Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-13

ROM the ends of the earth they come, these men who build.
The toilers who place beam on beam and stone on stone to
fill the cities with sky-scrapers are a cosmopolitan crew. By
Il their share in the labors in society they must be nomads.
Their home is where the big Orders swing from lofty der
ricks, where the pneumatic hammers rattle their staccato trlls'
where brick and stone and steel must be fashioned together In the
making of cities. 1t is an endless career Of constructive activity
when their work is done they must be iourneying somewhere else to
begin anew. So they ramble about the world. leaving their wake
marked with towering buildings.
Strange coincidence brought into Omaha for the erection Of the
Brandes theater a little company of soldiers of many nations the
Nveterans Of three wars, men of many battles turned from strife and
distraction to the arts of peace. British. confederate and American.
they have worked side by side in the making of this architectural
tribute to beauty Men who charged the Beers across the dun-colored
veldts of South Africa. men who cIawled through the rice paddles
and swamps of the Philippines in pursuit Of the little brown insur-
gents, and, yes. even a man who marched with Longstreet in the days
of the war of the rebellion, have forgotten their rifles and the bugle
call to take up the trowel and hammer. Tommy Atkins rubs elbows
with Johnny Reb, and a veteran from the campaign In Cuba bosses
the Job.
Peaceful and industrious S the building scene appeared, these
soldier builders were engaged last week in a real battle, a fight
against time. which. of course, they won. 1t was not a battle of the
kind thew used 10 arbt. lust a battle of hard work, and lots of it;
work for days and nights without sleep or respite. To get the theater
done on time was the victory for which they fought and won. The
struggle against time lacked the excitement and dash of the heroics
of war, but real soldiers such as they know how to fight without a
band.
The general of this victorious army. the master of the game, was
w. B. Weston, manager for the Thompson-starrett company. He
had nothing to do but be boss but even that gets uresome when 1t
means Neutrality-suspicious. shifts piled on end and overlapping. The
boss did not sleepi there was just time enough to do the work II
everything went right each hghter to his place, and the boss stayed
with the boys, A prosaiC sort OF heroism may be but still a place
where it took the staying powers of a good soldier. When the cur
tain rse IN ~ opening Ger OF 'Arsene Lupin' In that playhouse
OF mauve and gold the public saw the fruits of the victory, but those
who a imagined hIe OF d story OF labor and duty behind that
pretty picture. Weston was sent to Omaha to urge TO completion a
tagging Job. They ordered so many days; he being a soldier, deiv-
cred the theater in 50 many days. That was all; Just orders obeyed.
This same Weston it was who received an order one morning in
June down in Habana harbor some years ago. He was not the
builder then, just Sergeant FirstClass W. B, Weston, Fifth volun-
teer Engineers. The United States was there to make a call on the
spaniards. a call backed with guns and men.
Sergeant Weston 1t was who took his orders, went out under fire
tom the soldiery behind the walls of grim old Moro castle, and later
came back wounded, but carrying sections out from the marine cables
that had given the city and the enemy communication with the ma
tons Of the world. They sent him for the cables and he delivered
the goods. This was another hard Job Of different kind from tbeater
building. but a soldier put it through.
Weston and his squad put on the cruiser New York in a speedy
little mosquito OF q launch. The cruiser and the war vessels stand
ing on In the bay opened fire to cover the advance OF the daring ex.