The San Francisco call., 1909-04-25
Gossip Of RaiIwaymen
&C AY. this is doggoned queer

NiOSN Sou HdNSf d
highly respected resident of
North Yakima to the engineer of a
stationary engine
What in thupdcr are you trying to
do?" replied the engineer as he noticed
that the esteemed citizen had his
watch in his hand.
What do you suppose. stupid?' he
answered acidly. I am trying to set
my watch by your crazy old clock"
That amt no clock. you old Mo-
hammedan. That's steam gauge
Il allus did think that man who
monkeyed with them steam engines
was no better than fool. What does
he mean by steam gauge anyway"
said the solid citizen as he started for
'his mule wagon.
Boys" said the old railroadman as
he Strengthened himself out against
the bar Of the Transportation club.
IF you will gather here every Fri
day afternoon 1 will give you a lecture
on how to succeed in the railroad busi-
ness
1T may help some of you who want
to know, but it is no use your listen
ing to my talks if you think you know
more than l do. This is lecture No. 1,
and Will be repeated every Friday.
will it be printed? Blessed if
know. The very best things rail-
roadman tells reporter are left out
of
best.
The railroad companies are now on
the lookout for young college men.
Those that can read and write and tell
all about the transportation facilities
of early days are the more favored.
They catch 'em when young and full
of ginger. and get IS hours of work
out of them by telling them they will
take ]. C. Stubbs' place in year or 50,
and if they are flip with their tongues
tell them Hartman is aching to sup
plant E. o. Mccormick with one of
their stripe. AS for Kruttschnitt-all
of them are going to be a Kruttschnitt
in year or two.
But, boys, if you think you are
Stubbs or Kruttschnitts you'n get fired
the first week out.
Don't be rash Study the temper of
your boss. Get acquainted with all
the bosses in the building and be al
ways ready to fetch and to carry.
Wear a meek. submissive look and
you'll be hoisted UP and made gen
eral passenger agent where there is
no business before you know it.
1T is as well to learn to play golf.
You have to be crackerjack at the
game and beat everybody who asks
you to play, but get beaten by the boss
every time. 1t pleases him and gets
your salary raised.
Work counts for nothing beside in
fiuence. and all the influence you can
bring to bear bring it to the front.
Remember the immortal words of that
truly great railroadman:
"A pound of influence is equal to
a ton of ability.
Lecture No. will be delivered next
Friday afternoon and 1 will use my in
f1uence to see ii is misquoted for the
benefit of rising railroadmen-
Many conferences have been held in
New York during the last month by
the advisory committee of the Western
passenger association with the steam
ship companies and with the trunk
line passenger committee on immigrant
traffic without any agreement or un-
derstanding satisfactory to all con-
cerned being reached. 1t appears that
the western roads as we'll as the east
ern lines have grievances growing out
of their relations with the steamship
companies in the handling of immi-
grant traffic under an agreement made
iI1fJ ffY- %fc.fo
tory conditions appears to be divided
and restoration of harmony is essen
tial to the perpetuity of the western
immigrant bureau at Ellis island. IL
is charged that in spite of the express
terms of an agreement with them, the
steamship companies have not con-
trolled their agents in the matter ex-
pected and required At the same time,
roads in the trunk line passenger com
mittee which nave always resented the
routing of immigrants being controlled
by western roads are accused of en-
couraging outside agencies TO such an
extent as to cause decentralization in
this class of transportation.
There is difference between west
ern roads and the steamship companies
as to the minimum commission on a
passenger that the latter should re-
ceive on business turned over to the
roads insist that it should be 20 cents,
and the steamship companies demand
double that amount, claiming that it
would enable them to control abso-
lutely the business, SO that all the
traffic originating abroad could be de-
livered to the bureau. The Rock Is
land has threatened that unless some
thing is accomplished shortly it will
withdraw from the inning grant traffic
pool, and at this threat the steamship
companies signifed their readiness to
make individual arrangements with the
various roads. AS nothing more has
been heard from the Rock Island it is
believed that some arrangement salts
factory to that road has been made
with the steamship companies.
The tracks of the Western Pacific
are now past Beowawe and the
switches are being put in. The tracks
are also nine and a half miles be-
yond Winnemucca, there being a gap
of S6 miles between the two places.
According to w. J. Shotwell, one of
the directors of the Western Pacific.
there is no reason why the road should
not be completed from Salt Lake City
to San Francisco within four months.