miles away. The other watch holder was standing in the
open a quarter of a mile away and his watch showed a second and a
fraction.

All hands agreed that Jenks had won the bet fairly. Linane never exactly
liked Jenks after that.

Then Jenks rather aggravated matters by a habit. Whenever Linane would
make a very positive statement Jenks would look owl-eyed and say: "Mr.
Linane, I'll have to sound you out about that." The heavy accent on the
word "sound" nettled Linane somewhat.

Linane never completely forgave Jenks for putting over this "fast one."
Socially they were always more or less at loggerheads, but neither let
this feeling interfere with their work. They worked together faithfully
enough and each recognized the ability of the other.

And so it was that Linane and Jenks, their heads together, worked all
night in an attempt to find some cause that would tie responsibility
for the disaster on mother nature.

They failed to find it and, sleepy-eyed, they were forced to admit
failure, so far.

The newspapers, to whom Muller had said that he would not shirk any
responsibility, began a hue and cry for the arrest of all parties in any
way concerned with the direction of the building of the Colossus.

When the death list from the crash and subway wreck reached 97, the
press waxed nasty and demanded the arrest of Muller, Linane and Jenks in
no uncertain tones.

Half dead from lack of sleep, the three men were taken by the police to
the district attorney's offices and, after a strenuous grilling, were
formally placed under arrest on charges of criminal negligence. They put
up a $50,000 bond in each case and were permitted to go and seek further
to find the cause of what the newspapers now began calling the "Colossal
Failure."

Several days were spent by Linane and Jenks in examining the wreckage
which was being removed from Times Square, truckload after truckload, to
a point outside the city. Here it was again sorted and examined and
piled for future disposal.

So far as could be found every brick, stone and ounce of material used
in the building was perfect. Attorneys, however, assured Linane, Jenks
and Muller that they would have to find the real cause of the disaster
if they were to escape possible long prison sentences.

Night after night Jenks courted sleep, but it would not come. He began
to grow wan and haggard.

* * * * *

Jenks took to walking the streets at night, m