"An earthquake tremor was just
felt here in Washington. It centered in a shipyard on the Potomac and
caused great damage!"
CHAPTER X
ENERGY FROM PLANET X
Tom and Bud listened in dismay as Blake reported all the details he had
been able to gather.
"Was my Quakelizor a flop, Bud?" Tom muttered, his shoulders drooping as
the announcer signed off. "It must have been!"
"Don't be silly! Snap out of it!" Bud gave his pal a cheerful poke in
the ribs, hoping to buck him up. "You heard what Blake said--Washington
itself was hardly touched. Without your setup, think of all the people
that _might_ have been killed or injured! And all the government
buildings that might have been wrecked, maybe even the White House. I'd
say your shock-wave deflector must have been at least ninety per cent
effective!"
Tom brightened somewhat on hearing Bud's words. He picked up the phone,
and placed a call to Dr. Miles at the Bureau of Mines. It was almost
half an hour before the operator was able to get a line through. But Tom
felt the suspense had been worth while when Dr. Miles exclaimed:
"Tom, it was a miracle you completed the Quakelizor installation in
time! In all probability it saved us from a major national disaster,
perhaps worse than Pearl Harbor!"
Tom felt a glow of pride and relief. "Thanks, sir. But what about the
shipyard destruction?" he added, still not entirely convinced.
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