CHAPTER VI
MR. BASCOMB IS PEEVISH
At the first blush of dawn Tom despatched the tireless Nicolas to Blixton
to notify the police of the explosions and of the disappearance of Harry
Hazelton.
Two men in blue, wearing stars on their coats, came over within an hour,
walked about and looked wise until noon. They discovered nothing whatever,
and their theories did not strike Reade as being worthy of attention.
As soon as possible the divers were sent down at the two wrecked parts of
the retaining wall. These men reported that the breaches extended ten
feet beneath the surface at some points; only eight feet at other points.
The foundations of the walls were reported as being secure. Then Tom,
under the directions of two divers, put on a diver's suit and went down
himself, for the first time in his life. After some two hours, with
frequent ascents to the surface, the young chief engineer had satisfied
himself that the foundations were secure. Then he did some rapid figuring.
"The loss will not exceed eight thousand dollars---the cost of rebuilding
the missing parts of the walls," Reade informed Superintendent Renshaw.
"Only eight thousand dollars!" whistled the superintendent.
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