The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-15
[Conttnued0

During the morning, unfathered, as rumors are born, the whisper of dis aster somewhere spread. Their own slight shock was the edge of the con- vulsion which had been serious else where, no one knew quite where, or why they knew 1t at all. The men who were shoveling earth on the levee began to talk of San Francisco. Some one said that morning that the city was badly hurt. No one could confirm the rumOr, but 1t grew with the day. Rickard met it at the office late in the afternoon. He went direct to the telegraph operators desk.
 "Get Los Angeles, the o. P. office. And be quick about it."
 In ten minutes he was talking to Babcock. Babcock said that the dam age by the earthquake to that city was not known, but it was nfre. San Jose had confirmed it. Oakland had report ed the flames creeping up the resi- dence hills of that gay Western city. Cinders were already falling in the transbay town.
 Rickard dropped the receiver. "Where's Hardin?"
 Tom Hardin emerged from a knot of men who were talking in a corner by the door.
 "Where's that machineryT
 "What machineryY
 Rickard saw the answer to his ques- tion in the others face.
 '"The dredge machinery. Did you attend to that? Did you send for it?"
 "Oh, yes, that's all right. It's all right"
 "Is it here?"
 Hardin attempted jocularity. 'T didn't know as you wanted 1t here. I ordered 1t sent to Yuma."
 "Is it at YumaT'
 Hardin admitted that 1t was not yet at. Yuma; it would be there soon; he had written; oh, it was all right.
 "When did you write?'
 Hardin reddened under the cate chism of questions. He resented be- ing held up before his men. The oth- CTS felt the electricity in the air Har- din and his successor were glaring at each other like belligerents.
 "I asked when did you writer"
 Yesterday"
 "Yesterday" Rickard ripped out an oath. Yesterday. Why at all, I'd like to know? Did you understand that you were ordered to get that here? Now. it's gone"
 "Gone" The others crowded up,
 "San Francsico's burning" He walked into his inner office, mad clear through. He was not thinking of the ruin of the gay young city; not a thought yet did he have of the human tragedies enacting there; of homes, lives, fortunes swept into that huge bonfire. As it affected the work at the river, the. first block to his campaign, the catastrophe came home to him. He had a picture of tortured, twisted iron, of ruined machinery, the ma chinery for his dredge. He saw 1t lying like spent Laocoon, writhing in its last struggle. He blamed himself for leaving even such small detail as the hastening of the parts to Hardin's care, for Hardin wasn't fit to be trust ed for anything. No one could tell him now the man was unlucky; he was a fool. A month wasted, and days were precious. A month? Months. Hardin's luck. Oh, he'll
 Then he began to speculate as he cooled over the trouble up wonder. A whole city burning? They would sure ly get it under control. He began to think of the isolation; the telegraph wires all down. That might happen anywherel He walked to the door and looked thoughtfully at the com pany's big water tower. That wasn't such bad ideal He picked up his hat, and went out.