The San Francisco call., 1909-08-03
Gossip of RaiIwaymen

Y
Aof men and his language is the
reflex of mind which admires
moderation in everything. and a
heart which harbors no I'll will. even
to man who has no understanding OF
the higher mathematics
Hood never uses strong language. at
least so he says. He argues that the
use of words not found in the vocab-
ulary of the purists is so much waste
of energy and should be avoided
There are others who say differently.
but not in the hearing of Hood. There
is one gentleman living across the bay
who knew Hood well in his early days
Il met him. he said" during the good
old times of the Central Pacific, when
Charles Crocker and Strowbridge were
alive. Neither of the two had any
technical education. but both men had
an overweening belief in their own tai
ents, and said that man with an ounce
of experience was worth dozen men
with tons of knowledge when it came
to building railroads.
"crocker and strowbridge were al
ways relocating the line of the Central
Pacific, and poor old Montague, who
was chief engineer, had to obey or else
60 He obeyed.
"One day there came to camp, think
it was at Promontory. a dapper young
fellow, with the brightest blue eyes 1
had ever seen, well dressed and jaunty.
with an air of determination quite for
eign to the men about Crocker and
Strowbridge. He began to talk. His
conversation was original. and his re-
marks about the big men of the Central
Pacific were unique and strikingly true.
He then began to swear. l had been on
the frontier for many years, had been
also in the army in the war but for
startling comparisons. declamatory de-
nunciation, witty personalities of the
most lurid order he was unsurpassed.
If those heaven born railroad builders
had heard Hoods remarks there would
have been murder.
His rhetoric was faw1ess, mind you
had only just left West Point and
could appreciate classical allusions.
Charmed with my new found friend l
asked him his name He stared at me
1OI d IHOmeHI ana Ln6n Sd1Q Sharply.
William Hood
II have a story which is almost as
good as that" said another railroad
man. "of William Hood
We were compelled to hire team
in Los Angeles, and Hood was most
particular about the horses. He had to
make the point where he was going in
certain time, and he impressed on the
men the necessity of covering the dis
tance in so many hours. All the usual
promises were forthcoming and also
the usual profanity.
Ny friend said Hood, don't swear.
1t shakes my belief in you, and besides
your language is horrid.'
I'VE started The team broke down.
and then Hood let loose such a torrent
of expletives as would have made
Bancroft stare and put to flight every
operating man in the country.
Why don't you say something?
cried Hood to the stageman. Why in
thunder don't you swear?
g How can II asked the man humbly;
you have left me nothing to say
C. S. Fee, passenger traffic manager
of the Southern Pacific, arrived in the
city yesterday after his trip to Chicago,
where he had been on general business
of the company and also in regard to
the advertising of the Hartman lines
for the ensuing year.
tThe Hartman lines" said Fee, will
do as much advertising as ever and
even more We have found that the
illustrated lecture is one of the best
advertising means we can employ. and
we shall have three men in the field
during the year. One is to be in New
York, another in Cincinnati and another
in Chicago. The first two are to be
booked regularly. except the man in
Chicago, who is to answer emergency
calls
Il suppose you are aware we have
man in London at EarPs court lee
turing, and his lectures are attended
by vast throngs. The Office is besieged
with people looking for information
about California, and the inquiries come
from the solid classes of the community
| expect we shall secure a great num-
ber of English families, attracted here
by these lectures
1--WE shall go into the work of COM
munity advertising more extensively
and shall cover every section of the
country from Puget sound to Ell Paso.
We shall press this work hard and also
do great deal of work in printing
pamphlets.
Judging from what heard from
our agents in the east we shall have a
big travel to the coast this fall. There
is a great deal of inquiry about the
Portola festival, and as the railroads
have arranged for an extension of the
tickets for those attending the Seattle
fair so as to take in the time when we
hold our festival, weS may look for
big travel"
E. E. Calvin, vice president and gen
eral manager of the Southern Pacific.
left the railroad hospital yesterday for
home, and when Mrs. Calvin, who is
also in a hospital. has sufficiently
recovered from an operation for ap-
pendicitis, they will leave for a short
stay in the country.
A committee of the locomotive en-
gineers of the Southern Pacific is hold
ing its annual meeting in the city.