The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-01-31
The Wreckers
Francis Lynde
Continued Irom Yesterday
CHAPTER XIII
The Majors Prcmoniiion

tNNANAhhHAAhatAAk wv HANW AAN 49,.
the near. disaster ON slide Mountain.
We had our meeting with the Strath'
coma mine owners the following
morning. and that much OF the spo'
cial train trip served It's purpose,
anyway. The boss met the miners
a good bit more than half way. and
gave them their rellef-and the
Hatch-owned smolter It's knockout
by promising that our traffic depart.
ment would make an ore tariff TO
the independent smeltcr on the 9th.
er side OF the range low enough to
protect the producers.
They tried 70 give him an ovation
for that--the Strathcona men--dld
give him a banquet luncheon at the
Shaft House Grin. a luxurious club
fitted up with rough beams and raft
ers 90 make II look like It's name.
was nearly three o'clock in the
afternoon before we got away for
the return 60 Portal City.
We had seen nothing Of MFR. Van
Britt during the day. and until We
came 90 start out | thought maybe
he had gene back 20 Portal City on
the regular train. But at The sta.
ton I saw the pilot engine just
ahead OF us again. and tho
couldn't be quite sure. I thought I
caught glimpse Of our athletic
little general superintendent on the
fireman's box.
The boss was pretty quiet all tho
way on the run down the mountain
to Bauxitc. and. for a wonder. he
didn't pitch into the work at the
desk. Instead. he sat In one Of the
big wicker chairs facing rear win.
dow. smoking. and apparently alb
sorbed In watching the crooked
track OF the branch uureei itself
and race backward as we slid down
the. grades.
could tell pretty well what he
was thinking about For six months
he had been working like a horse
10 pun the short Line out OF the
mudhoie OF contempt and hostility
into which a more or less justly
aroused public enmity had dumped
II. and now. just as he was begin.
ming 20 get II up over the edge. he
had been plainly notified that he
was going to be killed II he didn't
let go.
On the reverse curves he could
see the pilot engine feeling It's way
down the mountain ahead Of us.
and ! guess that gave him another
twinge. Its tough on a man 10
think that he can't ride over hts
own railroad without being hedwcd
up and guarded. But the really
tough part OF n was not 30 much
the mere fact OF getting killed II
was the other and sharper fact that.
just as the way seemed 20 be open.
ing out 10 better things for the
Short Line. a misset switch or a
bullet In the dark would knock the
entire hard.buiit reform experiment
into a cooked hat
There was every reason. now. 90
hope that the experiment was going
TO be a success. at least. at our end
Of n, II II could go on just . nth.
farther. Slowly but surely the new
policy was winning It's way with
the public. Traffic was booming.
and Amos; from the first the inter.
state commerce inspectors had let
us alone. Just a. the police viii let
a man alone when Their, Ia reason
to believe that he has taken a brace
and Il trying his best 10 walk
straight.
Also. for the drastic iintrassaie
laws about head
lights. and safety devices. and grade
crossings. and fun crews. and the
making Of reports 10 this. that. and
the other state official: laws which.
IL enforced to the letter, would have
left the railroad management with
little 20 do but TO pay the bills:
for these something better was To be
substituted We had Governor elect
BurreIrs Assurance for this. He
had met the boss IN the lobby OF
the Bullard the day after the cleo.
ton, and ! heard him say:
You have kept your promise.
Sorcross. For the first time in lis
history. your railroad has let a state
campaign take It's course without
bullying. bribery. or underhanded
corruption. You1l get your reward.
We are going to have new laws.
and a railroad commission with au.
thority TO act both ways-for the
people when IT'S needed, and for the
carriers when they need II. II you
can show that the present laws are
unjust TO your earning powers, you1I
get relief and the people Of this
commonwealth will cheerfully pay
the bills"
Past all this. tho. and even past
the murderous Vaccinations OF the
grafters. there was the
old sore: the original barrier that
no amount OF Internal reform could
break down. There could be no per.
manent prosperity for the Short
Line while its majority stock was
controlled by men who cared abso.
Iutely nothing for the property as
a working factor in the life and
activities OF the region IL served.
That was the way Mrs. Sheila had
put II 10 the boss. one evening along
In the summer when they were sit
ting out on the Hendricks porch,
and had butted In, as usual, with
A bunch OF kilograms that didn't
matter. She had said that the ex.
pertinent couldn't be a success un-
esq the conditions could be changed
m some way; that 30 long as the
were owned or controlled
BY men Of the Mr.. Dunton sort and
ised az counters in the money. max.
ng game, there would never be any
'eal peace between the companies
Ind the people at large.
/ knew that the boss had taken
hat saying OF hers for another Of
he Inspirations. and that he believed
I clear thru 10 the bottom. But
,uess he didn't see any way as yet
n which the Duntons could be shak-
IN out, or just what could be made |
o happen II they were shaken out. |
IT was at Bauxite Junction that |