Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-07-14

Luckily, we found Fred May still at
his desk, and he was promptly clamped
tosthe telephone and told to get busy
spreading the hurry call. In half an
hour every relief operator we had in
Portal City was in the wire-room, and
the back-breaking job Of preparing a
thousand miles of railroad for a sud
den tie-up was in full swing. Mr..
Perkins, as division superintendent,
was in touch with the local labor
leaders. Persuading and insisting by
turns, Mr.. Norcross fought out the
necessary compromises with the
unions. All ordinary traffic would be
suspended at midnight, but passenger
trains en- route were to be run through
to our connecting line terminals east
and west, live stock trains were to be
laid out only where there were feed
ing ~corrals, and perishable freight was
to be taken to its destination wher-
ever that might be.
The strikers agreed to allow the
mail trains to without Interrupt
ton. with our promise that they would
not carry passengers. Hoskinsa and
his committee bucked a little at this.
but got down when they were shown
that they could not afford to risk a
clash with the Government. This ex-
ception admitted. another followed, as
a matter of course. If the mail trains
were to be run, some of the telegraph
operators would have to remain on
duty. at least to the extent Of ham
ding train orders.
With these generalities out of the
way, we got down to details. Fire
alarm" wires were sent to the various
cities and towns on the lines asking
for immediate information regarding
food and fuel supplies, and the strike
leaders were notified that, for sheer
~humanity's sake. they would have to
permit the handling Of provision
trains in cases where they were abb
solutely needed.
BY eleven o'clock the tangle was
getting itself pretty well Strengthened
out. Some of the trains had already
been abandoned, and the others were
moving along to the %agreed-upon des-
tinations.i Kirgan had taken hold in
the Portal City yard, and by putting
on extra crews was getting the needful
shifting and a sorting into shape,
and the Portal City employees, acting
upon their own initiative, wer picket
ing the yard and company buildings to
protect them from looters or ire-set-
tiers. Mr.. Van Britt's special, so the
wires told US, was at L~esterburg, and
it was likely to stay there; and Mr..
Van Britt, himself, couldn't be reached.
Tt was at half-past eleven that we
got the first real yelp from somebody
who was getting pinched. 1t came in
the shape of a wire from the Strath-
coma night operator. A party of men
mime owners the operator called
them-had just heard of the impend-
ing railroad tie-up. They had been
meaning to come in on the regular
night train, but that had been aban-
doned. So now they were offering
all kinds of money for al special to
bring them to Portal City. 1t was
represented that there were millions
ait stake. Couldn't we do something!
Mr.. Norcross had kept Hoslins and
ers where he could get hold of them,
and he put the request up to them ,as
a matter that was now out of his
hands. Would they allow him to run
a one-car special from the gold camp
toRPortal Cit. after midnight? TWAS
for them to say.
Hoskins and his aecomplices went
off to talk 1t over with some of the
other men, When the big freight con,
ductor came back he was alone and
was grinning gOod-naturedly.
I'VE amt amin to make the com
! pany lose any good money that comes
~a-rolling down the hill at it, Mister
Norcross,' he said. sCinch these here
Strathcona h~urry-boys Fl all you car
get out them, and If youth lend us
the loan of the wires. we'll pass the
word to let the special come on
through"
1t was sure the funniest strike q
| ever saw or heard of,and I guess the
boss thought so, too-with all this
goodsnatured bargaining back and
forth; but there was nothing NOR
said, and I carried the word to Mr.
Perkins, directing him to have arrange
ments made for the running Of d one
car special from S%trathcona for The
hurry folks.
Past that, things rocked along unit
the hands Of the big standard-tims
clock III file dispatcher's room pointer
10 midnight. Norris, who was hold
ing down the commercial wire, Game
over 70 the counter railing inst theI
With i New York message, ! saw tht
boss eyes fash and The little bMnchS
mnsele.swellings 81 anges come anf
20 IN the edee BIZ his JAW ~ he reaf
Il, and Then De handed u 10 me,