The San Francisco call., 1909-07-25
Gossip Of Railwaynen
7 AM afraid" said the old railroad

man as ne nrted his glass TO MS
lips at the Transportation club,
@that the railroads had better change
their tractics or else discipline
will come to an end. / find in my
wanderings that railroads are begin
ming to be regarded as eleemosynary
institutions. 1 don't know If any of
you will understand what I mean, ex-
cept General George G. Fraser who is
bound to know, as he is going into the
publishing business with a gentleman
from Nevada who scared three bad
men to death by simply looking at
them, so you had better ask him. He
knows everything.
What | was getting at, if it had not
been for my cussed desire to show off
new word which l had just heard.
la Theodore Hannibal Jacobs, I
would have remarked that this re-
signing business makes me weary.
There was a time that when a man
resigned he stayed resigned, and if he
had an office in the east or the bosses
lived there they just took him at his
word and he went. But 1t is changed
now
Look at Andy Stewart He went
and resigned and he was going to a
job in st. Louis with million a week
in 1t. and he is still here. Why, all
the boys wept when they heard that
Andy was going. Tom Tilley cried,
just like the general in The Merry
Widow and little Snyder in the Wash
ington-Sunset Office went home, picked
big red carnation and placed it on
Andy's desk with great. big, choking
sob. What did Clyde w. Colby do?
He put Grape on his arm and called
out:
How shall 1 survive the loss?'
"A meeting was called at once by
Sam Booth, president of the Transpor-
tation club, to consider Andy's resig-
nation.
Gentlemen said Sam. we are go
ing to lose one of the greatest men on
this earth.
AT once 40 railroadmen jumped out
of their chairs, and John Augustus Gill
beloved out quite loud:
- Do you hear that, and I sitting
here where every one can see me,
Sans got his nerve with him.
But. Lord bless you, you can't
feaze Sam. He's lived at Fresno and
they wanted to make him mayor of
that city, but he declined, and so he
looks over the situation as cool as
Lord Delamere did when he was be-
headed Chat was one of Sans ances-
tors, an uncle, I think). and says Or
der and John Augustus takes out an
all day sucker and keeps still as possi-
ble-that is as far as John Augustus
can keep still.
AS 1 was saying goes on Sam, we
are going to lose one of the greatest
men on earth. 1 refer to Andy Stew
art. Who says he amt great? Why.
he is the greatest railroadman I know
of. Business comes to him-eh, what?
Well, if 1 am to be interrupted by
Clyde Colby's remarks about folders
III stop right now
We'll, what did the club do? 1t re-
fused to accept Andys resignation, but
decided to make him a member for
life without even having to pay for
his drinks. They thought he was go
ing to st. Louis. and as John d.
Isaacs has not yet connected st. Louis
to San Francisco with a pipe line they
thought the club was safe.
But what is the result? Andy is
still here. and when he is asked when
he is going to that million dollar
week job signing up insurance he SIM
ply gives a merry ha ha.
| This is what 1 want to know:
When a man resigns now does he re-
sign or don't he? 1 know of two men
upstairs who don't quit their jobs
when they said they would quit. Why,
the first thing you know is that John
Augustus will be holding down his
old chair and won't little Berkheiser
get, well, never mind what, for not
putting Grape on his arm? This
| thing is sort of distressing, for now
man never knows how to take res
| ignee. What, there amt such a word,
general? Well, I'll make it now.
There ought to be such a word, see
ing how fond you railroadmen are of
resigning. The first thing you Nnow
Il. Hannibal Jacobs will be resigning.
and then we will be up against it good
and hard.
What was that you asked me, gem
eral? What do l think of traffic and
operating officers attending meetings
of drummers? You say that Uncle
Harrimans attention was called to the
Importance of their meetings by A
Matthias of New Orleans. and that I'm
Gle Ed has told J. c. Stubbs and ]. X.
Kruttschnitt to tell everybody to at
tend the conferences of drummers.
Good boy Matthias.
81 take no exception to any ruling
of Uncle Ed. He knows what he wants
and gets it. too. But there is a differ
ence of opinion, l should judge, in the
matter. No self-respecting railroadman
will refuse to attend a meeting of
drummers handling whisky.
Many of the boys can talk like vet
Grams on this subject, especially if they
had a few samples on tap they could
liquidate all the better. AS for cigar
every IndH VIII De only TOO
glad to attend and smoke a two bit
cig gar with them.
Uncle Ed did not realize the possi-
bilities of this, or else he would have
gone little slow before he listened
to the advice of Matthias of New Or
leans. / must ask Frank Batturs if he
knows Matt. Perhaps Frank put him
up to it.
What, General Fraser and Sam TAFT
say they won't attend convention of
drummers handling ladies' attire. Well,
1 like that. And there are not two men
in the railroad business who are such
great ladies' men. Why little Maximil-
! liam Podlech would, for he gives them
automobile rides and ice cream on pay
day once a month and he would be only
too pleased to go to the conventions
and learn all about style so that he
could talk learnedly and interestingly,
wonder what has become of that Chi
nese garment that Maximillian used to
sport?
Has it gone east, 1 wonder? No,
Max won't answer that question. 1t is
delicate one. OF course, the silk was
delicate. Who ever said it was not?
Talking about old times, does any
one hear from Robinson, who use to
he with the Wabash? Robinson was