The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-07-11


to poke fun at the Mineral
division; but one day they
stopped laughing at it. That
was the day saved the road S
reputation and landed mail contract for
us that was worth more in profits than the
directors cared to tell, and with an advcr-
stising value that the general freight and
spassenger agents couldn't tell
1t began withahe business men down in
New Orleans kicking on the New York mail
tseryice. They had been complaining fer
kycars, ar \ finally new Postmaster General
f<ame along and saw chance to stir up 4
Hspark or two of kindly feeling for the Repub-
Qian party south of the Washington nonu-
fmcnt. In those days the administration
kras mighty anxious to breal. the Solid
South," and it looked to the new Official
like good opportunity to drive an extra
nail in his own job. So one day he sent
Nor the general managers Of the four lines
fhat had look-in on such proposition as
n really fast mail service below Washing
ton. A week later quartet of hard=hcaded
Yailroaders sat in the government officials
inncr Office to talk as experts in the matter
Of speed Every man of them had already
I figured the time down to the last minute
tand then chopped off an hour for luck.
Each thought in his heart that he could
tput it over any other road by thirty
minutes.
s"Wel, 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 hall day saved for Houston
and Dallas AS it is now, it takes forty-six
hours from Jersey City to Canal Street
forty hours, even, below Washington,
"How much could that be decreased, Mr..
Waiten2"
The general manager OF the Shore Line
fred the answer straight at him. Three
\ hours and twenty minutes between Wash
ington and Riverview Junction-hve cars.
"Not enough SAID the postal official.
Eve want thirty-eight hour run from
Jersey City to New Orleans.
Three eminent railroad men strove to
reason with him They said it was out Of
the question His ideas sprang from bis
ignorance Of Southern railway conditions.
Did he imagine that they d roadbcds like
the Pennsylvania across the Mississippi
and Louisiana swamps? Then fourth
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. 1t was such
things that made him loved and respected
by every Ran on the w G. S. system. from
car-tink NJ superintendent And men
feared hih who feared neither God nor
man sa& Holcomb.
After that there was no need for further
argument.
"If 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. P"
A little later on news came that the
w. G. S. would make trial On the new
nlai-carrying contract at speed that In
our part Of the country was hair-raising
Then Holcomb sent for McStewart.
McStewart was the superintendent q
motive power, big, blond-whiskcIcd,
outstanding Scotchman who went TO church
regularly and openly deplored that it was
necessary in the very nature Of the railroad
business that mn should swear. WIth
him lay the responsibility for the engines
that would haul the 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 trail of astonishment and enthusiasm.
Everybody seemed to catch the fever. IN
depots and towers and snitch-shantics and
roundhouses the talk was all OF the ncw
fliers. Grizzled old Dennis O'Rourke, sec
ton boss on the Divide, fired gcsn
sectionhand for expressing doubt that
the road could maintain such a schedule.
Johnnie Baptiste, engine foreman at Cinich
River, got publicly and disgracefully drunk
and held rousing prayer meeting in one oi
the cleaning pits over the foresight OF liol-
,eomb IN having ordered the six new ten
w6selers that were just coming out OF the
Baldwin works. They would be delivered
In tiuls for the new trains and would walk
away With FIVE mail cars ike playthlngs.
Then oame the day when the Pennsy-
vxnia delivered FIVE new mail cars, On time
70 the dot. The twenty-third Of October
It was, clear, crisp sort OF day, and IN the
little towns up the line people turned oui N
crowds TO see the new Number Fifty go
by. II was, Here she comes -yonder she
goes Just a roar, fash Of black ana
olive green, and the smoke trailing iar