The San Francisco call., 1908-09-23
Gossip Of Rai!waymen

AYE there" bawled a tall gentle
man from the far Morse land, as he
steadied himself by clutchng at the
rail which separates II. NJ. Mccartney s
desk from the rest of the office.
Aye there he howled again, till the
windows ratified in their frames, and
the office started to turn in a fire alarm
under the vague impression that some-
thing terrible had happened.
Now, my man. said HI. NJ. McCart-
ney, as he pushed his glasses on to his
forehead, is this the proper way to en-
ter gentleman's Officer"
Where is hep" asked the fighter of
many stormy seas.
What do you want?" asked the as
sistant chief engineer of the Western
Pacific, anxious to be rid of his bois-
ferrous visitor, who was trying the
Samson act on the railing.
you got yob for me?" he beloved.
No. there is no job for you," re-
piled Mccartney.
No yob for me. Well. ia ia. I'll
see you in the spring time
Where are you going in the mean
timer" inquired Mccartney.
He is always interested in strange
characters
Il am going to spend the winter in
Finland
What are you going to do in Fin
land?''
What do we do in Finland? Why,
in summer we fish and we Sleep"
And in winter?" persisted McCart-
ney.
Why, the rivers are all froze."
Then there is nothing to do?" re-
marked Mccartney.
Nothing to do" yelled the Morse
man. "Of course there is. We Sleep
III. E. Webb. who for the last few
years had been employed on the en-
gineering staff of the Madeira and Mar
more railway which is being built from
st. Antony falls on the Amazon river
into the heart of South America. is the
first of the Californians there to re-
turn home. Webb spent only a few
hours in the city. taking the steamer for
Portland where his family is at pres
ent. He has no intention of returnine Q
to Brazil. for he is neither I'm love with
the climate nor the forests of South
America, and describes the life of the
engineers who are constructing that
road as torture"
THE surveyors said Webb TO a
friend, ARE running their lines through
dense forest. 1t is really the forest
primeval. The man who has never seen
tropical country cannot imagine the
density of the growth; the rank
grasses, the immense plants. the fetid
airs bringing illness on their wings
the reptiles and the terrible jiggers
which creep under the skin and drive
man to madness by the irritation. We
were seven degrees south of the
equator, and you can imagine the rest
The Madeira and Marmore river will
be paying property one day. 1t Will
traverse an exceedingly rich country,
and understand that the road has ac-
CURED further extension. 1t was re-
ported when / left that probably the
line Will be built into the Argentine
republic 1t takes Is days of sailing from
the mouth of the Amazon river to ST
Antony falls, where the road begins
Colonel J. G. Everest, general travel
ing passenger agent OF the Chicago
Milwaukee and st. Paul, with head
quarters in Chicago, is in the city on
his way home from attending the meet
ing of the passengermen at Seattle.
The officials of the Santa Fe in 2
body will attend the irrigation con-
gress that is to be held at Albuaueraue
at the latter end of this month. and
will endeavor to bring as many dele
gates as they can to California. There
are several important reclamation
projects on the line of the Santa Fe