The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-01-13

division; but one day they
" stopped laughing at it. That
was the dayit saved there S
.yreputation and landed mail contract Tor
us that was worth more in profits than the
directors cared to tell, and with an adycr-
il usins value that the general freight and
passenger agents couldn't tell
1t began with the business men down in
y New Orleans kicking on the New York mail
service. They had been complaining for
+ years, and finally new Postmaster General
came along and saw chance to stir up a
spark or two OF kindly feeling for the Rcpub
ican party south OF the Washington mont
Il ment. In those days the administration
was mighty anxious TO break the Solid
n South, and it looked to the new official
like a good opportunity to drive an extra
nail in his own Job. So enc day nc sent
for the general managers Of the four lines
" that had look-in on such a proposition as
really fast mail service below Waiting
4 ton, A week later quartet of hard-hcaded
railroaders sat in the government oft'ciaTs
inner Office TO talk as experts in The matter
! OF speed, Every man of them h7d already
figured the time down to the last minute
and then chopped off an hour for luck.
Each thought in his heart that he could
put it over any other road by / 1ty
minutes
Well, gentlemen began the head Of the
postal service, we want to do better on the
New Orleans mail schedules. Cutting out
only two hours on the present running time
would mean half day saved for Houston
and Dallas. AS it II now, II takes fcrty-six
hours IRON Jersey City to Canal Street
forty hours, even, below Washington.
How much could That be decreased, Mr..
Waiten?p
[ The general manager Of the Shore Line
hired the answer straight at him. Three
hours and twenty minutes between Wash
ington and Riverview Junction five cars ?
Not enough, SAID the postal official.
q I'VE want thirly-cight hour run from
4 Jersey City to New Orleans
Three eminent railroad men Strove to
reason with him. They said il was out Of
the question His ideas sprang irom his
ignorance Of Southern railway conditions,
Did he imagine that they had roadbcds like
the Pennsylvania S across the Mississippi
and Louisiana swampsP Then a fourth
u eminent railroad man spoke for the first
time. We will take your five cars through
in thirty-six hours, he said, and you can
make the penalty for delays high because
there aren't going to be any delays
That was Holcomb all over. Ii was such
things that made him loved and respected
by every man on the w e. S, system, from
car-tink to superintendent And men
feared him who feared neither God nor
man--save Holcomb.
After that there was no need1o further
argument
III you make good on the trial runs and
put that offer in your bid next month, said
the Postmaster General the contract is
practically yours. But warn YOU that we
shall expect the service.
A little later on news came that the
w. G. 5, would make a trial on the new
mail-oarrying contract at a speed that in
our part of the country was hair-raising.
Then Holcomb sent for McStcwart
McStewart was the superintendent Of
motive power, big, blond -whiskered,
outstanding Scotchman who went to church
regularly and openly deplorcd that it WIS
necessary in the very nature Of The railroad
business that man should swear. With
him lay the responsibility for the engines
that would haul tho mail trains The big
Scotchman put on the old brown derby that
he wore on special occasions his war
bonnet, the men called it and went down
the line from end to end And in his wake
was a trail Of astonishment and enthusiasm.
Everybody seemed to catch the fever In
depots and towers and switch -shanties and
rcundhouses the talk was all Of the new
fl;ers Grizzlcd cid Dennis O'Rourke, sec
tim boss on the Divide, fired a green
sretio1hand for expressing a doubt that
tic road could maintain such schedule.
Jchau;e Baptistc, engine foreman at Clinch
River, got publicly and disgracelully drunk
AID held q rousng prayer meeting in one Of
tho clearing pits over the foresight Of Hol-
comb il having ordered the six new ten
vhceieys tbat we're just coming out Of the
BALDWIN WORKS They would be delivered
in tine n. The rev trains and would walk
away with fyc malt cars like playthings.
Then came the day when the Pennsyl.
varia delivered iiSg new mail cars, on time
q 10 the cot. TtestaeftSthird Of October
1; was, cicsr, crisp scr; q & day, and in the
,ittle towns up tAc line pccplc turned out in
crowds 10 gee the rev Number Fiity-six &c
.,y. It was, Here che coMcs yonder sht
1ocs just Isor, hash Of black and
oi'vc gl~sr. ard tl.9 s;rckc trailing iai
0 49, NsAA- MTN