The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-11-14


latchstring hung ON the outside of
every door. On Monday morning he
went to work In the little shop. and
in short time became one Of the
best men employed In the place. How
do you square a locomotive" he
asked. Here" said the foreman,
from this point to that" That was
all the Englishman asked. He
stretched line between the given
points, and went to work.
About this time a thriving station,
called NJ. had offered to donate to
the company $4,000, If the new ma
chine shop could be located there and
have steam up and the machinery
running on the 1st day of January OF
the following year.
The general master mechanic en-
trusted the work of putting the ma
chinery, after the walls had been
built and the place rooted over, to the
division master mechanic. who looked
to the local foreman to finish the job
in time to win the subsidy.
The best months of the year went
by before work was begun. Frost
came, and the few men tinkering
about were chilled by the autumn
winds that were wailing through the
shutterless doors and unguazed win
dows. Finally the foreman sent the
Englishman to NJ to help put up
the machinery He was q new man.
and. therefore. was expected to take
signals from the oldest man on the
job-a sort of straw boss.
The bridge boss, the local head of
the wood workers, found the English
man gazing about. and the two men
talked together. There was no fore
man there, but the Englishman
thought he ought to so to work, any
| way. So he and the wood boss
stretched line for a line shaft, and,
while the carpenter gang put up
braces and brackets, the Englishman
coupled the parts of the shaft to-
| gether. and in a few days it was
ready to be put up.
As the young man whistled and
worked away one morning the boss
carpenter came in with a military
looking gentleman, who appeared to
| have an interest in the place. Where
did you come from?" asked the new
conner of the machinlst.
"Brom England, sir"
"Well, anybody could tell that.
Where did you come from when you
came here?'
From E."
"Well, sir. can you finish this job
and have steam up by the 1st of Jan
uary?"
The Englishman blushed, for he was
embarrassed, and glanced at the wood
boss. Then, sweeping the almost
empty shop with his eye he said some
thing about foreman who was In
charge of the work
Hang the foremarr said the stran-
ger; I'm talking TO you"
The young man blushed again and
said he could work twelve or fourteen
hours a day, il it were necessary for
him to do so. but he didn't like TO
make any rash promises concerning
the general result.
"Now, look here" said the we'll
dressed man. II want you to take
charge of this job and finish 1t. En-
ploy as many men as you can handle,
and blow Il whistle here ON New
Years morning-do you understands"
The Englishman thought he did,
| but he could hardly believe it. He
| glanced Mt the wood boss, and the
wood boss nodded his head.
| ssI 10 10 Nm
lishman, taking courage. but l should
like to know who gives these orders"
Pm the general manager" said the
man; "now get a move OH you"-and
he turned and walked out.
1t is not to be supposed that the
general manager saw anything re-
markable about the young man, save
that he was six feet high, and had
good face. The fact is, the wood fore
man had doomed the Englishman's
stock before the manager saw him.
The path of the young man was not
strewn with flowers for the next few
months. Any number of men who
had been on the road when he was in
the English navy yards felt that they
| OuSul 10 nave Huu tilo PASA-S
tlon. The local foremen along the
line saw in the newcomer the future
foreman of the new shops, and no
man went out of his way TO help him.
In spite of all obstacles, however, the
shops grew, from day to day, from
week to week, and 1t was seen, as the
old year drew TO a close, that the ma
chinery was getting into place. The
young foreman, while a hard worker,
was always pleasant in his intercourse
with the employees, and in Il little
while he had a host of friends. There
is always lot Of extra work at the
end of a big job, so, when Christmas
came there was still much to be done.
The men worked night and day.
The boiler that was 10 come from
Chicago had been expected for some
time. Everything was in readiness
and 1t could be set up in day, but 1t
did not come. Tracer letters, that had
gone after 1t, were followed by tele
grams. Finally II was located in a
wreck out in q corntield in Illinois
ON the last day OF the year. A great
many of the officials were away, and
the service was generally democrat
lied during the holidays, so that the
appropriation of $4,000. for which
tha Enviiahmnn was working at NJ