 The Blue Beetle Weeping down upon the underworld to smash ganglin' Comes the mysterious, all-powerful character Who is a problem to the police but a crusader for law In reality, Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman Loved by everyone but suspected by none of being the Blue Beetle As the Blue Beetle, he hides behind a strained mask And a suit of impenetrable blue chain armor Flexible as silk but stronger than steel Today's episode of the Fox Feature, the Blue Beetle Is entitled, The Underworld Goes Underground Rival construction companies submitted low bids for digging a tunnel Under eastern valley river from York City to Paradise Island The Dunlap Construction Company was awarded the contract Many citizens and some of the newspapers believe Young Reginald Dunlap's engagement to the daughter of commissioner Of Public Works Morrison was the main reason he got the contract for his company Since work started on the tunnel, more than the average number of accidents Have occurred in the workings Strong pressure has been brought to bear on Commissioner Morrison By politicians and newspapers to cancel Dunlap's contract And give it to the Jenkins Company During previous and less honest administrations The Jenkins Company had a virtual monopoly on all city construction work As our story opens, patrolman Dan Garrett, who is really the Blue Beetle Is discussing the matter with his friend and confidant, Dr. Brown I'm convinced, Doc, that there's dirty work going on at the tunnel Well, what makes you so certain? The past record of the Dunlap Company, for one thing Before this tunnel job, they enjoyed the reputation of having fewer casualties On their jobs than any other construction company in the country But this is a very difficult and hazardous job It is But the Dunlap people have had other jobs just as hazardous Yes, that's true I went to college with young Dunlap and I know he's a capable fellow When the old man died recently, Reggie took over the business He's done a good job with it so far Well, what's causing all these accidents and so many men getting the bends? I don't know But I'll bet some group is trying to undermine Reggie It's a thickly situation for the commissioner Yes, I can see it is He wants to favor his prospective son-in-law Yet he can't disregard the dangerous situation that exists Excuse me, Danny, there's someone out front in the store Yeah, it's only me, Doc Well, hello, Mike Hello, come on back in the laboratory Danny's here Hello, Mike Hello, Danny, I was looking for you There, there's trouble over at the Mid-City Tunnel And we've been assigned to investigate Okay, I'll be right with you Anybody hurt, Mannegan? Yeah, I think Mr. Dunlap himself was hurt Reggie Dunlap? I think so Come on, Mike, Reggie's a friend of mine So long, Doc, see you later You're looking for someone, officer? Yes, Mr. Reginald Dunlap My name is Stanley I'm the night superintendent Mr. Dunlap is in the airlock being decompressed Can I see him? I'm afraid not Not at the moment What happened? Mr. Dunlap was down in the tunnel inspecting the work Got word that his fiancee, Miss Morrison, had been thrown from the horse while riding in the city park He immediately rushed to the service air without spending enough time in the decompression chamber He got a severe attack on the bends Well, I'd like to see him I'm a personal friend of his In a half hour, perhaps He's back in the decompression chamber I see Was Miss Morrison hurt by the fall? A broken arm, I believe She's at City Hospital Oh, thanks, Mr. Stanley I'll take a run over there and drop back here in half an hour What's he doing, Danny? Drive me over to the city hospital, Mike Miss Morrison's been injured Can't see Dunlap for half an hour He's being treated for the bends Oh, bends isn't it? That's what them tunnel workers get hated Yes Well, what causes it, Danny? Well, in order to keep the rock and mud from falling in And crushing the tunnel workers, or sand hogs, as they're called Compressed air has to be forced into the tunnel Until the air pressure against the sides and roof of the tunnel Is as great as the pressure of the riverbed And water above the tunnel Yeah, they can understand that But pressure may vary from 40 to 60 pounds to the square inch Oh, that must be tough on those sand hogs It is Normal atmospheric pressure at sea level Is only 15 pounds to the square inch And that's what the human body's accustomed to Yes, go on When the men go on the job They spend a certain amount of time in the compression chamber Called an airlock While in the airlock The air pressure is gradually increased To a point where it equals the pressure in the tunnel The men are then able to pass directly into the tunnel They see a charge of conditioning them, huh? That's right Well, what about when they come out? Well, that takes longer If the men aren't properly decompressed Before they come out into normal air pressure Paralysis and even death may result Well, here we are at the hospital, Danny Good, wait for me, Mike I'll only be a few minutes Okay, but if you see any good-looking nurses Just tell them that Mike Madigan has a car of his own You'll find Miss Morrison in that room right there Thank you, nurse Yes Oh, what is it, officer? Something happened to Mr. Dunlap Now, don't worry, Miss Morrison Nothing serious has happened I happened to be an old college mate of Reggie's And I heard you were here Oh I wanted to ask you a few questions about your accident Will you help me? Oh, of course I will I'll do everything I can to help Reggie Well, now, tell me what happened to you Well, I was riding along the bridal path In City Park when suddenly a man Dashed out from behind some bushes Waving his hands and shouting My horse shied and started to run away I stepped off my saddle and fell That's all I know until I came to Here in the hospital with a broken arm Now, tell me Do you often take that same ride? And at the same time? Well, yes Almost every day, if the weather is clear Why? Oh, nothing Well, I've got to hurry back and see Reggie, Miss Morrison Now, don't you worry anymore Just take it easy and let that arm of yours set I'm going to find the answer To these mysterious accidents Well, Danny, what are you going to do with those old clothes? Put them on over my blue beetle chain armor Going to a party disguised as a disguise? No, doc See before you, patrolman Dan Garrett Elias the blue beetle? Elias a sandhog in the mid-city tunnel job Aren't you afraid you'll be discovered? I have to take that chance What did you learn today? Now, many things, doc I learned from Reggie when I could talk with him That he's not altogether satisfied with this New nighttime superintendent he has You mean Stanley? Yes Stanley's an experienced man, isn't he? Yes, and he came recommended by a friend of Miss Morrison What about Miss Morrison's accident? I think that was planned with the hope that Reggie would come rushing up out of the tunnel As soon as he got the news And be incapacitated by an attack of the bin? Yes Well, what are you going to do? Go to work as a sandhog Keep my ears and eyes open But your identity Does Dunlop know you're doing this? He asked me to help him solve this case I told him it might prove embarrassing For his future father-in-law If word got around that a member of the city police force Was working as a special investigator For the Dunlop Company So? So I told him I was very close to the Blue Beetle And I was sure I could persuade him to take the case Very ingenious Reggie got me a union card and a note to Stanley I'm to start work tonight Anything you need, Danny This is going to be dangerous work I like a shot of your secret 2x formula May prove useful if I get into any trouble underground You shall have it Anything else? Not tonight Well, so long, doc The Blue Beetle will crawl underground tonight Instead of fly But his nippers will be just as sharp You're new on this job, ain't you? Yeah You want to Stanley's men? I was hired by Mr. Dunlop What difference does it make? Plenty The men Stanley's hired are out for no good They're troublemakers What do you mean? I've worked with some of them before They're always brought in when somebody wants to slow up a job They're nothing more than gangsters Who hired you? Young Dunlop's old man What about all these accidents? Blowouts and cave-ins There he is now Look out, trouble ahead Don't let him get you into a fight, they'll kill you Let him try it He's a spy And you guys are spies of many Yeah, let's get him off of this job Merck, too Yeah, let's get them folks Hey, you What's your name? Slud, do you Oh, yeah? Well, Slud, do you How do you like that? Well, how do you like that? Oh, get him, Joe, get him with that ticket Wait till I finish the work here Oh, yeah, that'll be never a month How do you like them potatoes? Where'd he go? Come on, there's a boy Come on, let's get in Hey, look, that guy's hat fell off He's got a blue steel hood on his head Hey, it's the Blue Beetle The Blue Beetle Yes, the Blue Beetle And he's going to burn you with his magic rage No, no, not in here You're going to blow us all a kingdom coming Oh, that thing's on here And the boss Who is this man in the strange mask? It's the Blue Beetle The Blue Beetle Who sent you here? Blue Beetle flies wherever crime and crooks congregate Well, there are no crooks here They were snubbing around with pike there, boys Perk? Yeah Go up to the office to get your money Take this Blue Beetle with you Well, now listen, Mr. Stanley I ain't done... Get in the compression chamber there Okay You too, Blue Beetle Well, let me see your masquerading face around here again I have a feeling you and I will meet again, Mr. Stanley After the Blue Beetle finishes his investigation Shut the door, baby He's wise, are you? Don't worry When he gets out of that compression chamber Neither he nor Burke will ever be able to tell what they know or suspect You've never had the bends, Blue Beetle But you're going to have them now permanently What will happen to the Blue Beetle In the compression chamber in the tunnel beneath the Great River? Will Stanley's quick decompression of the air in the chamber Kill or permanently paralyze the Blue Beetle? These questions will be answered in the next episode Of the Blue Beetle The Blue Beetle is a copyrighted box feature Appearing in Mystery Men Comics magazine And the Blue Beetle magazine The Blue Beetle is on the air twice a week on this same station Consult the broadcast schedule in your local newspapers And don't forget to listen in to The Blue Beetle