The news & observer., 1905-08-06
NO SLOW COACH FOR SCOTT.
Eccentric Miners Record Run to Los
Angeles.
(Kansas City Starr

(Kansas City Starr
Walter Scott, the Death Valley
plunger landed in Los Angeles from
RarstoW Oh Friday night in his spe-
cial train III 2 hours and 81 minutes,
as against a run of four and three
quarter hours regular schedule time
Scott did not sit in his private car, but
got on the engine, poured oil in the
cuns Of the drivers, kept the engineer
from slowing up on curves, and jump
ed off the engine looking like a fire
mar.
Great fun he said. BEST sport
in the world. There's one worlds re-
cord I will see General Passenger
Agent Fyrne of the Santa Fe tomor-
row ana fix up the special to Chicago
/ am willing to pay the price, what
ever it may be, for q record, but he
must show me that I'm to get my
moneys worth. When / land in Chi
cago / will have a special ready to
beat the Twentieth Century to New
York. / will make that trip in 13
hours They tell me people are eX-
cited about this trip. I'm satisfied to
furnish q little amusement, but L IN
doing this thing to please Scott"
Shortly after Scott arrived a Los
Angeles newspaper was asked to find
Mr.. Scott, which was easily done, as
he was in the centre of the stage at
saloon 20 feet from the telegraph Of
flee. Mr.. Scott was busy, SO was the
barkeeper, so We're 5O-odd miners,
who were drinking bubbles" at five
per pop. The saloon-keeper kindly
came to the key and said "Scotty's
very busy; what do you want?" Tell
Scott to come to the wire" was the
response.
Scott was told an Eastern newspa-
per wanted to know when he would
start East ''Scotty' chuckled. "Ill
start as soon as the wine gives out"
he said. "Ill have a bank roll dog
can't jump over, but the Santa Fe
must guarantee that they Will give me
my moneys worth"
The story of Scotts arrival from
Barstow was told as follows by a rail
road man:
Just before the special pulled out
Scott walks up to the engineer, passes
him a fifty-dollar bill and says:
Say, Bill, that's yours; but |
want to make this run in 16S minutes
There's another for you if you cut it
to 166. If you don't make it in 16S
I'll punch your head
, Then he goes to the conductor and
gives him a fifty yellow backer and
tells him the same story. That time
means hours and 48 minutes,
against a regular schedule of hours
and 45 minutes
Shortly afterward the editor of a
paper received a message from Scott,
dated Summit, saying:
IN coming some. Only a mile
minute up an S0-foot grade. That's
all. Am 1 coming? Well I'm sailing
some"
I Mr.. Byrne, Of the Santa Fe, said to-
day regarding Mr.. Scott's request for a
special to Chicago:
! Il can't accept Mr. Scotts $20-a-
minute offer for a record under AS
hours The record is held by the Pea
cock special, which made the run
eastbound in 81 hours and Sc minutes
| will give him a train for $500 if I
break the record, anu if I don't [ will
refund him $500
| Speaking about the dining-car,
Scott was asked by a friend what sort
of commissariat he wanted.
! "Oh! throw in about 1000 ham
sandwiches and 20 cases of cham
pagne, was the reply. 81 guess that
will carry us through" p"
The way of all this is: Mr. Scott
has a partner, President Girard, of the
Knickerbocker Bank of New York
Mr. Girard "staked" Scott for some
years before he made his strike, and
now Scott wants to show Mr.. Girard
that he has some money himself. His
plan is to stuff the receiving teller's
counter at the New York Knicker-
booker Bank so full of money, gold,
silver, bills-all sorts of money-that,
as he expressed it, they will be play
ed to a Standstill to count it,"
Has he got the money? No one but
Scott knows. 1t is known that he
regularly ships numbers of sacks of
ore that runs from $75 to $50 a
pound in gold, and the story is that
it is surface ore, which he scrapes up,
loads into gunny sacks on burros and
brings into BarstoW
Scott is far from being a chump, If
he does throw his money about like Il
Coal Oil Johnny" and for what ec-
centricities he performs those who
know him say he has some good rea-