Evening star., 1925-01-17
The Ark of the Covenant
A Story of Mystery and Adventure
BY VICTOR MacCLURE.
Continued from Yesterdays Starr
Copyright. 1924, by harper q Brothers.

We shelved all other work for the
time being but the tapping Of the res
| erNolr. from which the chief believed
| that gas percolating into the upper
! cave was drawn. We could see that
the gas in the cave had means of get
ting out above, but its lower fringe
varied little day by day, which seem
| eu TO indicate that the escape over
mead was continually being made
| good by fresh supplies
| The gas in Itself was harmless. II
was only its ousting of the necessary
| oxygen for breathing that made work
| ing in the cave an impossibility. We
| therefore, took steps to fan the mix
ture OF helium and aithon from the
| cave, and to keep a constant supply
| OF oXygen-procured by the chief
| from electrolysis of the cave water
| circulating in it.
We brought up loads of concrete
! into the cave, sacrificing for the mo-
ment the stuff intended for damming
! the oil-reservoir cabin, and we bound
| il thoroughly 10 the thickness of half
a meter or more into the cave wall
by steel bolts and dowels. When this
concrete was set, we found that we
had stopped the percolation OF the
gas into the cave. SO that the fans
and oxygen were no longer necessary
In the concrete wall We had bedded
a capped pipe with a side stop cock to
a pressure gauge, and through the
aperture, OF which the hinged cap lay
back with Its bolts ready, we insert
ed our drill to the rock wall of the
cave. For the drilling our power was
derived from a small electric motor
bolted to the cave hoor, and was led
to the drill by a flexible asmored tube
on the Bowden wire principle OF this
process of drilling | had but slight
knowledge, as had the other mem
bers OF the crew. but, with the theory
of the business which the chief ap-
parently had at his finger tips. and
with the natural hardness of the
seamen and mechanics. we made shift
to achieve something of a job.
Toward the end or our drilling the
gas began TO creep through past the
drill, and we had 10 cap the pipe and
lay off until We could make arrange
ments for clearing the cave. The
chief cOntrived TO have two oxygen
helmets made for his and my use in
an emergency.
Drilling was resumed with the fans
going and oxygen blowing into the
cave, and II soon became apparent
that we were nearing the inner side
OF the reservoir wall. From the
amount Of gas now streaming into
the cave, the chief anticipated an
enormous pressure, so l had a long
crowbar reeved through the ring Of
the cap in readiness.
IT was we'll that we did so. for sud
denly the drill broke through the
rock, toppled with a thud frst up
against the concrete and then was
knocked back on its tripod over to
the other side of the cave.
The gas Whistled out into the cave
at enormous pressure, its force az
strong a s a typhoon.
Fortuna tely 1 am very heavy
man or We might have had disaster
| was wearing the oxygen helmet, as
was the chief, so l sprang for the
cap of the inset pipe and threw my
weight on the lever. Slowly the cap
went over, though IT took me all my
time, as the phrase is. and every mus
Gle in my body was protesting al the
strain. The chief was by my side,
and he slipped the hinged bolt back
into it's f1ange, then calmly stopped
to pick UP and hand me spanner.
l screwed the bolt tight and the rest
was easy. There we're two more
bolts, but they only had to be slipped
through their holes and screwed
home. We had the cap on and the
gas was harnessed.
We now had to turn our attention
to one of the drillers who had been
overcome. 1t was Brooks, knocked
over by the thrown drill. The others
had managed to scramble out Of the
cave. / picked him UP in my arms
and carried him into the clear air,
where the chief attended him. He
quickly recovered, and. though he
was sick man for the better part
of the day, he made light OF his eX-
perience. saying that not many peo-
pie could boast of having been nearly
drowned on dry land.
When the gas was clear of the
cave the master and I went back to
find what pressure we had, while a
number of the men trooped after US.