure, I like them—just about as much as Jimmy would like a doughnut famine,” retorted Joe, grinning.
“There you are—back at me again,” said Jimmy, plaintively. “When in doubt, soak Jimmy. He’s got no friends. I notice though, Joe, that when I have a bag of doughnuts, you’re pretty keen about getting your share.”
“Quit your squabbling, you fellows,” counseled Bob. “And, by the way, don’t forget that we’re due at Doctor Dale’s house this evening. ”

“ You can arrange your shifts to suit yourselves, as long as one of you is constantly at the key.”
“We’re glad you trust us so fully,” said Bob, as spokesman for all of them, “and you can depend on us to put all our thought and strength into the work.”
“Fine!” declared the captain. “You can start at once. Maxwell is in there now, and you can take the work over from him, and leave him free to attend to his maps and charts.”
The Radio Boys left the captain’s cabin with a deep sense of responsibility, and yet with a keen feeling of elation. ”

“ In a short time, Joe returned, followed by the old engineer, puffing and grumbling.
“An’ wha’ is eet ye’re callin’ me up here for?” he demanded truculently.
“Listen, Mac,” said Marston, placatingly. “Here’s a captain of a ship that’s operated by a Diesel engine and he’s running out of Diesel oil.”
“Mair fule he,” growled McDonald. “Wha’s that my beesness?”
“Well, you see,” explained Marston, “he’ll have to stop his voyage to re-fuel, and at the nearest port he can get only heavy oil. He’s never used that kind before, and he wants to know what the effect will be on his engines. ”

“ Up there there will be nothing but ice and seals and bears, and maybe a few Eskimos.”
“Of course there are greater risks,” conceded the captain, “just as there are greater dangers in flying over water than over land. But risks are like food to the men of the service. They just eat them up. Then, too, the Shooting Star will have a radio set on board that can transmit more than a thousand miles. And the supply boat at Nome will have three airplanes equipped with skis for landing on ice, water, snow and land. ”

“ What do you think of that?”
“Dandy,” replied Herb. “Just think what that will mean to the pilot, especially in fog or storm. It won’t be necessary for him to see the light from the air-mail fields so as to be able to land. The superintendent can give him his location to a dot, and he can come down with his eyes shut.”
“Another triumph for radio!” exclaimed Joe. “I tell you, fellows, there’s no limit to the possibilities of that wonderful science. One thing follows so closely on the heels of another that a fellow gets dizzy trying to keep up with it.” ”