The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-05

gested a sudden separation of a rusteo
length during high wind.
The view from one side was marreo
by the intervening low, rambling
buildings OF the boarding camp in the
near foreground. with rows of bright
hued articles of wearing apparel strung
on lines along the wall to dry. Up the
right of way of the canal Immensely
tall steel derrickS lowered high in the
air, and the spiderweb ironwork OF
ponderouS rock conveyorS stood IN
sharp relief against the sky when the
days was clear. From the excavation
the smoke from hosting engines, and
farther away. from overworked steam
shovels, hung in a cloud over the land.
Now and then the dull boom of blast
was heard. and a mass of rock shot
up into the air-another step was made
toward the completion of the contract
for sec. Z.
Men Observation-Disclosures of them
along the twenty odd miles Of the
drainage canal-and 81 0G0, 900 worth of
machinery worked hand in hand day
and night. By night the immediate vi
cinity of the scene of operations was
bright with the glare of electric lamps
Of pOwerfut suffering kerosene
torches.
BY night. too. the vicinity OF the
boarding shaclls was made lurid by the
bUiSterouS carvings on of rough work
ers. On pay nights that awful ten
dency overlooked and a nights carous-
ing ended in broken heads and bruised
faces. Sometimes the Unborn vicious
ness oc a few guided the actions of the
many, and the plant and belongings Of
the contractors suffered
The Mcdonald outfit at the time had
on their section nearly 800 men. as dis
reputable a lot OF navvies as ever
swung a shovel. OF these there were old
=
or fifty, mostly skilled workers, with q
few common laborers who followed the
company about the country from one
job TO another. Every land that breeds
men that can do 4 hard Gays work was
repres enUed. There were Italians. Poles
Lithsanians and other-ians from the
same garlic-eating, benighted district,
Scotch engineers and stone-setters,
Scandinavian Triggers. handy with a
rope, Irish driilerS and foremen. Ca
nucllS from down Quebec way and ne
groes. y few had dependent families in
far-oT homes and saved their money;
the majority threw it up in the air by
the second night after pay night at the
farthest.
At the end OF . wet. sloppy Monday
IN September the day shift was congre-
gated in and about the little office.
while the bookkeeper. behind a wire
screen pursued his welcome bi-weekly
occupation Of passing out the yellow
pay envelopes 10 the men as they called
of their numbers. Outside a continual
drilling rain fell upon the crowd. and
the moisture trickled from their cloth
ing to the greasy mud pool on the floor
in front of the railing
Standing back of the boukkeeper,
watching the operation of paying off.
was the company's superintendent.
David McKeon, a bulky, weather-tan-
Gilman WIN.
nor man. His fist was like a sleIge-
hammer and his voice could be heard
half way across the section. A younger
man. not so heavy. but as tall. leaned
against the desk. His strong. beardIess
features also bore the tan of sun and
wind. y little felt crush hat covered
his head. the brim drawn down into a
spout from which the water dripped
llnaoticed down his front A long,
black rubber coat, literally splashed
with mud. covered his form and hung
away in front disclosing a good breadth
Of chest and a muscular frame High
laced russell boots reached almost to
the knees. the canal mud clinging in
quantity TO their soles.
His name was Imrie-John L. Imrie
and he. in the capacity of assistant
superintendeut, divided with McKeon
the responsibility for the success of the
operations on section T.
Now, success, plainly speaking is
r,rofif-profit for old Donald Mcdonald
s4e employs some sharp people in the
home office who are good at figures.
and who know very soon when a Job
is running short. and are not back
ward in writing to tht superintendent
to that effect. And profit. plainly speak
ing. is the sweat of the brow of the
man on the payroll. Thereto. il be-
hooves a good superintendent to make
she most of a mans capacity for labor
during every minute cS the ten hours
of a working day if he would present
a coed report at the cleanup. And in
pursuing this profit. and a consequent
good character from the mercenary
home Office, it is the easiest thing. in