The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-11
Big Presents
Good Coffee
Try
Great American Importing TeaCds
Big Value Stores.
S45 Main street, Salt Lake City.
$40 Twenty fifth street. Ogden.
S45 Main street, Salt Lake City.
$40 Twenty fifth street. Ogden.

should have better fuel-and we did
He spoke to the engineer about the
quantity of oil splashed about the ma
chinery, and earned that it was due
to the want of wipers. We soon had
full gang of wipers. He called the
roundhouse foreman's attention to nu-
merouS broken castings and bits OF
scrap iron lying about, saying they
should be gathered up and sent to the
shop. In reply to the excuses that there
were no men to do the work, he said
that should be remedied, and it was.
He went through all the Depart
ments, detecting loose ends everywhere,
calling attention TO them in his firm
but pleasant way that offended no
mans self-respect.
"A change soon became apparent
The departments were, fully manned
and equipped. Supplies, from being the
poorest in the market, became the best.
A system of cash rewards was offered
for economy and efficiency. The men
sneered at it, calling it childish But
when several, without especial effort,
earned substantial rewards, the others
became interested. Master mechanics
We'd with each other in the matter of
mileage records for their cars and en-
gines, and section foremen received
prizes for the best kept track.
LAS all hands pulled together the
trains ran on time. Then the time was
shortened; we were once more proud
of our road, and we made it. Traffic
increased. discharged employees We're
reinStated and men promoted.
"All this was not accomplished in
year, but at the years end we were so
prosperous and contented that we had
forgotten our grievance. On the second
anniversary of the day notice ap-
peared on the bulletin board requesting
the same committee to call at the gen
eral managers office.
He received us very gravely. I pre-
sumo, said he. you gentlemen under
stand that request from your superior
officer is equivalent to command; do
you not?'
Yes, sir I replied, but the order
was only posted on the board yester-
day; we came as soon as we could get
together
That is not the matter to which 1
refer he replied. Two years ago re-
quested you gentlemen to call on me
year later: but | remember now said
he, as his eyes twinkled good-naturedly,
that you kindly gave me two years in
which to accomplish my task. That
task is now done and l desire, through
you, to thank all of the employees for
their hearty cooperation: it has helped
me much-more than you can possibly
know
He then shook each of us by the
hand and babe us a cordial good day.
AS we were leaving he handed me
package of papers. which he said was
a set of copies of the latest bulletin or
der, which he would thank us to have
tackled up on every board on the road.
AS soon as we got out of sight of the
office we opened the packet and found
the order to be a reply to our discour-
teously preferred request. of two years
before, granting the increase we had
asked for.
During this long recital not one of us
opened our heads, when Dave fin
ished we all slapped our hands like one
boy, and, Tommy said: "Myi but that
Mr.. Plummer was nice man"
Yes boys replied Dave earnestly,
he was the finest man and the smart
est railroader / ever knew. He was too
good for the business, / guess, for he
only lived about year after that
Did he get killed? "i
mo, he got pneumonia and died in
His bed, and every man on the road
wanted to go to the funeral but, of
course, only few could get off. We
draped our engines and cabooses, sta
tons and the general offices for thirty
days, and the engineers and firemen
sent an engine nearly as big as Old
Nance there, of solid flowers with We
mourn our loss in big black letters on
each side
ITO he continued