nine o'clock
When that startled freeman opened the front door to see what was up , he uttered a tremendous ejaculation ; and so , shortly , came to the construction of a raft . Well , the papers got out an extra edition with scare-heads about `` Outrages '' and `` High-handed Lawlessness ! '' and factory owners by the canals raised up their voices in bitterness over flooded fire-rooms ; and property owners of perishable cellar goods howled about damage suits ; and the ordinary citizen took to bailing out the hollow places of his domain . Toward nine o'clock , after the first excitement had died , and the flash-boards had been indignantly yanked from their illegal places , a squadron of police went out to hunt up the malefactor . The latter they discovered on a boom-pole directing the sluicing . From this position he declined to stir . One fat policeman ventured a toppling yard or so on the floating timber , threw his hands aloft in loss of equilibrium , and with a mighty effort regained the shore , where he sat down , panting .