Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-08-31

tdf was prOViueu. All Oruer was give
for the hurried building of the Ajax
the Hector, the AgamemnOn, the Her
cules and half dozen other ster,
wheel steamers of power 80 great tina
they could carry the coal needed TO
their own furnaces, but must tow It Il
barges alongside.
These powerful steamers were t,
push vast fleets of coal laden bargel
down the river all the way from Pitts
burg Oh the east to st. Louis on thu
west and New Orleans ON the south
They were to supply, through Hallam's
agents, every town along the river and
every steamboat that trafficked to any
part of it. Hallam was master of II
all. Cairo was to be the central dis
tributing point, and il anybody along
the river owned coal mine In Ken.
lucky or Indiana or elsewhere he was
quickly made to understand that his
best means of marketing his product
at profit was to sell 1t through the
Hallam yards at Cairo.
In the meanwhile, as one region aft
er another in the south was conquered
by the Union arms, Captain Hallam.
whose long river service had brought
him into acquaintance with pretty
nearly everybody worth knowing south
of Cairo, established agents Of his own
at every point where there was cotton
to be bought at extravaganza prices,
payable in gold, even while the war
was going on. These agents bought
the cotton, the planters agreeing to de-
liver 1t upon the banks Of the rivers
and leave 1t there at Hallam's risk.
Then Captain Hallam's steamboats,,
big and little. would push their way up
the little rivers, take the cotton on
board and carry 1t to Cairo.
Captain VIII Hallam was quick to
make up his mind with regard to a
man. He was exceedingly accurate in
his human judgments, too, and his con-
fidence in them had been strengthened
by experience In successfully acting
upon them. AS he phrased 1t, he knew
how to size a man up" and as the en-
plOyer of multitudes of men In all
parts of the country and in all sorts of
capacities he had daily need Of the
skill he had acquired in that art 1t
was as much part of his equipment
for the conduct of his vast and varied
enterprise as was his money capital
itself.
When young Duncan presented him
self in the private Office after his
nights vigil as Waterman Captain
Hallam asked him to sit. Captain Hal
lam had been impressed by this new
conner, and he wanted to talk with
him.
He broke at once into q catechism.
"Why did you do that little fire OK.
act last night?'
He asked the question precisely as
ne might have done IL he had resented
he saving of his wealth Of cotton.
"Oh, it was simple enough. The fire
meant damage, and was there. So,
If course, put it out"
But why! The cotton wasn't yours,
md you hadn't been hired to watch It."
mo, of course not. But when gen.
lie | mean when any decent man
,ees property afire he doesn't ask
whose it is before putting OFT the
)laZe."
You're a Yirginian, l should say,
from your vOice-late Of the rebel ar
my. What's your rank"
"None now. I've put the war com.
,letely behind me. I'm beginning life
new"
Good! l wish everybody, north and
Iouth, would do the same. But fools
Won't, and men are mostly fools, you
NOW. When did you get to CairO?"
about five minutes before you saw
ne putting out the fire. came down
he river ON the big towboat."
where's your baggage"
"On my back. l have no other
lothes. I'll buy some when l earn
ONE money"
"Where have you been since the sur
Making my way west"
"HOw"
ION foot to Wheeling. Then on the
)wbOat."
"What fare did they make you pay"
"None. l worked my way as
they call it out here"
mo wages? Just passage and
rubT
"That was all"
"What are your plans?"
'TO find work and do it."
"What kind of work"
"Any kind that's honest"
"You are educated, l suppose%
eyes, in way. I'm IN A. NJ. and q
raduate in law"
"Know anything about businessT
mo, but shall learn"
off you can, you mean"
"Oh, can! A capable man can
arm anything If he really wants to-"
II don't know about that. But III
lmblc on the proposition that you
In"
''Thank YOU"
"No thanks are needed. I wasn't
l was just expressing
! opinion"
Scribbling memorandum on a scrap
paper, Captain Hallam handed 1t to
uncan, saying:
"Give that to the cashier as you 60
1t and get your wages. Then you'd
tier get your breakfast. l recon.
end you while you're poor to eat at
e little booths along the levee, where
ey sell very good sandwiches and
flee cheap. After breakfast II you
OOSe to come back here I'll try to