Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-22
XII.
Hurry Orders.

hurry Orders.
I'm no cold-water thrower Ford. as
you know. But If l were a contractor.
and you were trying to get me to commit
myself to any such steeplechase. I should
say no. and confirm it with cuss word"
1t was a week after the successful
placing of the Western Extension build
ing fund bonds with the Dutch syndicate.
and Ford. having ordered things to his
liking on the newly opened Chicago line
had taken the long step westward TO
Denver to begin the forging of the third
link in the great railway chain.
Frisbie. now first assistant engineer in
charge of construction, had come down
from Saints Rest for conference with
his chief. and the place of conferrings
was a quiet corner in one of the balconies
overlooking the vast rotunda of the
Brown Palace Hotel: this because the
rooms set apart for the offices of the as
sistant to the president in the Pacific
Southwestern headquarters down town.
You mean that the time is too short?'
said Ford. speaking to Frisbie's emphatic
objection.
TOO short at both ends contended the
little man with the devilish mustaches
and chin beard. THE Copah mining dis
trict is one hundred and twenty miles. as
the crow flies, from the summit of Plug
pass-say one hundred and forty by the
line of our survey down the Pannikin,
through the canyon and up to the town.
Giving you full credit for more getting
ready than I supposed any man could
compass in the three weeks you've been
at It, I still think it is impossible for us
to reach Copah this season."
you must change your belief Dick
was the curt rejoinder. This is to be a
campaign not only Of possibilities. but of
things done. We go into Copah with the
steel gangs before snow flies
Il know: that's what you've been say
ing all along. But you're looking at the
thing by and large. and I'm figuring on
the f1inty details. For example, you'll ad-
NIT that we can't work to any advantage
west of the mountains until we have
Mountain branch. How much time have
you been allowing for that?'
mo time at all for the delay; about
three weeks. maybe. for the actual chang
ing of the gauge" said Ford. coolly.
"All right" laughed Frisbie. "Only
you'll show us how. 1t doesn't lie in the
back Of my head-or in Crapsey's, unless
he's better man than 1 hired him for"
"Who is Crapsey?"
HE Is a Purdue man that I picked up
and started out on the branch to make
figures on the change of gauge. The
other three parties, under Maj. Benson,
Jack Benson and Roy Brissac. are setting
the grade stakes down the Pannikin, and
Leckhard is wrestling with the construc-
ton material you've been dumping in
upon us at Saints Rest. That left me
short and hired Crapsey."
Good. If he Is capable he may do the
broadening. Call him in and set him at
But man! Don't you want the figures
first?''
MY dear Dick! I've had those figures
for two years, and there's nothing very
complicated about that part of our prob
lem. Call your man in and let him at
tack the thing itself"
him recalled But broadening the Plug
Mountain to standard gauge doesn't put
us into Copah this summer does it,"
mo. our necessities will do that for us.
See here. let me show you" Ford took
out his notebook and on a blank page of
sketched. Three weeks ago you wired
me that the Transcontinental people We're
massing building material at the terminus
of their Saguache branch
so did said Frisbie.
''And the day before yesterday you
wired again to say that it was apparently
false alarm. What made you change
your mind?'
They are hauling the stuff away-over
to their Green Butte line, I'm told
why are they hauling it away"
THE blun-their bluff-was called. We
had got busy on Plug pass, and they saw
there was no hope Of cutting in ahead OF
us at that point"
Exactly. Now look at this map for a
minute. Here is Saints Rest: here is the
the junction of their narrow gauge with
the standardgauge Salt Lake and East
ern. If you were on the Transconti-
mental executive committee and saw an
active competing line about to build a
standard-gauge railroad through the Co
pah district and on to a connection with
your narrow gauges outlet at Green
Butte. what would you adviser"
Frisbie nodded Its easy when you
know how. isn't it? They'll standardize
their narrow gauge to Green Butte, make
an ironclad traffic contract with S. l.. and
e. to exclude us and build branch from
Jacks canyon, say, up into the Copah
country" And then, in loyal admira-
tom That's what 1 call the sure word
of prophecy-your specially. Stuart How
many nights sleep did you lose figuring
that out?'
mot any. as it happens" laughed Ford.
1T was a straight tip out of the east:
The plan, just about as you've outlined
1t, was adopted by the Transcontinental
powers that be, sitting in New York last
week. BY some means unknown to me,
Mr.. Adair got wind of 1t and made fly
ing trip to Chicago TO put me on
wouldn't even trust the wire with It. Now
you understand why we've got to wake
the Copah echoes with a locomotive whis-
tie this season"
"Copah-yes," said Frisbie. doubtfully.
but that is only a. way station. What
we need is Green Butte and the Pacific
coast outlet over the S. L. and E.. and
they stand to euchre us out of that.
hands down. What's to prevent their
making that traffic contract with the
Mormon people right now?''
Nothing, If the s. l.. and f. manage
ment were willing. But just here the po-
litical situation in Mormondom fights for
us. Last year the Transcontinental folk
turned heaven and earth over to defeat
the Mormon candidate for the United
States Senate. The quarrel wasn't quite
mortal enough to stand in the way of a
profitable business deal: but all things
being equal the Salt Lake line will favor
us as against its political enemy"
You're sure of that?" queried Frisbie
LAS sure as one can be of anything
that isn't cash down on the nail-with the
money locked up in a safety deposit
vault By the sheerest good luck the
Mormon president of the S. l.. and e
happened to be in New York at the time
when Adair had his ear to the Trans
continental keyhole. Adair hunted him