The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-15
Gossip of RailWaymen

HN/OU boys in the city" observed
the old railroadman as he
gulped down a long drink.
think you know all about railroading.
But what do you know? 1t takes a
man in the country to know what rail-
reading is. Do you nice boys who help
Sadie pass the time ever have to get
out and hustle hogs aboard? oh, yes,
you may have some kind OF hogs TO
handle, but I mean the real Primrose
variety such as handsome Vic Smith
handles
And then imagine what would you
do if just when you are plotting one or
the refractory kind that is bucking
and kicking and making no end OF a
fuss up comes the sweetest girl in
town and wants to buy ticket TO
Santa Cruz.
YES, I guess you would be up
against it, and even Joe Mcllroy with
that smile of his would not be able
to hold his own even against Billy
Webster, who is no SLOUGH of man
among the ladies.
.Ah, there are stories 1 could re-
late. but 1 refrain.
Now, that is just what lad in the
country has to do. Sell tickets and
hustle hogs, and 1 amt a bit sur
prised that some of the agents are a
bit mad and swear they will give up
their jobs and go TO selling tobacco
or anything else, especially after they
get one of Bissonnet's cheering letters
Don't any of you fellows go to
thinking because you belong TO the
city and are members of the Trans
portation club that the country rail-
roadman doesn't know anything. He
Is the boy who does know, and il
there is any one who can teach him
anything, we'll. let him come around.
that's all. Why, some of the chaps In
the country could tell even more stories
than Harry Mccartney of the Western
Pacific.
There is the man for your club.
He Is the salt of the EARTH he Is, and
when he is once started on the story
habit he can tell them from here to
doomsday. l tell you. boys, 1T takes
an old engineer to know the country.
and you can't mention man to him
that he doesn't know.
"Eh, what's your name-Rhinehart,
Ell? Good old German name that 1
used to board with an estimabIe old
lady of that name in the forties. She
was a fine woman. God bless her.
You aren't related to her. are you?
We'll, / am glad of that. If she
couldn't make a man think he was in
heaven. Well enough Of that.
THE man who doesn't know Harry
Mccartney hasn't lived. He is true
blue, he is, and he is always the same,
is Harry, and 1 know that when / am
dead and gone from this wicked world
and am resting nicely and as peace
ably as / can in a warm climate I'll
hear a laugh, and 1t will be Harry
that is making them laugh. Why, he'll
be telling the boys and some OF the
girls of how he lived in Peru, and
they'll all think that they are in the
other place instead of where they are
Boys, the man who can make a
man laugh in these hard working days
is the best man. after all. 1 wouldn't
be James j. Hill for all his millions.
who has made more tears than laughs,
and / would rather be Harry Mozart
ney, who has made many a poor devil
forget his troubles by telling him
funny story.
What a difference between the two
meni And both railroadmen. One has
made more people shed tears than any
warrior ever has. He has fired people
right and left and never gave them a
reason. Many a poor devil who has
worked hard all his life at railroading
has been thrown on the world because
Hill had some notion in his head that
he thought change was necessary.
Il remember once a general freight
agent introducing to Hill his assistant.
Hill spoke to the man a few words
went into his Office and wired the
freight traffic manager to make the as
sistant the general freight agent and
fire the general freight agent. which, OF
course. was done. Nobody can fool
with ]. j. HILL He is a car, and there
won't be anybody trying to buck him
who wants to keep his job
"Oh, he is smart enough and so ia
Colby out here. George has moved his
office down to the Palace hotel and now
the Southern Pacific is going to open an
Office there to look out for Colby and
some of the boys are hopping mad.
Jules Clerfayt said to me. BY the
bones Of my heroic ancestor who fought