"Small ladle tipped over, spattering some hot metal on them," replied the man, jerking a thumb toward the suffering men. "Tell me exactly how it happened." The foreman did so with evident reluctance. In the first place, an accident in his department reflected on him and his management. Besides this he was so used to seeing men injured, during his long service in the steel mills, that the sight of human suffering did not make the same impression upon him that might otherwise have been the case. "Who else saw the accident?" "All the men on the pit and ladles." Steve quickly had the names of the witnesses and made brief notes of their stories, after which he returned to the foreman to get the names of the injured men. By the time he had completed this, only a few minutes elapsed before the photographer arrived. Steve pointed to the injured men, as indicating that they were to be photographed first. Next he turned his attention to the ladle that had been capsized. He made a quick examination of this, motioning to the foreman to join him. "The chain broke, did it not?" "You can see that one of them did," answered the foreman gruffly. "I am asking you. No matter what I see. How did it happen to break?" "Too much strain on it, I suppose." Rush picked his way gingerly around to the other side, for the ground was covered with metal that in some cases was still red hot. Reaching a point where he could do so without being burned he poked the broken chain about with an iron bar that he had picked up, until he got the break where he could see it more plainly. There was a dull mark across the break, that seemed especially to interest him. The dull mark extended clear to the surface of the link. "Photographer, I want a picture, first of this break in the chain, and next a general view of the upset ladle and chain. You had better use a flash light on the link so your picture will show the break plainly." "Say, what do you want to do that for?" demanded the foreman. "What do I want to do that for?" repeated the boy, turning sharply. "Yes, no need to give a fellow away like that. It was an accident." "Bill Foley, what do you take me for? I'm not that kind of man. I would help you if I could, but I am paid for gathering all the facts whenever an accident occurs. You are the foreman of this open-hearth, and you ought to be the very first one to demand an honest investigation." "It just broke, that's all. They're all likely to do that." "They are all supposed to be examined daily, too," answered Rush quickly. "The company's first care is for the safety of its men. Still, it's not the part of my duty to preach to you." "Then _don't_!" growled Foley. "No; I'll do my duty, old chap, though in this case it means some trouble for you." Two ambulances had arrived by this time and the surgeons were giving first aid to the injured as the men lay stretched out on the still hot cinders on the floor of the dingy mill.