“It’s a sort of a secret,” said the president with a smile. “If any of you want to back out, now’s your chance.”
No one ever heard of a newspaper man backing out, so no one moved.
“Come on,” said the president.
He led the way to the big express elevators and soon the crowd of reporters were on the ground floor. They went out the rear entrance and, by way of a number of back streets, to a dock on the New York side of the Hudson River where a steamer was in waiting.
“Keep close to me,” said Mr. Newton to Larry.
Once aboard the craft little time was lost. It steamed to the Jersey City side of the river, and there, disembarking, the reporters and the officials of the company who accompanied them walked through the yards of a railroad until they came to a group of small buildings.
“This is the mouth of the shaft that leads down to the level of the tunnel,” said the president, pointing to a small structure.
Almost as if in a dream Larry followed Mr. Newton. Entering the building he found himself in the midst of a lot of machinery.
“Get on the elevator,” said a voice.
Larry stepped on a wooden platform, which soon began to sink. The others were crowded about him. In a few minutes they found themselves at the bottom of a shaft fifty feet in diameter and sixty feet deep. As they landed, right in front of them yawned a black hole.