St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-07
RUMBLE OF THE RAILS.
How Col Thompson, of the Mobile & Ohio,
scooped COMPETITOR on Con-
tract.
While the Competitor is Taking Laugh
ing Gas Thompson Goes Out and
Catches On.
The Manitoba Preliminary Survey
Rapidly Pushing For Fort Ben
ton in Northern NJ ontana.
Automatic Couplers Needed on
Freight Cars ' ar1ous POINTERS
Caught On the Fly.

On the Milwaukee road yesterday was
special car that contained an immensely
happy party of men and woman. The
party, thirty-tive in number, came from
Chicago. and were EN- route to Portland,
Ore. 1t was the Thompson Dramatic COM
pany. under the management OF Col. w. A.
Thompson, manager of the casino theater,
Chicago. The colonel is making very
long jump, as he will not show between
Chicago and the Pacific coast, where he
will open an engagement OF twenty weeks
i'm the Casino theater at Portland, Ore. The
party stopped in st. Paul and dined at the
Merchants, leaving in their special car at
4 o'clock D. M. over the Northern Pacific
road. COL Thompson, who Is one of the
most genial companions that man
ever had, is an eX-railrOader and when he
was in the service. history has it, he was
hard to beat when 1t came to the question
of hustling for business. Several years
ago he was holding down the position of
contracting freight agent on the Mobile u
Ohio railroad, and competition was rather
sharp at that time. There was a contract
ing agent of an opposition line who was
hustler from the word go, as thompson eX-
presses it, and w. A. was kept very busy
inYenting schemes to get even with his
shrewd competitor 1t happened one
day that a certain man who had lot OF
freight to ship south, was about to come to
the city on certain day and Thompson.
and Jenkins, his competitor, were laying
for him. Thompson lay awake the night
before to devise some plan whereby he
might Guido Jenkins. but he failed
TO strike one and he went down town
= in hlf
all amiable mood. The merchant was
10 reach the city about noon. A little after
II o'clock Thompson met Jenkins Oh the
street corner. jenkins was holding his
face in his hand and wore a downcast look.
whats the matter, old boyY' SAID Ihomp-
son, pounding jenkins on the back.
HI OF a tOothache," replied jenkins.
well that tough" said Thompson, ''but
a man II stand lot of that sort OF thing be-
fore he'll have one pulled.
''You bet I've got tue sand to have it
pulled" said Jenkins.
Thompson laughed. and, reaching down
into his pocket, drew out a $40 bill, ana,
holding il up under Jenk.n 5 Hose, SAID: II IL
bet YOU SO to SIS, Jenkins. that you haven't
got the sand to go right now and have that
tooth pulled"
Jenkins looked at his watch. He had in
mind the merchant and his goods. He had
half all hour vet. plenty OF time. and,
dropping his watch into his pocket. he
said
IN take you, Thompson. Where WI
we go?''
up here said Thompson. leading the way
up a stairway to dentists office.
This dentist was a friend of Thompson's
and he had a scheme. They reached the
Office, and when Jenkins had taken seat
in the chair Thompson winked at the den
tst and got a chance to whisper few
words in his ear. jenkins insisted on TAX
ing laughing gas. and it was gwen him.
When he was we'll under the influence of it
Thompson said to the dentist:
Keep him there, old boy, about twenty
minutes. and III give you $40 note. I've
lost my bet with him, but I'll knock him
out on ketting that contract for shipping
that stuff" and he flew down stairs. He
found the merchant made a contract with
him and got back to the dentiSt'p office Just
as Jenkins was recovering f ON the effects
of the laughing gas The dentist put on a
long face and told him he was the hardest
subject tn handle with gas that he ever saw,
and congratulated him on not havingsdied
the chair. jenkins looked at his watch
and skipped down stairs and to the hotel
where the merchant was stopping. OF
course ne got the cOIu uedl. Out lle never
suspected that Thompson had anything TO
do with his being detained in the dentists
chair. Thompson made several hundred
dollars for his road by the deal
Henned for Fort Benton.
The Manitoba road survey is rapidly
beng pushed towards Fort Benton. The
party is under the charge Of Mr.. Barclay,
who was chief engineer Of the Gait road.
Mr.. Roberts. who headed the Northern
Pacific surveying party that ran line
from Billings to Fort Benton several years
ago. is also with the party. The surveyors
are about seventy-fve miles from the city
now, and are not only making preliminary
survey, but are actually locating the road.
The country through which they are push
ing is most favorable to railroad building,
and their progress towards Fort Benton
will be rapid They will reach that point
in few weeks, and the Fort Benton citi-
zens are preparing to give them warm re-
ceptiOn.
Automatic COuP!ers Needed.