ire and explosions had taken place in the daytime the loss of life
would have been great. But most of the workers had left some time
before the blaze was discovered. There are a few men on a night shift,
though, and I shouldn't be surprised but what some of them had
suffered."

"Too bad!" murmured the young inventor. "You're not worried about your
home, are you, Mrs. Nestor?" he asked of Mary's mother.

"Oh, Tom, I certainly am!" she exclaimed. "I wanted to bring out our
things, but Mr. Nestor said it wouldn't be of any use."

"Neither it would, if we've got to burn, but I don't believe we
have--now," said her husband. "That last explosion and the shift of the
wind saved us. I appreciate your coming over, Tom," he went on. "We
might have needed your help. It's queer there isn't some better, or
more effective, way of fighting a fire than just pouring on a
comparatively insignificant bit of water," he added, as, from what was
now a safe distance, they watched the firemen using many lines of hose.

"They do have chemical extinguishers," said Ned.

"Yes, for little baby blazes that have just started," went on Mr.
Nestor. "But in all the progress of science there has not been much
advance in fighting fires. We still do as they did a hundred years
ago--squirt water on it, and mighty little of it compared to the blaze.
It would take a week to put this fire out by the water they are using
if it were not for the fact that the blaze eats itself up and has
nothing more to feed on."

"We'll have to get Tom to invent a new way of fighting fire," remarked
Ned.

The young inventor was about to reply when several firemen, equipped
with smoke helmets which they adjusted as they ran, came running down
the street.

"What's the matter?" asked Tom of one whom he knew.

"Some men are trapped in a small shed back of the factory," was the
answer. "We just heard of it, and we're going in after them. Oh!
Oh--my--my heart!" he gasped, and he sank to the sidewalk. Evidently
he was either overcome by the smoke and poisonous gases or by his
exertions.

Tom grasped the situation instantly. Taking the smoke helmet from the
exhausted fire-fighter, the young inventor shouted:

"I'll fill your place! See if you can grab a hat, Ned, and come on!"

One of the other firemen had two helmets, and he offered Ned one.
Pausing only long enough to see that Mr. Nestor and some others were
looking after the exhausted "smoke-eater," Ned raced on aft