The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1904-02-26
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g g MeIntyre's Way. 8
= BY FRANK II. SWEET -
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ifCTOP work. Pay and dismiss
y hands. Then go into camp and
await orders. M'lNTIHE.
The superintendent of construction
Bloxam, gave low whistle. The mes
sage was brief and to the point, and
as sweeping as it was unexpected.
Thirteen words, and it meant the dis
missal of more than 1900 men. But
more than that, it meant the loss OF
$4,000 for each word, and possibly ten
times ten.
The men were scattered along 70
miles of the roadbed, drilling, blasting,
shoveling away; some putting the
finishing touches to grade that was
to be intrusted with the safety OF
train doubling a point at almost right
angles; some suspended in rope-chalrs,
pecking a foothold into the solid rock
for the blasters and graders behind,
and some tunneling mole-like under
mountain that was too high to be
scaled and too precipitOus to be gone
around. Communication between the
isolated parties of delivers would seem
a matter of time and difficulty, and yet
the news flashed like current OF cleo
tricity from the finished grade to the
end of the highway that was scarcely
yet outlined upon the face OF the rock.
Men dropped their shovels and picks,
yelled hoarsely for the ropemen to
draw up their chairs, rushed away from
blasts that were fired and plugged,
from dump-carts half-f1lled and
dump-cars overturned and shunting
their contents into the depths below,
and scrambled and slid and ran,
jostling one another in their haste to
reach the shanty in which Superintend-
ent of Construction Bloxam did his Of
fee work, kept the safe and looked
after his own cooking.
Eyes, it's all straight, men," he said,
as they crowded around him, "but
that's all l can tell you-all know,
in fact. Your money"
"Oh, hang the money!" called some
one, contemptuously, I'VE know that's
all right with Mac at the throttle. But
the work? What's it going to be
stopped for? We understood the road
was gilt-edged, with mountain of
capital behind. An now why, man
alive! we're l, 900 miles from anywhere,
with winter coming on, an not "a
hours notice. We counted on this job
standing us in ten months steady
work."
Eyes, thought so, too" The super
intendent's face showed his perplexity
as his eyes swept across them to the
other anxious faces closing in. "But it
will turn out all right, men. am sure
of it. Some of us have been with Mac
a good many years, and in tight places,
and he has never failed us yet. He's
the clearest-headed contractor in this
part of the country and the squarest;
and he pays us 80 per cent. more than
other contractors pay their help.
That's why he gets the best men, and
has a reputation for doing the best
work. Just wait a little. There's
something behind this that We don't
understand"
but we're turned off," called an
other, bitterly that's what's a-both
erin of us. What does it mean? We
amt askin' no favors of no kind. We
do as good work as men can do, an
we get as big wages as men has right
to ask That amt the pint. We're
turned off, jest like there want no
Mac, an We want his regular men,
changin' from one contract job to an
other'
That's it, Billy" That's So"
MACS all right, but why's he turned
us OFF," from various parts Of the
crowd, while big, red-shirted man
added:
Il reckon we all feel that way, Mr..
Bloxam. We've been with Mac good
many years an learned his ways, an
he's learned our ways; an we've done
as good work as we know how, an
he's give good pay. He's perfect
right to turn us off any time, bein' as
there's no bindin' contract; but what's
he done it for? If Mac had said,
Boys, set down >on them stumps an
smoke for a few months, while look
round; why, we'd sot right down
contented, KNOWN as how he'd fix
things up for us bettern we could fix
'em up ourselves. But he's turned US
OF. Why, we ask7"