The San Francisco call., 1904-06-26

TO make I'D little now Tor my olu
mammie."
Where does yours go. Dad?" I asked
"Me?" answered the old man. eva
sively. I've got boy back East; get
ting TO be a big one. too. He's in
school When are you going to give US
a passenger run with the skyscraper.
Neighbor?" asked Hamilton, turning 10
the master mechanic.
soon as we get this wheat UP on the
high line out OF the way replied
Neishbor. we haven't half engines
enough to move it, and 1 get wire
about every six hours TO move it faster.
Every siding's blocked, clear to Bel
grade How many of those sixty-thou
sand-pound cars can YOU take over
Beverly Hill with your skyscraper? %
He was asking both men. The en-
gineer looked at his chum.
Il reckon maybe thirty-fve or forty,
said MeNeal. 'Eh, Dad?''
Maybe. son" growled Hamilton;
and break my back doing it?"
Il gave you a helper once and you
kicked him off the tender" retorted
Neighbor.
Don't want anybody raking ashes
for me-not while I'm drawing fun
time" Dad frowned.
But the -upshot Of it was that we put
the skyscraper at hauling wheat, and
within A week she was doing the work
Of z double-header.
It was May, and a thousand miles
east OF Us. in Chicago, there was
trouble in the wheat-Dit on the Board
Of Trade You would hardly suspect
what queer things that wheat scramble
gave rise TO, affecting George McNeal
and old man Hamilton and lot OF
other fellows away on the railroad di-
vision Of the Western plains; but this
was the way Of it:
A man sitting in a little office on
La Sale street wrote a few words on
a very ordinary looking sheet of paper
and touched a button. That brought
a colored boy and he took the paper
out 10 a young man who sat at the
eastern end of a private wire.
The next thing we knew orders be-
gan to come in hot from the presi-
dents ofice-the president of the
road. if you please-to get that wheat
get il there quickly.
Trainmen. elevator men. superin-
tendents OF motive power were spur
red with special orders and special
bulletins. Farmers, startled by the
great price offering, hauled night and
day. Every old tub we had in the
shops and on the scrap was Over
hauled and hustled into the service.
The division danced with excitement.
Every bushel OF wheat on it must be
in Chicago by the morning of May 81
For two weeks we worked every
thing 70 the limit; the skyscraper led
any two engines on the line. Even
Dad Hamilton was glad TO cry enough
and take a helper. We doubled them
every day and the way the wheat flew
over the line toward the lower end
Of Lake Michigan was appalling to
spectators 1t was a battle between
two commercial giants, and battle
10 the death. II shook not alone the
country, it shook the world; but that
was nothing TO US; our orders were
simply 10 move the wheat. And the
wheat moved.
The last week found US pretty well
cleaned UP. but the high price brought
grain out OF cellars and wells, the
buyers said-at least. it brought all
the boarded wheat and much of the
seed wheat, and the 2Sth day of the
month found fifty cars Of wheat still
in the GAINESVILLE yards. was at Har-
ward working on a time card when the
word came, and behind il a special
from the general manager, stating
there was a thousand dollars premium
in it for the company. besides tariff.
il we got that wheat into Chicago by
Saturday morning.
The train end Of il didn't bother me
any; it was the motive power that
kept US studying. However, we fig
ured that by running McNeal with the
skyscraper back wild we could pull
all the wheat behind her in one train.
As it happened Neighbor was at Har-
ward, too.
can they ever get over Beverly
with fifty, Neighbor ?'' I asked doubt
fully
Wen never know till they try it,"
growled NeighbeF. There's a thou
sand for the company If they do. that's
all How'll you run them? Give them
plenty Of searoom; they'll have to
gallop to make it,
Cool and reckless planning, taking
the daring chances, straining the flesh
and blood, driving the steel loaded to
the swapping point, that was what it
meant. But the company wanted re-
suits; wanted the prestige and the
premium. too. To gain them we were
expected to stretch our little resources
to the uttermost.
1 studied a minute, then turned to
the dispatcher.
Tell Norman to send them out as
second 4; that gives the right of way
over every wheel against them. If
they can't make it on that kind of
schedule IT isn't in the track"
II was extraordinary business,
rather, sending a train of wheat
through on a passenger schedule,
practically, as the second section of
our eastbound flyer; but we took hair
lifting chances on the plains.
1t was noon when the orders were
flashed. At o'clock No. was due
TO leave GAINESVILLE For three hours
l kept the wires busy warning all