“With the polar trip definitely decided on,” replied Andy, “we’ll have to be in the air before the end of the next sixty days. That means we can’t afford even a single hour’s delay on the assembly schedule and we may have to lengthen the shifts in order to get through.”
“We’ll work 24 hours a day if we have to,” said one of the enthusiastic foremen, for after nearly two years of exacting construction work, they were all anxious to see the Goliath test its wings.
The remainder of the supper hour was devoted to heated discussions of the various features of the dirigible, and who would be selected for the crew. Every man in the room hoped that he would get by the final weeding out process and win a permanent berth on the world’s largest airship.
Timms was waiting for Andy and Bert after supper in the lobby of the hotel.
“I’m going over and talk to the Rubanian,” he said. “Better come along.”
They were about to leave the lobby when the program of dance music which was coming in on the radio stopped abruptly for a station announcement.
“Wait a minute,” said Bert. “They haven’t stopped for the usual station identification. They cut that piece off in the middle.”
They went closer to the receiver and it seemed as though the announcer in the station miles away had seen their movement for he started his announcement at once.
“We have just received a special bulletin,” said the voice on the ether waves. “A powerful monoplane, of low-winged construction, was sighted just at sunset near Bellevue, Ky. It was flying over a restricted area in violation of department of commerce rules. The machine is fast and slate-gray in color. There appeared to be only one man in the machine and from the description at hand it is evidently of foreign make. It is possible that some European flyer, on a secret long-distance flight, has crossed the Atlantic, and, unaware of the department of commerce regulation, flew over Bellevue, home of the giant airship Goliath. Now, news hounds, get busy and let’s see what you can find out about this strange, low-winged monoplane. Any information should be sent direct to this station. Our program of music will continue.”
The voice stopped and the dance band which was featured at that hour on the air resumed.