It was later reported that sensitive instruments recorded seismic vibrations as much as 500 miles away. At 300 miles, observers heard deafening bangs and witnessed a fiery cloud on the horizon. About 100 miles from the explosion, the object was seen in the cloudless, daytime sky as a brilliant, sun-like fireball attended by roaring noises. At distances around 20 miles, people were thrown to the ground or even knocked unconscious. Windows were shattered and dishes knocked off shelves. Probably the closest observers were some reindeer herders asleep in their tents in several camps about 20 miles from the site. They were blown into the air and knocked unconscious. Everything around was cloaked in smoke and fog from the burning fallen trees. Because the object exploded up in the atmosphere, instead of hitting the ground, it left no crater. The effect on the ground was limited to devastation of a large forest area. At ground zero, tree branches were stripped, leaving trunks standing up. But at distances from roughly three out to ten miles, the trees were blown over, lying with tops pointed away from the blast. No witness was known to have been this close to the blast. The closest humans were probably herders camped in tents roughly twenty miles from ground zero. This phenomenon was reported in all the major newspaper in the civilized world. At the time we suspected it was the infernal weapon that devil Moriarty had created, but we had no way of confirming that is was not just a natural occurrence from a meteor as reported by the press. We knew that Moriarty’s device was on a Zeppelin headed for the Russian east coast. After the horrendous explosion at the munitions factory, Watson and I suspected some terrible accident had accidentally set it off. Instead we received a report through the European agents that had been relayed from inside Russia. It turns out that Jack Grimm had decided not only to sabotage the device, but also felt it imperative to terminate the entire scientific team that could reconstruct the weapon after the prototype had been destroyed. He felt a premature discharge and fowling the detonation would bring down the Zeppelin and all in it. He apparently had no idea the full magnitude of the explosion. I am sure he waited until they were out over the wilderness; they had quite an expanse of rough country to traverse. Jack had secretly contacted one of his top agents in Germany while the Zeppelin had loaded its precious cargo and had him illegitimately infiltrate onto the Zeppelin at their last refueling stop before their cross continent flight. The agent, Gustav Schwarz, was actually a double agent in the Prussian secret police. He had had been able to concoct a message that just had to be delivered to the Zeppelin commander before the trip continued. It instructed him to be included on the voyage. The way the command was communicated, there would be no likelihood that the orders could be verified. The signature had been faked, and could not be verified before they left. He had been able to sneak aboard a quantity of dynamite in his luggage that he brought aboard with him. He had also brought aboard two guns with silencers. Later that night as the Zeppelin was deep into Russia, he was able to sneak off and meet with Jack in Jack’s compartment. They conspired to break into the cargo hold and set off charges they would put on the device. They would have to wait until the crew and scientist had settled into a routine, out over the wilderness when they would lower their guards. The trip would take days as they traveled as a maximum speed of 45 mph, and had to cover over 3000 miles from their last fueling in Germany to their destination near Vladivostok in Russia. The transport by airship was the only secure way to transport the super weapon, as rail service was not continuously dependable. The British Navy ruled the oceans, and if they had advanced notice of a sea rout, they would surely intercept any ship and plunder the device. As it was, fuel supplies had to be pre positioned across Russia in backward towns unaccustomed to motorized vehicles. Gustav and Jack decided to act early in the morning on the fourth day, before too many people went about daily activities. Gustav carried the dynamite suitcase while Jack kicked the door open into the cargo hold. He saw two guards and one scientist who was apparently checking on the delicate instruments attached to the device. He rapidly with precise aim, shot both guards and dropped the scientist with a head shot and he was ducking behind the instruments. He put two more headshots in the guards to make sure they didn’t disturb Gustav as he set up the explosives. Gustav was ordered by Jack to use a parachute and jump ship immediately. Jack would have to set the explosive off himself as he discharged the weapon and jammed its complex double firing sequence. Jack gave him a small notebook and letter. He said the notebook was to be delivered to Mycroft and letter to Sherlock Holmes. He shook Gustav’s hand and slapped his back. He then returned to his task as Gustav left the cargo hold for one of the rear hatches on back of the Zeppelin.