The Delta independent., 1916-02-11
! CHAPTER w
= Sands of Pactolus

II Victor Brouillard had been dis
posed to speculate curiously upon the
possibilities suggested by Mr.. J. Wes-
ley Cartwright on the occasion Of the
capitalists brief visit to the Niquoia,
there was little leisure for 1t. Fairly
confronting his problem, Brouillard
did not find himself hampered by de-
partmental inertia. While he was rap
idly organizing his force for the con-
structive attack. the equipment and
preliminary material for the upbuild-
ing Of the great dam were piling up
by the trainload on the sidetracks at
Quesado, and at once the man and
beast killing task of rushing the exca-
waiting outfit Of machinery. teams.
scrapers. rock-drilling installations.
steam shovels, and the like, over the
War Arrow trail was begun.
During the weeks which followed,
the same trail. and a little later that
from the Navajo reservation on the
south, were strung with antlike pro-
cessions of laborers pouring into the
shut-in valley at the foot of Mount
Chigringo. Almost as IL by magic a
populous camp of tents. shelter shacks
and Indian tepees sprang up in the
level ed-bottom OF the future lake:
campfres gave place to mess kitch-
ems; the commissary became a busy
department store stocked with every
thing that thrifty or thriftless labor
might wish to purchase; and daily the
great foundation scorings in the but.
tressing shoulders of Jacks mountain
under the churning o. the air-drills.
the crashings of the dynamite and the
rattle and chug OF the steam shovels.
1t was after the huge task of foun-
dation digging was well under way
and the work OF constructing the small
power dam In the upper canyon had
been begun that the young chief OF
construction. busy with a thousand
details. had his first forcible reminder
OF the continued existence Of Mr.. J.
Wesley Cartwright
It came in the form OF q communi-
cation from Warrington forwarded by
special post-rider service from Que
sado. and II called halt upon the up
river power project. In accordance
with its settled policy. the reclamation
|
as elsewhere. from entering into COM
petition with private citizens; would
do nothing to discourage the invest
ment OF private capital A company
had been formed to take over the
power production and to establish a
plant for the manufacture OF cement.
and Brouillard was instructed to gov
ern himself accordingly. For his In
formation, the department letter
writer went on to say. 1t was to be
understood that the company was
duly organized under the provisions OF
an act Of congress; that 1t had bound
itself to furnish power and material
at prices satisfactory to the service:
and that the relations between II and
the government feld-stan on the
ground were to be entirely friendly.
TITS a graft-a pulidown with a
profit In It for some bunch OF money
leeches a little higher up!" was the
young chiefs angry comment when he
had given Grislow the letter to read.
without knowing any more Of the
details than that letter gives, I'd be
willing to bet months pay that this
is the fine Italian hand OF Mr.. ]. Wes-
ley Cortwright!"
Grislcw's eyebrows went up in
doubtful interrogation.
Ought ! to know the gentleman ?"
he queried mildly. Il don't seem to
recall the name"
mo, you don't know him. II was
his motor party that was camping at
the Buckskin ford the night we broke
In here-the night when we saw the
searchlight."
And you met him? thought you
told me you merely went down and
took Iook-didnt butt in?"
II didnt-that night. But tho next
morning they wanted to see the val
ley. and l showed them the way In.
Cartwright is the multimillionaire pork
packer OF Chicago. and he went up
into the air like a lunatic over the
moneymaking chances there were to
be in this Job. I didn't pay much at
tention to his chortlings at the time.
II didn't seem remotely credible that
anybody with real money to invest
would plant II in the bottom Of the Nj.
quoia reservoir"
But now you think he is going to
make his biuff goodf
That looks very much like IT," said
Brouiilard sourly, pointing to the let
ter from Washington. THAT scheme
IL Soing to change the whole face OF
nature for us up here. Grislow. II
will spell trouble right from the
Jump"
ITO be continued)