Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-04-02
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
A PAY NIGHT
LOVE FEAST
BY c. L. DlNGWALL.
copyR1enr, 1901, by G. L. D1NawA11.
copymenT, 1901, ny G. E. DrSawALL.
n the midst of a tumble of
harsh and Earring evidences
of industrialism there nestled

lM 'he must oi Juihpie Oh
kAk4 anu Jaifihs e'iuelces
{agn@1 VI iiiu'is'fiaiisll .here hesueo
- u niue poAlike shahty' Long
i,hes Vi siiipps uump cars couple OF
u,n'inu.,ne ii.,iro" gauge locomotives
p'ies " rams roch cutting ana NOV
NE ii'aciiihes anu roush boarded ana
Jar paper TOOL repair shops ana store
,.o, neuse" ~ III on an Sues II
"'i'eieu iioih tne neishporihS struc-
.uies ohiy III lhat us SIDES We're or
piihe'i SUN anu painted. IN other re-
spec's u was us aiiapidated ana strict
~ u'ii'aiiui III appearance us any
snach ol .he Jop. AS gulde 1or
.hose nhNiiis BUSINESS thereapout
.i.eie vas piheh anu white sign run
hiiis lhe iensth OF the peak OF It's shed
rooi Una. pore tne legend, ID. McDon-
az. " w. over one OF the Two doors
was ahotner winch said simply,
| oiice. Ihe facade OF each of It's
TWO long Sues was divided With
mathematician eNactness into seven
| equai parts by Two windows and
door. one OF these spaces was pune
tured Tor smoke pipe, which, with an
abrupt turn, shot upward three or four
| rect ana ended IN serrated edge that
suggested sudden separation of a
rustea length during high wind.
| inc view from one side was married
| Dy 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 I'M
mensely tall steel derricks lowered
nigh IN the air, and the spider web
lronwork OF ponderous rock conveyors
stood In sharp relief against the sky
when the day was clear. From the
excavation the smoke from hoisting en-
gines and, farther away, from over
worked steam shovels hung in cloud
over the land. Now and then the dull
boom of blast was heard and mass
of rock shot up into the air-another
step was made toward the completion
of the contract for section q.
Men numerable-thousand of them
along the twenty odd miles of the drain
| age canal-and $2,OOO,0OO worth of ma
chinery worked hand in hand day and
night. BY night the immediate vicinity
of the scene of operations was bright
with the glare of electric lamps or pow
erful suffering kerosene torches.
| By night, too, the vicinity of the
boarding shacks was made lurid by the
boisterous carrying on of rough work
ers. On pay nights that playful tend.
ency overtlowed, and a nights carous-
ing ended inI ,roken heads and bruised
faces. Sometimes the Unborn vicious
ness of 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 300 men, as dis
reputable lot of navvies as ever
swung shovel. OF these there were
old hands to the number of perhaps
forty or fifty, mostly skilled workers,
with few common laborers who fol-
lowed the company about the country
from one job to another. Every land
that breeds men that can do hard
days work was represented. There
We're Italians. Poles, Lithuanians and
other 'ians" from the same garlic eat
ing. benighted districts, Scotch engi-
| neers and stone settlers, Scandinavian
riggers, handy with rope; Irish drill
ers and foremen, Canucks from down
Quebec way, and negroes A few had
dependent families in faroff homes and
saved their money; the majority threw
1t up IN the air by the second night aft
er 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,
Whlle the bookkeeper, behind wire
screen, pursued his welcome biweekly
occupation OF passing out the yellow
pay envelopes to the men as they called
OIL their numbers. Outside, contin-
ual drizzling rain fell upon the crowd,
ana the moisture trickled from their
clothing to the greasy mud pool on the
foor In front of the railing.
standing back of the bookkeeper,
watching the operation Of paying off,
was the company's superintendent,
DAVID M'heon. bulky weather tanned
Scotchman, who feared neither God nor
man. HIS INST was like sledge ham
mer, ana 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, beardless
features also bore the tan of sun and
wlhd. a little felt crush hat covered
MS head, the Drim drawn down into q
spout from which the water dripped
unnoticed down his front. A long,
Diack fuDpef coat, literally splashed
WIN mud, covered his form and hung
away IN front, disclosing good
breadth OF chest and muscular frame.
High laced russell boots reached al
most 10 the knee, the canal mud cling
ing IN quantity to their soles.
MS name was lmrie-John l.. 1mrie
-ana ne IN the capacity OF assistant
superintendent, divided with M'lAeon
'iie responsibility Tor the success OF the