New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-04-19

Eerally understood that that town would be
the next one hit. s.s..z..
we have to 20 in balloon"
And make it they did. In less than q
week this indomitable engineer had carried
his moving caravan over slues and branches
across bottoms and along divides and
pitched his tents in the very heart Of Stones
Landing.
"Well, I'll be dashed" was heard the
CHEEKY voice Of Mr.. Thompson, as he stepped
outside the tent door at sunrise next morn
ing. IF this don't get me. / say, you,
GEayson, get you out your sighting iron and
see if you can find old Sellers town. Blame
| me. if we wouldn't have run plumb by it if
| twilight had held on little longer. Oh
boys, get up and see the city. There's a
steam boat inst coming around the bend;'
| and JEFF rOared with laughter. "The mayOr'L
be round here to breakfast"
| The description of Stones Landing has a
rival only in Martin Chuzzlewit's Eden;
but of the river JEFF said:
This, gentlemen, is Columbia river, alias
| Goose run. If it was widenedx and deep
ened. and Strengthened, and made long
enough, it would be one Of the finest rivers
| III the Western country"
Well said Mr.. Thompson, moving to-
Stones Landing sure; move we take
drink on it all round"
The proposal met with universal favor.
JET gave prosperity to Stones Landing and
navigation to Goose run, and the toast was
washed down with gusto, and with the re-
turn compliment that railroad was good
thing and JEFF Thompson was no SLOUGH.
The railroad, Of course, collapsed, and
JEFF appears to have had pretty fair idea
OF it's condition at the start. He did bis
duty, and run that straight line over
Goose run," caring little whether any one
else run straight or not.
Mr.. Harry Briefly drew his paw as an en-
glneer while he was living at the City Hotel,
in Hawkeye. Mr.. Thompson had been Kind
enough TO say that it didn't make any off
ference whether he was with the corps or
not.
Through more than a score of pages orr
friend jeff crops out, but as the railroad
vauishes into speculative air, so does he. |
We confess the only pleasure we have had |
in reading the book is watching to see him |
turn up with his surveying instruments and |
jug, even though they are called By such
names as Colonel Sellers gives them.
Nov then-there you are! It's beau
tiful road, beautiful. JEFF Thompson can
outengineer any civil engineer that ever
sighted through an averoid or a theodolite,
or whatever they call THE calls it some
times the one and sometimes the other
Just whichever levels of his sentence neatest.
l reckon. But amt it ripping road.
though? l tell you it'll make stir when
it gets along"
The Colonel lays off the road on the table
with skeins of thread to represent Goose
run, and says:
''And just look at that. river-noblest
stream that meanders over the thirsty earth!
,almest, gentlest artery that refreshes her
weary bosom! Railroad goes all over it and
III through it-wades right along on stills
bridges in three miles and a |
-nine bridges from Hark- from
he-Tomb to Stones Landing altogether
orty niue bridges and culverts enough TO
ulvert creation itself Hain't skeins of
bread enough to represent them all-but !
'ou got the idea-perfect trestle work of
ridges for seventy-twO miles. JEFF Thomp-
on and fixed all that, you know; he's TO
,et the contracts, and I'm to put them |
trough on the divide. It's the only part OF |
be road I'm interested in-down along the
ne-and it's all Lwant, too. It's enough, l
hould judge"
The sketches OF Congressman, trial of
aura for murder of her deciver, pictures !
f judges and lobbyists and descriptive
assages at arms in Congress are dull
nough to be true, and with the account of i
hat the natives Of Stones Landing thought q
the enterprise, we take leave of JEFF:
Good morning, gentlemen called out ,
ne chief engineer from the table. ,
Good morning. drawled out the spokes- !.
ian Of the party IL allow this yer's the :
abroad; hern it was a-cOmin'" !,
Yes this is the railroad, all but the rails :,
nd the iron horse.'
II reckon you kin git all the rails YOU a
ant outen my white oak timber over thar" n
eplied the first speaker, who appeared to v
Q man of property, and willing to strike a
p trade.
you'll have to negotiate with the con-
actors about the rails, sir'' said jeff a
Here's Mr.. Briefly, I've no doubt would 9
he to buy your rails when the time COMES" q
"Oh," said the man, II thought maybe q
Du'd fetch the whole biin along with YOU. >
ut eft you want rails, I've got 'em, haint l, "
phi 7" a
''Heaps." said Eph, without taking his II
7es off the group at the table.
The next morning the camp moved on, =
llowed till it was out of sight by the list, u
So eyes of the group in front Of the store, te
le Of whom remarked that "he'd be dog u
med if he ever expected to see that rail- VI
ad any mo-" 81