Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
The Sinews of War,

The general offices of the C. P and D.
railway were crowded into a half-dozen
unitarian rooms on the second floor OF
the company's freight station building in
the Chicago yards. In two of these rooms
with window outlook upon tansle OF
twitching tracks with their shifting pano-
rama Of cars and locomotives Ford set
up his standard as chief executive of thu
three annexed roads, becoming, in the
eyes Of three separate republics of minor
officials and employees. the arbiter OF
destiny.
Naturally, the announcement that their
| railroads had been swallowed whole by
the Pacific Southwestern had fallen as a
thunderclap upon the rank and file OF the
three local companies, and since in rail
way practice. a change of OWNERS usually
carries wi, h 1t sweeping change in de-
partment heads. the service was instantly
demoraiZed.
During the first few hours of Ford's adj
ministration therefore, the wires were
buZZing with hasty designations. End
those whose courage was not whetted to
the quitting point took a loose hold upon
their duties and waited to see what would
happen. Under such chaotic conditions
Ford took his seat in the mean little Office
over the freight station. and flung him
self ardently into the task of bringing
order out Of the sudden confusion. Eff
fectively to support Adair and the recon
structionists on the board ii was critically
necessary that there be Immediate and
cheering news from the front.
1t was In the preliminary wrestle with
disintegratfon that the young engin aer s
gift of insight and his faculty of handling
men as men stood him in good stead. II
was fresh from his trip over the new ex-
tension. on which he had met and
shrewdly appraised the mn who were
now his SuhOrdinateS. With the human
field thus mentally mapped and cross sec
toned he was enabled to make swift and
sure selections. cutting out the dead tim
Der remorselesslY, encouraging the doubt
full. reassuring the tirid, asserting and
combining and ordering until. at the clos
Of the second day of fierce toll, he was
ready to make his first report to Adair.
Track connections at junction points
completed today. General and division
operating and traffic departments N the
saddle and effectively organized. With
proper cooperation on part of General
Manager North grain should begin to
move eastward tomorrow. Can get no
satisfactory replies from North. Have
him disciplined from your end. Answer.
FORD"
To this telegram there was a prompt
and volumnous reply from the seat of
war in the east. In a free fight on the
stock exchange. a battle royal generated
by Brewster and Magnus. in which every
tested by brokers buying up 2. SW. in
the interest OF principals unnamed ma
1ortty OF the Southwestern stock-safe but
exceedingly narrow-had been secured by
the reconstructionists.
In accordance with Ford's suggestion.
North had been "called down by wire
and Ford was instructed to report in
stantly any failure OF effort on the part
of the Denver headquarters to set the
grain trains in motion.
Otherwise and from the orb
point of view. the situation remained most
hopeful. The fight in the street had uni
fled the factions in the board of directors
and even the timid ones were beginning
to clamor for an advance into the terri
tory of the enemy.
Ford read Adair's letter-length and most
unbusinesslike telegram with the zest of
the fine wine of triumph tingling in his
blood. With the Chicago outlet fairly
open and in working order, and a huge
tributary grain crop to be moved, it
should be only a matter of days until the
depressed Pacific Southwestern stock