Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-02-23

ready Knew. Ihe PRESIDENT nau TURN
ed the inqulring stakeholder over TO
Dyckman. the bookkeeper, with In
structions to give Mr.. Gordon the full
est possible information, and
"Dyckman slid out of it, smooth and
easy-like," Calems letter went on He
allowed he was mighty busy, right
about then. Wouldn't 1 just make my
self at home and examine the books
for myself? 1 reckon that was about
what Farley wanted him to do. I'm no
book expert, and 1 couldn't make head
or tail out of Dyckman's spider tracks.
Looks to me like all the books are good
for is to keep people from finding
where the company is at. What little
l found out, young Norman told me.
He says we're in a hole, and the first
wagonload of dirt that comes along
Will bury us out of sight"
Tom, driven now with the closing
work of the college year, yet took time
to write another heartening letter to
the hard-pressed old soldier. 1t had
been his good fortune to win the Clark
son prize for crucible tests, and to
have gained thereby a speaking ac-
quaintance with the multmillionaire
iron king who had founded it. Mr..
Clarkson did not believe that the finan-
cial storm would grow to panic size.
AS for himself, Tom thought the haz-
ard was less in the times than in the
Farleys. Father Caleb was to keep his
finger on the pulse of the main office,
wiring Boston at the first sign of its
weakening.
The Junior metallurgical was in the
thick of the June examinations when
the catastrophe befell. The brief story
of it came to Tom in the first dictated
letter he had ever received from his
father, and the tremulous shakiness Of
the signature pointed eloquently to the
reason. Chiawassee Consolidated was
out of temporarily suspended"
in the pleasant euphemism of the elder
Farley; the force, clerical and manual,
was discharged, with only Dyckman
left in the deserted South Tredegar Of
fees to answer questions; and the
three Farleys, with Major Dabney, Ar
dea and Miss Euphrasia, were to spend
the summer in Europe.
Caleb wrote in some bitterness Of
spirit. Though the Gordon holdings in
the company, increased from time to
time as the iron master had prosper
ed, amounted to little more than a
third of the capital stock everything
had been done secretly. The general
own notice of the shut down
had come in the posted Notice to En-
ployes." When the Farleys should
leave, he would be utterly helpless; on
their return they could repudiate ev-
hi,oo he ,;erl, 10 ,0;r
ruin was imminent. The af-
fairs of the company were in the ut
most confusfon tine treasury was emp
ty, and there were no apparent assets
apart from the idle plant. Creditors
were pressing; the discharged work.
men, led by the white coal miners,
were on the verge of riot; and Major
Dabney's royalties on the coal lands
were many months in arrears.
Tom rose promptly to the occasion,
and in all the stress of things found
space to wonder how it CHANGED that
he knew instinctively what to do and
how to go about it, Before his infor-
nation was an hour old a rush tele-
gram had gone to his father, asking
from what port and by what steamer
the Farleys would sail; asking also
that certain documents be sent to
given New York address by first mail
This done, he laid the exigencies
frankly before the examiners in the
technical school, praying for such len
ency as might be extended under the
Since all things are
possible for an honor man, beloved of
hose whose mission it is to grind th.
human weapon to it's edge, the Difficult
les in this field vanished. Mr.. Gordon
could go on with his examinations until
lis presence was needed elsewhere;
md after the stressful moment was
passed he could return and finish.
The return telegram from Gordonia
vas day late Knowing diplomacy
,nly by name, Caleb Gordon had gone
iirectly to Dyckman for information
egarding the Farleys' movements.
)yckman was polite to the general
manager, but unhappily he knew moth
ng of Mr.. Farley's plans. Caleb tried
elsewhere, and the little mystery thick
med At his club, Mr.. Farley had
poken of taking a Cunarder from Bos-
on; to friend in the South Tredegar
manufacturers Association he had con-
ided his intention of sailing from Phil
delphia. But at the railway ticket Of
Ice he had engaged Pullman reserya- |
ions for six persons to New York.
This last was conclusive, as far as
went; and Japheth Pettigrass sup |
lied the missing item. The Dabneys |
nd the Farleys made one party, and |
apheth knew the steamer and the
ailing date.
Party will sail by White Star Line
Baltic, New York, tomorrow. New
'ork address, Fifth Avenue Hotel Pa
ers to your care 271 Broadway by
nail yesterday" was the message
yhich was signed for by the door
eeper at the mines and metallurgy
room in Boston, late in
ne fQrannnn of the sacnnd da.r. a. |