The San Francisco call., 1908-11-27
Photo by De Luxe
Gossip Of RaiIwaymen


4 had been away several years from
a place which was once my former
home" said Howard E. Holmes, and
was naturally curious as to my old
friends, what had become OF them and
how they were doing. Most OF the an
swers were pleasing and l was so en-
couraged in my quest for information
that ! asked finally: Well, how is my
old friend John Brown
That's a sad question you are ask
ing, Mr.. Holiness observed my inform
ant.
Indeed?' l answered. I hope he has
not gone to the bad?
Gone to the bad?' echoed my friend,
No, indeed. He is dead and rolling his
eyes toward the skies added, piously,
he is nymph in heaven
The weighty question that has been
troubling the minds. of the members of
the transportation club is, Where is
Harry McMurdo Macgregor?
Macgregor was to have been the in
terlocutor at the minstrel show to be
given by the club tomorrow night, but
disappeared after one rehearsal. and
it is said that the jokes are so intri-
cate that it will require more than one
rehearsal to get acquainted with them,
and get the sense of their meaning.
OrOnalelE, + 6OOIn mas SlSpped
into the breach and will take the place
of the missing Macgregor He has
familiarized himself with every joke
and will be able to explain them after
the show to the entire satisfaction of
the club Vic NJ Smith thought of
applying for the post of honor, but
the first joke on the Union Pacific was
too hard for him, and so he will con-
tent himself by taking a seat in the
front row.
Commissioner Harlan has given an
informal opinion to a traffic officer in
Chicago that the practice of switching
trap cars free TO and from plants hay
ing private tracks is illegal. Cars
have been shipped in and out free for
concerns at Chicago that could load
5000 pounds or more of less than car
load freight. The goods have then been
transferred by the roads from the trap
cars into the various cars that took
them to their various destinations. Some
time ago the Chicago lines announced
that they would discontinue this serv-
ice or impose a charge to cover the
extra service. Commissioner Harlan
holds that an extra charge must be in
serted in tariffs to cover The service
and that If it continues to be rendered
to large shippers the roads must also
place cars on their/team tracks for the
convenience of small shippers or they
will be guilty of unfair discrimina-
ton. The large mail order houses in
Chica go have been the chief bene
ficiaries of the free service rendered.
The Canadian Pacific intends to use
telephone service for train dispatching
throughout its main line and has com
pleted it's telephone line from Montreal
to Winnipeg The distances are as
follows: Montreal to North Bay, $50
miles, and from North Bay 3s4 miles
west to White river The whole line
will be finished as fast as the double
track is put in use between Fort
William and Winnipeg. Another in
stallation of the same nature will be
between Medicine Hat and Calgary, $50
miles, which is worked on two tele-
graph duplex wires working between
Calgary and Winnipeg.
The Elgin extension of the Oregon
railroad and navigation company re-
ouired about 80 miles of canyon and sS
miles of valley work. The maximum
grade is l per cent, and maximum
curves are Is degrees. The road ex-
tends from Elgin, Or, II miles to Pal
mer junction, 13 miles to Minam, IL
miles to Wallowa, z miles to Lostine
10 miles to Enterprise, and miles to
Joseph. There are about 81 miles of
track laid
Track laying through the Flower
Lake tunnel was completed yesterday
according 10 the advices received by
the engineering department of the
Western Pacific.
The passenger department of the
Denver and Rio Grande railroad has is
sued an attractive booklet on Pine
Crest, Colorado, which is one of the
most beautiful resorts on the line OF
| this railroad
A. G. D. Kerrell. general passenger
agent of the Pacific Mail steamship
company, will leave tomorrow night
for Chicago.
Charles Harlowe, bridge engineer OF
the Western Pacific in Nevada arrived
in the city yesterday for the holidays.
The Santa h'e has ordered 5000 tons
of bridge and girder steel for immed
l