She appeared to be making the descent safely, when there
was a sudden change. The earth seemed to slip out from under
the broad caterpillar belts, and then the tank moved more
rapidly.
"Tom, we're turning over!" shouted Ned. "We're capsizing!"
Chapter XIV
The Ruined Factory
Only too true were the words Ned Newton shouted to his
chum. Tank A was really capsizing. She had advanced to the
edge of the gully and started down it, moving slowly on the
caterpillar bands of steel. Then had come a sudden lurch,
caused, as they learned afterward, by the slipping off of a
great quantity of shale from an underlying shelf of rock.
This made unstable footing for the tank. One side sank
lower than the other, and before Tom could neutralize this
by speeding up one motor and slowing down the other the tank
slowly turned over on its side.
"But she isn't going to stop here!" cried Ned, as he found
himself thrown about like a pill in a box. "We're going all
the way over!"
"Let her go over!" cried Tom, not that he could stop the
tank now.
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