The San Francisco call., 1908-10-18

bond issue, no $50. 900 for the forg-
ing of the third and most important
link in the great traffic chain.
Ford walked the floor of his office,
called by courtesy private" for an
anxious hour. balancing the probabili-
ties, and finally determined to take the
desperate chance. There was a vast
mountain of preliminary work to be
leveled, huge purchasing expenses to
be incurred before the first step could
be taken in the actual building of the
western extension, and the summer was
advancing day by day. He did not hope
to get the extension completed in a
single season. But to get it over into
the promising mining field on the lower
work of the keenest, without the loss
of a single day. Could he afford to
play the safe game and wait until the
building capital should be cannily in
Mr.. Magnus' bank vaults?
He decided that he could not. and
when he reached a decision Ford was
not the man to hesitate before taking
the plunge. On the morning of the
third day he called Truitt. Sometime
superintendent of the c. P and D..
and now acting manager of the Chi
cago Extension, and gave him his in
structions.
You say there are three grain trains
moving on the line now, Mr. Truitt !:
there will be three more before night.
Keep them coming and give them the
right of way over everything but the
United States mails. Can you handle
this without help from me?"
We'll give 1t pretty stiff try" was
the prompt rejoinder. But you are not
going to leave us, are you, Mr. Ford %
NO; but for the next 48 hours am
going to lock my door, and don't want
to be disturbed for anything less than
a disaster or a wire from New York.
Please give orders accordingly, will
your"
The orders were given; and, left with
his force Of stenographers, Ford began
to walk the floor, debating right and
left. Letters and kilograms to steel
mills, to contractors, to bridge build
ers, to the owners of grading outfits
and to labor agencies clicked out of the
typewriters in steady and unbrolen
stream, and the din was like that of a
main line telegraph office on a hot piece
of track.
All day long and far into thes night
the Office force wrought unceasin Civ
digging away at the mountain of pre-
liminary correspondence, and by the
next morning the wire replies were be-
ginning to come in.
Then came the crux. To insure promnt
delivery OF material definite orders must
be placed Immediately. A delay of 2
single day might entail delay of weeks
in the shipments. Yet the risk of
plunging the company into debts If
might never be able to pay was an
palling. What If the stock should not
go up as prefigured?-if the bonds could
not be f1oated?
1t was with the feeling that he
might as well be signing his own death
warrant that Ford put his name to the
first order for 100000 worth of steel
rails for immediate delivery to the
company's line in Chicago. But after
the first cold submergence it came more
easily, and when he left the Office an
hour before midnight. a cool million
would not have covered the obligations
he had assumed during the strenuous
day.
Kenneth was sitting up for him when
he reached his hotel, and the usually
impassive face of the general counsel
reflected trouble.
"Out with it, said Ford YEARLY.
and suddenly the new million of in
debtedness became a mountain weight
to grind him to powder.
Were blocked" was the brief an
nouncement. Two of the grain trains
are in, and the Transcontinental law
yers have won the toss We're on
joined by the court from using the
service tracks to the elevators. Didn,t
your local people tell your"
No.. said Ford. Il had given orders
that / was not to be disturbed. Rut
what of it? You expected something of
the sort, didn't your
Yes and I provided for il. The in