Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-11-26

"Witho ut the wonderful marrow gauge
This gauge the rage Of this fortunate age"
The "Bill-rfck-er" part did see,
And those who saw II did well agree,
on fair and full examination,
Nothing ike It In all creation"
1.-THE Bflt-ertca," part did say,
ave saw, and oh, twas Our happest dayi"
Now, though these wise and noble sages
saw these different narrow gauges
Ut happening, In some way or other,
That some Viewed one and some anotheT),
Yet with one accord they did confess:
THE two-feet gauge IA a complete success;
In this wonderful world OF wonders,
This world Of lghtnings and Of thunders,
Such wond'rous wonder ne'er hath been
AS the wonderful thing we have seen.
Without inspection, the saRest sage
Could not, In this or In any age,
Gauge right his views Of the narrow gauge;
But we have seen H. and now proclai
Smaller engines, Of lesser weight,
VIII draw longer trains OF heavier freight
Al less expense, by far, ,.indeed
More safely, too, at greater speed,
Round sharper curves, on lighter rails
FASTENED down with smaller spikes and nails.
Make travellers ride, whene'er they please,
Up sleeper grades with greater ease
Than can be done on broader gauge
With all the skill OF the present age
with mighter power will plow the shows
That pile so deep when BOreas blows,
And In shorter time more work will do
Than bigger engines can carry through.
This Is the road the tribes do need,
And the thorOughfare they want, indeed"
And then was planned, as part Of the war,
tro-ieet gauge for the rumbng car.
Now all seemed ready-but no, not quite
Contractors, too, must be IN the hight.
30 Harris Brothers were taken in"
That they might take the Company
Ready, twas thought, for war and din,
with zeal and courage to die or win.
But now, alasi was heard strange advice
Twas no doubt the Evil ones device
For there WAS plauned-AQd the plan WAS new
thTee.feet gauge In the place Of tieo.
ye Directors ''blunderinsp meni
Why changed ye the original plan9
Sad mistake | oh did ye not fOresee
The fearful nat about to be-
The dread, Interchangeable decree
Of the infalllble &. n. d.
How that foreyermOre II shall be
Unlawful to lay rails three
Feet apart, when all did understand
Ttro feet was the measure We had planned.
Sad sadi Oh, had ye this fOreseen
And made no change, happy all had beenl
But the change was made, and war WAS Waged I;
All along the line the battle ragged.
The greenOack forces, from hour TO hour,
And day after day, showed forth their power;
Twas only by them that use was made
Of each war weapon-sledRe, pick or spade.
The struggle was urged with WOndrous zeal;
Some thought for woe, but the most for veal:
General T. having full command,
With Chief Engineer sometimes at hand,
And the contractors ready TO stand
Dy Dul reh0ltT-tnG ANUS SAD
To stand by wished-fOr pronts, instead.
Courage nlled the hearts OF all good friends
Courage that hoped-for victory lends
When 10 alas TO their sudden grief
Lamentable newb, beyond belief,
Upon their ears did fan, and sadness
Their he arts did Nil In place OF RladnesB.
The tidlngs travelled through rank and nle,
And swift they sped for many mile:
Tbs long iron ralis-too bad tits sad -
The Tails-the iron-cannot be had.
Needed WeaDOug abOuf fail
NauRht now is there that will avail us;
We can, MS Clear, no longer rely on
The Ddnrt!le-ains that promised the iron.
The market changes, and they're afraid
II will be for them losing trade
To stand 10 the bargain they have made;
So they turn about TO ind excuse,
And for such an end begin abuse
Of the railroad men. Alas = say they,
Grave doubts have we about the pay
II we send the rails along that way
1.-THE reason they say It Is very plain
The Windham monarch has taken his pen,
nis mighty pen once, twice, and again,
Has cruelty exposed these railroad men.
Done, tis Supposed, at his good pleasure,
AS RfJOrm( (eT)AtoTy measure,
TO reform the ways, by this new pan.
The devious ways OF all the men
Who have 10 do In anywise
With carrying through the enterprise.
And, too, ranting railers do rant and rail,
And fierce assailants do loud assail,
And hoRlers howl like q storm OF hail;
Sorrowful walters do much bewall,
The chlcken-heArted grow very pale;
And all, the sick, the weak, the well and hale,
And the old aud young, cry out: 'Of no avail
Are your Ryails, ye cant prevail,
Ye cant prevail and the thing viii fail
For the want OF rails and YEN entail,
Forever entail, on our children,
And then on our children's children,
And their children and children's children,
| A cruel debt, which TO the judgment day
They can never, neUsr, NEVER pay
And, what Is more, stlll again appear
The sages OF prophetic vision,
Who claim to speak with great sion,
And tauntingly they do deride us
| For the grieyOus Ills that now betide us.
Say they: 'Ye nash and headstrong fellows,
Ie might as well hang on the gallOws.
Your fondest hopes, where now are theyf
| And promised ylctOry--come, tell US, pray.
The direst results we did foreknow
| Would come TO pass, and oft told you SO;
| But listen ye would not, for hearts perVerse,
| And fast weLt on from bad 10 worse.
TO fearful pass ye now are brought;
| In your own nice net are firmly caught.
That ye may escape still further harm,
We aloud do cry our last alarm.
"such ominous words do greet our ears,
So that we eXclaim, with doubts and fears:
| Must We now thus suffer sore defeat,
Aud this sad reverse be called to meet,
Just as the foe Is about to yield,
| Surrender TO us the entire held
| The two hundred thousand nearly gone,
| Perished In the conflict, one by onef
| OF lack Of weapons at the proper seasoni
Surely not but this we first will do
Into winter quarters we now will 90
| And hibernate, and in the opening spring
| A happier song we then shall sing;
| For oh, as surely as shines the sun,
The rails VIII come, and the work go on T."
But, as Winter stretched his icy hand
| Ger the hills and wales aud all the land,
| The hopes OF the tribes, twas very p ain,
| Already waning, yet more did wane;
| For they came 70 feel not rails alone
| Would now win the fight they'd almost won.
| Fresh greenback forces must 10 the neld
Before the foe could be forced 10 yield.
| But these new fOrces-Where could they
| BE found, TO enlist without delay7
| For every greenback the tribes possessed,
| And that could be gained had been pressed
| Into the service long time before.
The Directors then their troubles sore
Did reyolye, and thought them DER and o'er,
| These troubles that troubled more aud more;
| And the only plan they could devise,
Which seemed TO them both good and wise,
Was TO Join to the tribes strong ally
| That could the tribes then well supply
With the greenback forces fresh aud new,
And rails, and the other weapons, too.
| Now two mighty powers were In the land,
| Each OF 20 cd report aud near at hand,
And each well knoWn throughout the nation
| As company or corporation.
| The one, q, X. X. by railroad men
| Was styled the other, the N. l.. N.
Now the q. X. r., some loud did cry,
''Will be for the tribes the best ally
| That can be found !" but, again and again,
Others said: "The best is N. L. N"
Now, one 81 there was, and he was known
| As Valley King OF great renOwn,
| Whose simple word, as all men now,
Was the law complete, ana gospel, tooi
And he seemed to think tue -" In 81
Was greater than any other 1.
| One day said 81 to General T:
"Ths great matter leave you now 20 me;
Trust me well, and be you not afraid
For I'll bring TO you good aly's aid,
And on better terms than can be done
By yourself or any other one"
How much twas left, in any way,
To him to arrange, we do not say;
But there's no doubt that, with shTeWdest art,
He cunnlngly played a double part,
| For he genial p almost betrayed
By these cunning arts he so well played.
But General =, (and this is true)
Was at last the shrewder OF the two,
For tits said one day, while Silas dozed,
| The General an alliance closed
| With N. L. N, much 10 Sis chagHn,
Who thought, indeed, he'd been taken In.