South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-08
N Iii CROCODHES JAW.

The sun shoue hot in Hamburg
that day. and nowhere was the
heat more intense than on that last
narrow strip OF n street clinging
desperately 20 the land, but crum-
bling of now and again in blister
ing wharves and deserted piers. the
piles OF which were water-rotted.
while the surface boards showed
white and dry-scorched above. Most
OF the sailors and Iongshoremen had
found refuge in the many rathskel-
lers with which the wharf districts
OF HAMBURG are populated
10 was Saturday afternoon, near
IS All cargo had been unloaded from
the thronEing vessels some with
barbarOusly painted tunnels others
with huge tobacco brown sails
Christopher Poe sauntered along
the strip OF street stopping now and
then TO inspect with fond eyes the
striking lines OF some fast freighter.
or 20 scan one or another Of the
huge warehouses lining the other
side of the street. Strange ware
houses they were. filled with heaven
where There is no such port in
the world az Hamburg FOR strange
merchandise. Even in the glow %
the hot sun the place bristled with
romance. suggesting strange and
fascinating possibilities 10 Christ
opher poe. who had once been a
sailor himself. as his squared. thick
set chest and keen eve indicated
He had skipped away from his
banking duties in New York and
was touring through parts Of the
world AS familiar 10 him as Fifth
av. or the bOwery. In his quiet
sriminal iuvestigati his diver
sion from his brilliant work in bank
ing. he had come TO know every old
nook and corner of the world, and
this Hamburg wharf district had
ever been close 90 his heart since ne
had sailed into the wonderful place
when little more than a boy
Twice ne stopped In the silent
cobbled thoroughfare and listened
carefully then shrugged his shout
ders and suolled on. unmindful Of
the intense rays OF the sun.
At length. as ne neared a great
wharf. where no ship rode at an
Choir and on which a huge iron
bound warehouse stood the rear
square against the water. he stop
ped and strained forward, listening
There came a sudden roar,
strange, resounding, everberating
roar. 1t would have been deafen-
ing had it not been for the fact
that il seemed munled within the
huge warehouse. the entrance 20
which was still obscured from Poe,
for it faced on the nearby side
street
There developed 90 he listened,
wild mingling OF noises. chorusing
up in a perfect babble. out of the
tumble some of the more insistent.
penetrating. stertOrous sounds came
clear 10 his taut ear-drum.
There was shrill scream like
that Of a strange waterfowl the
deep r1lmblu,g roar Of bear; the
screech Cf some big cat the piercing
note Of a trumpet-tongued beast.
He dashed forward. turned the
corner. his nostrils sensing the smell
of smoke. In that narrow street.
lending itself so nicely 10 vibration.
the air was utterly deafening with
a confusion of jumbled sounds.
dangerous. ear-slipping
There was strange thronE
quickly collecting in front OF the
warehouse Poe read in a flash the
German sign stretching along the
front Of the building.
Haggerup & Co, Dealers in
WILD ANIMALS.
A huge plate glass window i'm
front. barred with heavy iron rods
five inches apart. was belching
forth smoke through which the
burning sun shone fully. illuminat-
ing a smashed plate glass tank
right i'm front with a thousand
strange hsh Tapping and flashing on
the floor amid the smoke and con-
fusion
"Feuer' Feuer!" screamed the eX-
cited mob Of sailors and long
shoremen. The huge iron-bound
door had evidently been burst open
from within at the first alarm. and
men went plunging through the cav
ernous opening with hastily snatched
pals OF water. and men came strug-
Cling out. dropping. almost over
come with smoke. Some We're wild
IL demanding that the door he
closed declaring that the animals
had all broken loose from their
cages and would spring upon the
crowd. FIRE maddened. In support
Of their statement several dare-eyed.
scorch- haired monkeys had bound
ed through the door. screaming.
Then the hre wagon changed up.
Amid that hell Of noise there
came an instantaneous hull Christ
opher Poe. on the edge of the crowd
and near the long side Of the build
ing extending back 20 the water.
felt that ne heard a far off splash
as though some huge animal mad
dened by the flames. had plunged i'm
"a the water somewhere in the rear
Of the building But duuer and less
vatChful ears would not have
caught the sound az a'l for an i'm
slant later the hubbuh had broken