Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-28

part of our problem. Call your man
in and let him attack the thing itself
.'Eyerything goes: you may consider
him recalled. But broadening the
Plug Mountain to standard gauge
doesn't put us into Copah this sum-
mer, does it?"
mo; our necessities will do that for
us. See here; let me show you" Ford
took out his notebook and on blank
page Of it outlined a rough map, talk
Ing as he sketched. Three weeks ago
you wired me that the Transcontinen-
tai people were massing building ma
terial at the terminus of their Sagu-
ache branch
"SosI did," said Frisbie.
"And the day before yesterday you
wired again to say that it was ap-
parently a 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 bluff-their bluff-was called.
We had got busy on Plug Pass and
they saw there was no hope, Of cut
I ting In ahead of us at that point
Exactly. Now look at this map for
a minute. Here is Saints Rest; here
is the Copah district; and here Is
Green Butte the junction of their
narrow gauge with the standard
gauge Salt Lake and Eastern If you
were on the Transcontinental ex.
ecutive committee and saw an active
competing line about to build q
standard-gauge railroad through the
Copah district an on to 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 stand
ardize their narrow gauge to Green
Butte, make an iron-clad traffic con
tract with the S. L. & E. to exclude
| us, and build a branch from Jacks
Canyon, say, up into the Copat
country" And then in loyal admira
tion: That's what | call the sure
word Of prophecy-your specially
Stuart. How many nights sleep die
you lose figuring that out?"
mot any, as it happens" laughed
Ford. at was straight tip out O
the East. The plan, just about as
you've outlined it, was adopted by the
Transcontinental powers that be. sit
ting in New York last week. By some
means unknown to me, Mr.. Adair go
wind Of it. and made flying trip tt
! Chicago to put me on-wouldn't ever
trust the wire with it. Now you under
stand why we've got to wake thu
~t, tty,.
| whistle this season.
"Copah-yes,'' said Frisbie doubt
fully. But that is only a way station
What we need is Green Butte ant
the Pacific coast outlet over the S. l
| & E.; and they stand to euchre Il
out of that, hands down. What's T.
prevent their making that traffic cor
tract with the Mormon people RICH
now?"
Nothing; if the S. L. & E. manage
ment were willing. But just here tn
political situation in Mormondor
/ fights for US Last year the Trans
continental folk turned heaven an
4 earth over to defeat the Mormon car
didate for the United States senate
The quarrel wasn't quite morts
enough to stand in the way of
profitable business deal; but all thing
being equal, the Salt Lake line wi
favor us as against it's politics
enemy"
You're sure of that?" querie
Frisbie.
"As sure as one can be Of anythin
that isn't cash down on the nail
| with the money locked up in safet
deposit vault. BY the sheerest goo
luck, the Mormon president of the
l.. & E. happened to be in New Yor
| at the time when Adair had his ca
to the Transcontinental keyhole. Adai
j hunted him up and made a hypothet
4 cal case of a sure thing: if our Yves