The San Francisco call., 1908-11-01

Of spikes for the outside OF the stand
ard gauge right hand rail straight
through to Saints Rest. Got thatg
Yes; / guess I've got it all. But
go on
Now you are ready for the grand
stand play. Call in all your narrow
gauge rolling stock, mass your men al
this end of the branch. shove the right
hand rail over to the line of gauge
spikes in sections as long as your force
will cover. and follow up with a stand
ard gauge construction train to pick up
the men and carry them forward as
fast as a section is completed. If you
work it Systematically, freight train
could leave Denver two hours behind
your track gangs and find a practical
standard gauge all the way to Saint $
Rest.
"Of course" said Frisbie, in work
manlike disgust for his own obtuseness.
I'm going back to the Tech when your
railroad is finished and learn a few
things. I couldn't think of anything
but the old Erie railroad scheme. when
IL was narrowed down from the six
foot gauge. They did it in one night;
but they had a man to every second
cross tie over the whole 400 miles from
New York to Buffalo,
Ford nodded. adding:
And were not that rich in labor.
BY the way how are the men coming?''
"A car load or two, every little while.
Say, Stuart. YOU. must have had a rab-
bits foot with you when you touched
up the eastern labor agencies. Every
other railroad in this neck Of the woods
is skinned, and McGr2tk is having the
time of his life trying TO hold our
levies together. There is q small army
of them under canvas at Saints Rest,
waiting for the contractors, and an
other with between 200 and 500 hands
camped at the mouth OF the canyon.
Ford knocked the ashes from his pipe
SO hard that the pipe stem fell in two.
"Yesl all waiting on Mr. Colbrith's
leisurely motions, Well. jump in on
the Plug Mountain That will utilize
some of the waste for few days"
Frisbie went down TO the Plug Noun
tain yard Office. and to a wire end. to
begin the marshaling of his forces;
and Ford, with three picked up stenog-
raphers to madden him, took up the
broken threads Of his correspondence
with a world which seemed to have
become suddenly peopled to suffocation
with eager sellers of railroad material
and supplies.
Late in the afternoon, when he was
tired enough to feel the full force of
the blow, a New York telegram came.
1t was from Miss Alice Adair. and Ford
groaned in spirit when he read 1t:
ErotAer left here Yesterday in. the Wander
decken yacht for Nova SeOo- Cannot reach
him by telegraph until next Friday or Saturday
Aunt Hester wants TO know il there is anything
she do.
One way to save a mans life at a
crisis is to appeal to his sense of
humor Miss Alicias closing sentence
did that for Ford, and he was smiling
grimly when he put the telegram away,
not in the business file, but in his
pocket.
Three days later. however, when
Frisbie was half way to Saints Rest
with his preliminary track swinging
another New York telegram found Ford
in his newly established quarters in
the Guaranty building. This was from
some one acting as President Colbrith's $
secretary. and its working was con-
cfsely mandatory:
Contract has been awarded MacMorrogh
Brothers. President directs that you afford con
tractors every facility and that you confer with
Mr. North in all cases Of doubt.