Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-04-07
II The
ROadmaSter'S
~ Story
e. The Spider Water


EssyTSIFS4I 10 salt-and we dip into
ks<11SElSSl both-without ever locat-
ing the Spider water
by map or 10y name.
But n you should happen anywhere
On the West End 20 sit among gang
or bridge carpenters. OF get 90 conf
dence with a bridge foreman. o. find
the springy side Of a roadmaster's
heart, then you might hear all you
wanted about the Spider water. maybe
more; anyway fun plenty. as HALEY
used 20 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 20
improve on their names for things.
whether birds or braves or winds or
waters-thcy know
Our general managers hadn't always
Bense-this may seem odd. but on the
system ~ would excite no comment
and one of them countcuancod a shame
ful change iu the name Of the Spider
vvater Some uoiytechuical idiot at a
safe G's,ouco dubbed it the Big Sandy.
and tho Big Sandy 90 is 90 this day on
map and ln Folder. but not in the lingo
OF trackmcn nor the heart OF the Sioux.
Don't say Big Sandy 90 trackmen and
hand ont cigar To- VIII not 90. Say
Spider water without any cigar. and
you viii get q word and q stool and. n
you ask d. fnc cut.
The Spider watcr-alth0ugh ours Isl
the pioneer lnc-was there when we
hrst brilgej it II fs probably as old
rc d
The banks-it has none to speak OF:
It's stoncs-they are whiskorcd; It's bed
full Of sand Durs. Everything about
the villain stream las dilapidate, bro
ken down ai.. THE very mud Of the
Spider water is rusty.
SO our people brdgcd IL, and the trou-
Die began. a number OF matters both
cred our pioneer manacements-Indi
ans. outlaws. cabinet officers. congress
Eional committees and wan street mag
nates-but at one time or another our
folks managed all OF them. The only
thing they couldn't az any time salts
factorily manage was the Spider water
Bridge after bridge thoy throw across
Al and into e. Year after year the Spi-
der water toyed with our civil cngi-
pGeCS and our material department.
and statistics estimated between sfSffs
that Che Spider water had cost us
more money thau ou the water courses
together from the Missouri 20 the sier-
ras
Then came to the West End a master
ful man. a Sc1tchman. uawky and
hard. Brodle was l's name. u Eln-
burgh man. with up end OF degrees. and
master of every oue Brodle came to
be superintendent OF bridges on the
western division auI to boss every wa
ter course ou tle plains ana in the
mountains. but the Spider water took
a fan even out of BroIie. 10 swept out
n Howe truss bridge for Brodie before
be got his 1ag uupackel, and there
after Brod.e. who was reputcd not 90
care strluger for anybody. did not
conceal a distinct respect for the Spi-
der.
Brodic went at 10 right He tried not
70 make friends with the Spider. for
nobody could DO that but 90 cet ac-
Quainted With Boz For this Dee went 90
Its oldest ne.ghbors. the Sioux. Brodle
spent weeks and weeks up the Spider
water hunuu-. summers. and with the
Sioux De talked Spider water and drank
IRE water That was Br0dic's shame
the fire water
But De- was pdwky. and he chinned
INCREASINGLY the braves and the mcdi-
cine men about the uuc0mm0uly queer
woter that took The bridges so fast
the river thar month in aa3 month out
couldn't squeeze mp water enough 90
baptize poiywog and then of a sud
den and for q few days would rage Ike
the Missouri restore 10 the desert fla
own and living image and leave our be.
wildered rails hung up either side IN
the wind.
Brodie talked cloudbursts up coun-
try, for the floods came. times. under
clear skies. and the Sioux sulked In
silence. lie suggested an unsupported
inlet from some mountain stream
which maybe. times. sent its storm wa
ter over a low divide into the Spider.
and the red men shrugged their faces.
As last resort and IN desperation ne
limited at the devil. and the skeptics
took quick brace with as mach as 10
say, now you are talking. and muttered
very bad medicine
AASA uAS9 gave hlli lAe luuldn StUU
about the Spider water. took him
away up where once q party Of Pawnees
had camped In the dust OF the river
bed 10 surprise the Sioux and told
Brodie how the Spider. more sudden
than buck, heeter than pony, had come
down in the night and surprised the
Pawnees, and so well that the next
morning there wasn't enough material
left for a scalp dance
They took RrOd;e out into the ratty
bed himself, and when he said heap
dry and said no water they laughed.
Indianwise. and pointed 20 the sand
Scooping little wells with their hands.
they showed BIN the rising and the
filling: the instant water where before
was 40 water. And dropping into the
q A.