L. Frank Baum

“ But don't worry. With the boat under us and in this quiet sea we shall be quite safe."
"I'm not worrying—especially—Ris," was the reply; "but it occurs to me to wonder how you're going to get down to the ocean."
"Why?"
"You can't stop the engines, unless one of us crawls back over the planes."
"I can cut off the spark." She tried it, but the engines chugged as merrily as before. "Guess there must be a short circuit," gasped Orissa.
"And you can't depress your elevator, I'm sure."
"I'll try it," announced Orissa, grimly. ”

“ Orissa did not return her chum's smile.
"Sit still and balance her, Sybil," she said. "I'm going to make an investigation."
Exercising the necessary caution she turned and knelt upon the foot bar, clinging to the seat rail and in this position facing the Aircraft so she could examine its mechanism. Sybil had described the condition of things quite accurately. The engine control was cut off and as the gasoline tanks fed from the rear Orissa had no way of stopping the flow. The steering gear was broken and the front elevator firmly wedged in position by the chest. ”

“ It proved solid and unyielding. Not heavy in itself, or perhaps in its contents, the thing was caught between the rods in such a manner that no strength of the girls, limited in movement as they were, could budge it a particle. ”