The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-01-13

built and be operated on master
plans of economy that contemplated
everything from putting the trains
on the plan of making the loaded
trains pull the empties up, to the
last analysis of the difference in
grades on the Union Pacific and
Oregon Short Line for hauling coke
and coal to smelters at Mackay as
against the disadvantages Of hauling
ii to Salt Lake City. He gave me
short lessons in commercial science
as it applied to my business at
Mackay and kept me an enthusiastic
student always Dropping some of
my own enthusiasm into the articles
| wrote about the mining news of the
camp.
But. thru it all there was some
thing of mystery that nobody seemed
able to solve. Men distrusted and
yet did not say much. | used to go
up and explore the mine in all the
shafts, tunnels and Slopes knew of,
! ometimes by day and sometimes by
| light, always trying to break into
some existing mystery, but never do
ing it, When the Louisiana pur-
chase exposition was opened at St
Lewis | took a month off and rested
from the Mackay problems and when
! came back to it after the trip, it
seemed different. talked to
friend about it, and he led me back
away from the sidewalk. where no.
body could hear what he said, and
thap bo Co;d he nrocumad 7 tbouUbt
the company had been making lit
lie better than expenses all the year.
said that was my understanding,
but that the carloads of matte (cop-
per bullion) shipped out of the camp
seemed good way apart and
never knew just how to figure it nor
how to keep track of shipments.
He looked all around carefully
and then told me that the company
had been using me all the while to
get me to write things up cheerfully
they had been lying to me and were
making me the official liar for the
whole enterprise which was primar-
~ based on stock-jobbing. The |
company had been losing money all |
The time and the average loss was |
S3S an hour. He was telling me this |
because he did not like to see me |
working faithfully to keep my bust
ness up to the top notch basing my
expenditures on the hope of the
future city when in reality it was
liable to be deserted village. If l
would just go along quietly and say
but get ready for business
rash, | would make it easier for
but be sure not to tell the
powers that govern the town, where
! got my information. He was tell
ing me this to act upon and not for
or to repeat to anyone.
After we separated and took to
the sidewalk again thought of the
twenty-four hours in the day and
night when this company was losing
it's hourly $3S. | never had figured
up to see how many hours there are
in year, but | did it now. There
seemed to be $3.50, and they had
lost something like quarter of
million dollars while | had been
keeping up my optimistic view of
the growth of the business and the
future of the town. began to dis
charge my help and to conform to
what my friend had advised about
keeping closer to shore" 1t took
less than a month for the camp to
lake on the aspect of a deserted vii
age, and stockholders from many
places east wrote inquiries to me to
ind out how the mine had collapsed
so unexpectedly, and then | knew
hey had invested on false showings
and false hopes.