The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-02
An Engineering Problem.

A railroad corporation solved the prob
lem which had been vexing Mr. Hitler
for over two years, says the Chicago Rec
ord Mr. Hitler lives in one of the out
lying suburbs-one of those towns where
they have trees and where a COW is oc-
casionally seen in the fields Off to the
west.
When Mr. Hifffer bought his house he
thought it was just right. But one night,
when they had lived there six months.
Mrs. Hitler suggested that they go down
cellar and see what was the matter with
the battery of the electric door bell. They
looked around for the cellar door for about
five minutes, and then Mr.. Hitler went
outside with a lamp and peered under the
house, opening the small window in the
foundation to do SO. To his intense sur
prise, he found there was no cellar
The absence of a cellar had never been
noticed before by the Hiffiers. who had
lived in city flats all their lives, but now
it was painfully manifest. They decided
that they must have one. For what pur-
pose they did not know, but it seemed 10
them thai it was due to their dignity as
a family to have a cellar just the same.
And, talking it over, they came to the
conclusion that they would move the house
a little further toward the inside line of
the lot, as Il was now but fifteen feet
from the sidewalk while a big tract eighty
feet broad was simply hungering to be
dug into a cellar and to have the house
rest on its bosom.
But a new proposition was introduced
on further investigation. Mr.. Hitler had
bought a sturdy young tree for $15 and
had planted it close up to the side of the
house so that to move the structure SEEM
ed impossible as the tree was not a willow
and was, besides, too big to bend over.
The Hitfiers had never owned tree before,
and they did not know how to manage this
one. They would go out of an evening
and look at thu tree growing so hand
somely, and they would gaze as the piece
of ground over there, where they had in
tended to build the cellar. Then they
would discuss the engineering difficulties
of lifting the two-story house over the
tree or the enormous expense of hauling
it around the block and sneaking il up
the back way in the surreptitous manner
so that the tree might not know about it,
Mr.. Hifier drew plans and made calcula>
tons. But somehow they could not find
any way out the trouble.
The other day Mr.. Hif1er was riding in
on the Northwestern train, and, happen
ing 20 look out OF the window after the
train had left Ciybourn, he saw a new
track in course on construction.
Whats that for?' he asked Mr. Ken
nedy, who works in the Northwestern Of
fees
Putting in new track from the depot
to the junction to accommodate the fast
trains" so they won't have 10 use these
rails we're on the railroad man told him.
Mr.. Hitler kept his eyes on those newly
laid rails as one fascinated Within one
block he saw they were going to run slam
bang through the watch towers, cut the
east leg of a signal bridge, carom against
sixty feet of platform, plunge into for
est of switchstands and bunt square up
against a vaduct abuntment. Further on
a tool house, the end of a brick freight
warehouse eight more towers and a com
pleXity of switches were in the line of the
new track.
Say" he said. How about that?
Won't it be a kind of kinky track if they
have TO go around all those things?"
1T would be if they were to do it, but
they won't" Mr. Kennedy replied
why whatl they do? They can't go
over EN- or under en-"
Tear EN- out. Tear EN- out Drag 'em
off. When a railroad company starts to
build line it doesn't consult the con-
venience of the landscape
Mr.. Hitler thought about it all day Yes
it was plain. Decision, firmness, the will
ingness to destroy in order to build better
that is what makes a successful mana
ger.
Tomorrow he said to his wife, after
they had moved out to the rocking chairs
on the front porch, "the men will be here
to cut down that tree, and the next day
they will move the house,