West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-06-14

IE4E$t93y 10 salt-and we dip into
kAhHSNxSt both-without ever locat-
Ing the Spider water
by map or by name.
But IL you should happen anywhere
on the West End to sit among gang
OF bridge carpenters. or get TO conf
dencc with bridge foreman. or find
the springy side OF roadmaster's
heart. then you might hear all you
wanted about the Spider water, maybe
more: anyway full plenty. as HALEY
used to say.
The Sioux named Il. and, whatever
may be thought OF their Interpretation
OF Scriptural views on land grabbing,
no man with sense ever attempted 10
improve on their names for things,
watcrs-they know.
Our general managers hadn't always
sense-this may seem odd, but on the
system IL would excite no comment
and one OF them countenanced n shame
ful change In the name of the Spider
water. Some polytechnlcal idiot at n
safe distance dubbed Il the Big Sandy,
and the Big Sandy Il is TO this day on
map and In folder, but not In the lingo
OF trackmen nor the heart of the Sioux.
Don't say Big Sandy to trackmen and
hand out cigar. 1t VIII not go Say
Spider water without any cigar, and
you will get n word and stool and, II
YOU ask IL, fine cut.
The Spider water-although ours Is
the pioneer llne--was there when we
first brldged II. II Is probably as old
as sundown and nothing like as pretty.
The banks-lt has none to speak Of;
It's stones-they are whiskered; It's bed
full OF sand burs. Everything about
the villain stream has n dilapldate, bro
ken down air. The very mud OF the
Spider water Is rusty.
SO our people bridged II. and the trou-
bic began. \ number Of matters both
cred our pioneer managements-Indl-
ans. outlaws. cabinet officers. congress
sionnl committees and Wall street mag
nates-but at one time or another our
folks managed all of them. The only
thing they couldn't at any time salts
factorlly manage was the Spider water.
Bridge after bridge they threw across
1t and into II. Year after yenr the Spi-
der water toyed with our civil engi-
neers and our material department
One man at Omaha given TO asthma
and statistics estimated between spells
that the Spider water had cost us
more money than all the water courses
together from the Missouri to the Sier-
ras.
Then came to the West End master
full man, Al Scotchman, pawky and
hard. Brodie was his name, an EdIn-
burgh man, with no end OF degrees, and
master OF every one. BrOdie came to
be superintendent of bridges on the
western division and 60 boss every wa
ter course on the plains and In the
mountains. But the Spider water took
fall even out OF Brodie. 1t swept out
Howe truss bridge for Brodic before
lie got bis bag unpacked, and there
after Brodle. who was reputed not to
care stringer for anybody, did not
conceal n distinct respect for the Spl-
der.
Brodie went at II right. He tried not
TO make friends with the Spider. for
nobody could do that, but to get ac-
quainted With Il. For this he went to
It's oldest neighbors, the Sioux. Brodle
spent weeks and weeks up the Spider
water hunting. summers, and with the
Sioux he talked Spider water and drank
fire water. That was BrodIe's shame
the fire water.
But he was pawky. and he chinned
increasingly the braves and the medi-
cline men about the uncommonly queer
water that took the bridges so fast
the river thnt month In and month out
couldn't squeeze up water enough to
baptize n pollywog and then of sud
den and for n few days would rage like
tho Missouri. restore to the desert its
own and living image and leave our be-
wildered rails hung up either side in
the wind.
Brodie talked clOudbursts mp coun-
try. for the floods came. times. under
clear skies. and the Sioux sulked In
l.ence. lie suggested an unsuspected
h.e'e from some mountain stream
which maybe. times, sent It's storm wa
ter over a low divide into the Spider,
and the red men shrugged their faces.
IA n last resort and I'm desperation ne
hinted at the devil. and the skeptics
took quick brace with as much as to
say. now you are talking. and muttered
very bad medicine.
Thcn they gave him the Indian stun
about the Spider water. took him
away up where once a party OF Pawnees
bad camped IN the dust OF the river
bed TO surprise the Sioux aud told
Brodie how the Spider. more sudden
than buck, fieeter than pony. had. come
down IN the night and surprised the
Pnwnees, and so well that the next
morning there wasn't enough material
left for n scalp dance.
They took Brodie out into the ratty
bed himself. and when he said heap
dry and said no water they laughed,
indianwIse, and pointed to the sand.
Bcooplng little wells with their hands,
they showed him the rising and the
fllllng; the instant water where before
was no water. And dropping into the