Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-26
XIV-Conthued.

Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was
| lying back against the cushion of the
| car seat. After a little he said: Just
after We saw the Italian killed last week
l told you 1 had a notion, Ford. I've
got it yet, and I've been turning 1t over
In my mind and wondering If II better
explode 1t on you. On the whole, think
| I'd better not. It's a case of surgery
If the patient lives, you'll know about it.
If the patient dies, you'll be no worse off
| than you are now. Shall we let it rest at
that?"
| Ford acquiesced. He was too utterly
| disheartened to be curious. But II ne
| could have foreseen the results OF Ken
neth's notion it is conceivable that ne
would have been aroused to some effort
| of protest. as even in deep waters one
prays sometimes to be delivered from his
| friends.
| 1t was week after this farewell supper
| in the caboose hotel at Saints Rest when
| Ford went down to Denver to borrow. on
| his p. SW. stock, the ten thousand dol
| lars to be deposited to the credit OF the
| Bank of Copah. Following him. and only
| one train behind. came Frisbie. new
| from confirmatory survey of the extern
| sion beyond the Copah district.
On his return from the Green Butte end
of the proposed line the little man with
the diabolical fashion Of beard trimming
had spent a week in and around Copah,
picking I'D ward rghtS-Of-way. surveying
approaches and setting grade stakes for
the outlying Marlborough gangs. During
| that week he had made a discovery. and
since he believed 1t to be all his own he
journeyed eastward to share 1t quickly
with his chief.
Ford was dining alone at the Brown
Palace when Frisbie, coming straight
from the Plug Mountain train. found him.
There was an entire western desert to be
talked over during the courses, and Fris-
bic held his discovery in reserve until
they had gone to smoke in quiet corner
Of the great rotunda. Even then he APP
preached it indirectly.
I'm taking up the line down the Pannl-
kin we have followed the old S. l.. and
w. survey pretty closely all the way
from start to finish. What were your rea-
sons. Stuart?' he asked.
There didn't seem to be any good rea-
son for not following it, Brandreth made
the S. l.. and w. preliminary. and there
isn't a better locating engineer In this
country
Il know" said Frisbie. But the best
of us make mistakes. now and then.
Brandreth made pretty stable one,
think
How is that?''
You know where the big rock cutting
| is to be made in the lower canyon, about
ten miles this side of the point where we
begin to swing south for the run TO Co
pah-a mile and a half of heavy work
that will cost away up into the pictures?'
Yes. I've estimated that rock work at
not a cent less than two hundred thou
sand dollars
You're shy rather than over at that
And two hundred thousand would build
number of miles of ordinary railroad.
wouldn't it? But that isn't all. The cliffs
along that canyon are shale topped and
shale undermined. the shale alternating
with loose rock about fifty feet above our
linz nf do IN ri Ia OF itch a
along. That means incessant track walk
ing day and night through the mile and
a half of cutting. and afterwaru-for all
time afterward-a construction train kept
| handy under steam to clear away debris
that will never quit sliding down on the
| embankment."
| I'm afraid you are right" said Ford.
! IT'S the worst bit on the entire extern
| sion: the most costly to build. as 1t will
| be the most expensive 10 maintain. But
l guess Brandreth knew what he was
about when he surveyed it,
"Brandreth is a short-lne man. He
| wouldn't lengthen his line ten miles to
| dodge an earthquake. Ford, we can save
| a hundred thousand dollars on that piece
| of track in first cost-to say nothing of
| the future
| by leaving the S. l.. and ". survey at
| Horse creek. following up to the low divide
| at Emory's mine and crossing to enter Co
pah from the southeast instead of from
|
| Copah five days ago. It's perfectly Ieas-
| ible; straight away, easy earth work for
the greater part, and the only objection is
| that it adds about twelve running miles
! to the length of the extension. It's for
you to say whether or not the added dis
| lance will be warranted by the lessened
| cost and the assurance of safety in Oper
ating. If we cut through that lower can
yon cliff it will be only a question of
| time until we bury somebody, no matter
| how closely IL is watched
Ford took time to consider the proposal.
There were objections and he named one
j of them.
1.-The MacMorroghs have based their bid
on the present survey; they will not want
to let that piece of rock work drop out of
sight"
They'll have to if you say SO. And
you can afford to be pretty liberal with
| them on the substituted twelve miles,
| I'll have to think about it over night
was Ford's final answer. ARRANGE to
| give me an hour tomorrow morning and
We'll go over the maps and your notes
| together
Frisbie slept soundly on the gained
| inch. hoping to make it the coveted ell
in the morning. He knew the chief OBJ
| lection. which was that Ford too, was
| ''short-line' engineer; a man who would
| lay down his railroad as the Car of Rus
STA did the ST. Petersburg Moscow line
| by placing a ruler on the map and draw
ing a straight mark beside it between the
! two citieS-if that were an American pos
| sibility But he knew. too, that the
safety clause would weigh heavily with
Ford. and there was minimizing the
| danger to future traffic If the canyon
| route should be retained.
| 1t turned out finally as the first
| sstant had hoped and believed it would
| Ford spent a thoughtful hour at his office
| in the Guaranty building before Frisbie
| came doWn-the little man being trail
| weary enough to sleep late in the COM
| Portable room at the Brown Palace. The
| slight change of route was hardly a mat
| ter to be carried up to the executive COM
| mittee and Ford'S decision turned upon
! quite another pivot-the addition of twelve
miles of distance. AS against this safety
| and economy won the day, and when
| Frisbie came in the talk was merely of
| WAYS and means.
Fix up the change with the MacMor-
roghs the best way you can was Ford S
| concluding instruction to his lieutenant.
| "'They will kick. of course; merely to be
kicking at anything l suggest. But you
can bring them to terms, l guess"
| by my lonesome?" said FriSbie.
| Aren't you going over to see the new
| route with your own eyes?'
mo. I'm perfectly willing to trust your
Judgment. Dick. Besides, I've got other
| fish to fry. I'm going east tonight to
| have one more tussle with the steel mills
| We must have quicker deliveries and
| more of them. When l get back Wen
| organize the track layers and begin to
| make us a railroad"
Good" said Frisbe, gathering up his
| maps and sketches of the detour country: