Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-11-21
Tuo.or.wAR.
A Pail All Together" at the Rail
road Shops

road Shops.
/ Strong men against strong me
pounds against pounds, endurance
against endurance.
| Tucson had tug-of-war last night.
Tucson does not always lead in fashions
but it can out-do the seat Of the fashions
| it follows as Amply proven yesterday
evening at the railroad shops.
The talk Of the shops for q week past
has turned always, no matter on what 1t
had begin, on a proposed "tug-ot- war"
after the contests in San Francisco.
descriptions of which led to the pull ana
furnished pointers" for the contestants.
1t was easily organized. They have re-
representatives. of various nations at the
shops, but not enough to pit Germans
against Scotchmen or IrIshmen again
American. 1t was just planned to In
clude every nation-except Chinese
and form all in two crews, the "round
house men" and the machine shops"
men. In fact the CITIZEN intimsted the
division of the crews two or three days
ago.
The time was set for as soon as con-
venient after the whistle blew. The
scene Of the contest Vas inside the
track of switch adjacent tc the shops;
the accommodations for the audience
was standing room alongside the track
and the press gallery was the top of a
box car conveniently near.
Up and down the track for fifty yards
the contestants were ranged. Every
man had grasp Of the Iop,-and not
on knots or anything that might make
an advantageous grIp-that was moi
there to be looseled, The struggle was
TO pull handkerchief that.had probab
ly originally been red over one or the
other of two marks six feet apart.
The stakes were not enormous neith-
er were there prizes OF great moment
TO lead to merceuary motives. The gate
mo3ey might have gone to winners had
there been any ga:es and il the onlook-
ers had any money. but such considera-
tions were not before them. 1t was for
glory, pure and simple.
THE BATTLE IS ON.
At 4:35 o'clock there could be seen de- |
termination under the laughing, work |
oesmirched faces OF twenty men along |
the fifty yards OF rope aforementioned,
the machine shop men were the lighter |
geights-except their anchor man away |
down the track. there to keep the rope |
from tanglIng, should his comrades pull |
tor fast. Every man was ready.
Nov them"
Certainly they did pull. First it was a
lead center. Both sides laid back and
both captains yelled. Truly it was
tug-of-wer, Of pounds, of strength and of
endurance. Two minutes and 1t was SO.
Then pounds told for the roundhouse
men and 1T gave them confidence when
their captain cheerfully informed
them of it and they started in. right
there to win. In fact they rather over
lid themselves at this point. That req
handkerchief began moving towards
Sam Porter and his Juggling men from
the roundhouse at rate that prom
ised short "tug."
A long hard pull from the other d.
rection.
The handkerchief stopped, then 1t
bobbed up and down, but it did not
move either way. Three minutes hao
passed. The round house men hoped
to win by tugglng and by sudden pulls,
and the other crew contented themselves
with holding their own.
1t WAS jolly crowd of spectators. A
railroad crowd pre- emeniently, and
chiefly OF the shops. r. undhouse EN-
ployees We're there to encourage Por-
;er's crew and wish them the SUCCESS,
and machinists were there to wish the
crew unGer young Kilt the glory o. win
lIng. They cheered. They yelled.
They drowned the captains voices and
they encroached on the area between
them and their crews. They took
sides, though many were quite willing
to go over to the machinists-when they
oegan to win.
For that is what happened newt.
The heavier crew had ceased to gain,
and though tie rope went up and down |
and even sawed slightly it made almost
no progress, Hitherto the machine |
shop force had been on the defensive |
entirely and so they yet continued for |
a minute or two.
Then superior pounds and about ev-
emily matched strength gave way to en-
durance, The machine shops men had |
uOG OOHo Tue lRubluS duQ were Iosb Ia
tigued. They began to gain. How the
,artsins did yell and swing their hats,
and how the crowd cheered. The ma
cninists seemed to lean back only. They |
did not jerk, comparatively speaking, |
their pulling being quite steady. 1t
was pull for life and the rcundhouse |
men continued to follow the rope as six |
inches, a foot, two feet-over the line it |
went, at 4:42.
The machine shops crew had won. |
Their anchor man was kept very busy |
keeping the ropes from tangling at the |
last.
MORE TO COME, |
The ends not yet. The machinists !
may hold their hard won laurels but |
they also may no.. Two more contests,
ond this evening and one tomorrow are
arrsigned. The blacksmlths of the shops |
will place q crew against the winners
and that contest will be arranged soon.