Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1907-11-02
ANECDOTES OF
NEVADA RAILWAY
.,,r,DENTs THAT HAPPENED on
THE CARSON AND COLORADO
WHEN TINES WERE DULL.

ll2h
prt,er and d. o. Mills on the
snhiect OF the Carson and Colorado
.,,road in which Batter was quoted
as declaring that it was the first
he had ever heard of that be-
can nowhere, ended nowhere, and
.,onned all night 10 think II over,
and Mills as saying that it was either
ooo miles too long or it had been
built 800 years too soon.
II was originally built to handle
me big soda and borax deposits OF
ovens lake, but it was thought that
tho business along the whole line
uouid increase rapidly after the in
,roduction of the road. But the re-
varse proved to be the case. The
mines at Bodie and Candelaria be-
can to peter out" and Candelaria
closed down entirely. Things got so
had that as early as 1895, the train
Of three coaches, including a mail
and express car. a smoker and regu-
lar Messenger coach would often
leave Mound House for its 800 mile
tourney to the south without a pas
seneer. If there were a passenger,
and IT CHANGED to be a young lady
she became the recipient of the at
tentions of the conductor, brakeman,
postal clerk, express messenger n
baggageman from Mound House out,
with the engineer and conductor run
ming back at stations to proffer their
services in any possible way and vol
unteer remarks about the weather.
the scenery, and other topics OF in
terest. The combined weight OF
these attentions were apt to prove
embarrassing to young and inexper-
fenced ladies, and one youthful
school teacher on her way from Vir-
glnia City to Benton for the vacation
was SO unstrung from having to lis
ten and talk to FIVE or six men at one
time that she returned from Benton
after a months rest more fatigued
than she was on the day she left
home.
II the passenger happened TO be
man, he had TO play cards, and II ht
was u~nacquainted with pedro, poker
or pinocnole, he was compelled L
learn on the way. Clergymen wer'
the only mes exempt from this rule
Sometimes when conductor, brake
man, mail agent and express messen
ger became very much absorbed in
game of ~freeze-out or whist, Will
the engineer and hremen We're /
seyen-up. the train would be carrie.
by a station. But that did not mat
ter. there was plenty OF time 70 z
back AS there were only two train
on the run. and as they invariabl
met az Wabuska. the engineer ha
nothing to do but look ont for cow
and they were scarce in that region
Coming out north from Hawthorn
il was the custom, for a long tim
Of the train crew to stop the trai
lust out OF sight of the town and z
swimming in Walker lake. One da
Mrs. Campbell. wife of the then ed
tor Of the Virginia City Enterpris
who at that time also was managiT
the Hawthorne Bulletin, was the on
passenger on the train. and, becor
ing uneasy over the u-naecountab
delay, got out and made a search f
the missing crew. She finally fouI
them-in the lake, enjoying a swii
On her return home she gave the
cident a few lines of space in &
Hawthorne Bulletin, and the matte
being thus brought TO the attenti,
Of General Manager Yerington, he
dered the practice discontinued.
On another occasion a woman wi
W children boarded the train
Mound House at its departure for I
south, about 10 O'Clock in the MOI
Ing. Approaching Wabuska about
o'clock. the conductor informed
that 1t was the only eating place
fore Hawthorne where they won
arrive before ) in the afternoon. S
said she guessed she didn't want al
Thing to eat at Wabuska.
The train crew got off as usual
take their meal, and after they
finished, the woman changed
mind. With her children she alig
ed, unperceived by the crew, fr
the car, and entered the dining roo
me train pulled out without her, 8
Tor twenty minutes her absence
unnoticed by the conductor, who
busy with other things. But wi
ne found that she was missing
pulled the bell rope, and the II
returned to Wabuska for its tn
passengers, pulling into the stat
lnst as they calmly issued forth Il
the dining room, apparently not
all surprised to find their vehicle
passage awaiting them.
DEMAND FOR TUNGSTEN.