The San Francisco call., 1909-07-23

THEY were comparing notes OF the
work they had done during a busy
life time. and it was agreed finally
that, perhaps. an engineer who built
railroads had the hardest time OF all
I have built lines where the snow
stood miles high. have climbed slip
perry precipices. swan rivers. carried
lines across a burning desert. braved
the terrors of malarial fever in the
jungies of Brazil, faced the terrors OF
death along the Copper river in Alaska.
escaped being buried alive in Peru and
murdered by Indians in Mexico. to say
nothing of being nearly swallowed
alive by the outbreaking OF a volcano
on the Colorado desert. Yes. William
Hood can vouch for that. as he nearly
came to a sudden end in a similar way.
Now, gentlemen, will you tell me
kindly whether I have not led the most
strenuous sort of existence? Can any
one beat that?"
Rubbish snorted the old engineer.
who, after removing a well used pipe
from his mouth. said:
Bah. you don't know what hard
work is. Have you ever taught school?
newspaper? Well I have. Gentlemen, I
have done all that my learned friend
says he has done, and thought there
was no job in the world which / could
not tackle and find il easy.
But 1 was fooled. I accepted a job
to edit a paper in the country with A
circulation of 5000 Talk about Jobs.
The paper came out in the evening and
1 had the longest kind of day getting
it out.
But. oh the nights. Good Lord.
Everybody was after me with a kick
Gracious. what is building a road in
the middle of Africa to running a news
paper in a town where all the news is
known before ii reaches the newspaper
office? Gentlemen. I escaped alive. But
give me something easy hereafter
building road to the north pole. say
]. r. Koontz. general freight agent
of the Santa F'e at Topeka, is in the
city and remarked yesterday that the
prospects for the middle west were
never so bright as now.
The crop will be good one in Kan
sas," he said. '.and the farmers should
make a great deal of money The
southwest is securing a big immigra-
tion this year. and people are pouring
into the Pecos valley, and into New
Mexico. The country around Piafnview
is developing rapidly. and is being set
tied by farmers from Illinois and Iowa.
We run what are called home seekers
excursions twice a month, and it is
not uncommon to take down six or
seven trainloads or 75 to so cars twice
month. The development of this re-
gion is rapid. and I am led to believe
that our company. in order to assist
this movement. has projected a line
from Texico to Coleman on the Gulf
Colorado line
The Hartman lines announce that
colonist rates will be put into effect
from September Is to October Is and
stopovers Will be permitted in San
Francisco and Los Angeles. which wa :
not allowed before owing to the activ-
tiles of scalpers. but as these have been
put out of business the stopovers a.
these points will be allowed. The rate
will be ss5 from Chicago. $50 from 81
Louis. Memphis and New Orleans and
s25 from Missouri river and Texas
points.
The Chicago. Milwaukee and
Puget Sound railroad has issued an
announcement that through its
connection with the Oregon Rail-
road and Navigation Companv
through Plummer. Idaho. it is able 10
give its fast freight train service to
all points up to and including Portland
and Astoria, Oregon. The same sched-
ule will be observed as is in effect to
Tacoma and Seattle. viz. seven days on
carload freight or less. Information
from Seattle and Tacoma merchants
comes to the effect that the Hill lines
are feeling the effects OF the compe-
titiOn. and have been comDe1led to re-