The Stratemeyer syndicate used the pseudonym Victor Appleton when writing several series for boys including Tom Swift. Edward Stratemeyer did the original outlines for the series, which was published between 1910 and 1941. Tom Swift was a genius inventor. He specialized in technology especially related to transportation. Later the series was followed by the Tom Swift Jr. series. Tom is approached by the Titus Brothers Company to help them blast a tunnel through the Andes Mountains in Peru. The site is primitive and the workforce is made up of a small number of white overseers and a large number of native laborers. During construction, they unearth an ancient city that was somehow buried in a hollow space in the mountain. .