s."

"I wasn't thinking of a hose," returned Tom. "What then?" asked the
young financial manager.

"An airship!" Tom exclaimed with such sudden energy that Ned started.
"It just came to me!" explained the youthful inventor. "I was
wondering how we could get the chemicals in from the top, and an
airship is the solution. I can sail over the burning building and drop
the chemicals down. That will douse the blaze if my plans go right."

Ned was silent a moment, considering Tom's daring plan and project.
Then, as it became clearer, the young banker cried:

"Blamed if I don't think that's just the thing, Tom! It ought to work,
and, if it does, it will save a lot of lives, to say nothing of
property! A fire in a sky-scraper ought to be fought from above. Then
the extinguisher element, whether chemicals or water, could be dropped
where they'd do the most good. As it is now, with water, a lot of it is
wasted. Some of it never reaches the heart of the fire, being splashed
on the outside of the building. A lot more turns to steam before it
hits the flames, and only a small percentage is really effective."

"That's my notion," Tom said.

"Then go ahead and do it!" urged his friend. "You have my permission!"

"Thanks," commented Tom dryly. "But there are several things to be
worked out before we can start. I've got to devise some scheme for
carrying a sufficient quantity of chemicals, and invent some way of
releasing them from an airship over the blaze. But that last part ought
to be easy, for I think I can alter my warfare bomb-dropping attachment
to serve the purpose.

"What I really need, however, is some new chemical combination that
will quickly put a really big blaze out of business. There are any
number of these chemicals, but most of them depend on the production of
carbon dioxide. This is the product of some solution of a carbonate and
sulphuric acid, and I suppose, eventually, I'll work out something on
that order. But I hope I may get something better."

"You haven't delved much into chemistry, have you?"

"No. And I wish now that I had. I see my limitations and realize my
weakness. But I can brush up a little on my chemistry. As for the
mechanical part, that of dropping the extinguisher on the blaze, I'm
not worrying over that end."

"No," agreed Ned. "You have enough types of airships to be able to
select just the best one for the purpose. But, say, Tom!" he suddenly
cried, "why not ask him to help you?"