about noon
The weather was fine after the long-continued rains , and the whole valley seemed peaceful and quiet . At the far end could be seen the great dam , with water pouring over it in a thin sheet , forming a small stream that trickled down the centre of the valley , and to the town below . But , through great pipes that led to the drinking system , though they were unseen , thundered immense streams of solid water , reducing by as much as the engineers were able the pressure on the concrete wall . Tom and Ned , in the Humming Bird , took a flight out to the dam shortly after breakfast , when the steel men were putting a few finishing touches to the gun carriage , ready for the test that was to take place about noon . `` It does n't look as though it would burst , '' observed Ned , as the aircraft hovered over the big artificial lake . `` No , '' agreed Tom . `` But I suppose the engineers want to be on the safe side in case of damage suits .