, 1922-09-28

under difficulties" and tells many
thrilling tales of hostile Indians and
other adventures OF those halcyon
days during the e two years. I'M
til in June, 1868. he was SEN to
Laramie to assist his father, who was
master mechanic there, to organize a
force.
A few months later the author was
transferred to Fort Benton, located
between Fort Steele and Rawlins,
and from this time on the narrative
of those olden days takes on a de-
cided local hue and will be told in
the writer's own words:
Il stayed at Benton until Novom-
Der, 1868, when l took a bad order
locomotive to Rawlins. and placed it
in the round house there for repairs.
this being the first locomotive in the
Rawlins round house. / then acted
as general foreman at Rawlins until
the big snow blockade OF February
9. 1869. 1t was during the blockade
which was between Rawlins and
Cheyenne, that greatest progress was
made in laying of the track to the
west. During the blockade, we had
n notable incident. locomotive 112
exploding her boiler at Rock Springs.
III ClIlliS loASe, ulO " IL Clo"I
sheet and wagon top about a half
mile, killing the engineer. Frank
Donovan. Fireman Smith, and the
conductor. $50
about the first Of April returned
to Omaha, and worked in the shops
until the 18th of May, after the last
spike was driven at completion of the
road. Gus Ames. nephew OF Oliver
and nnkaC An1nS had vna6n "a ra-
quest on the general manager of the
road to send me to him in South
America. where he was engaged in
building Lima. Chanki. Hautcho
Road in Peru. stayed there with
Mr.. Ames six months. and returned
&c service on the Union Pacific as
general foreman OF the shops at
Laramie City. acted as general
foreman, and as extra engineer from
1869 to 1870. -"
Eclipse Expedition OF 1873
1.-The winter OF 1878, ! was ap-
pointed master mechanic at Chey-
enne. and in April, 1874. was APP
pointed master mechanic at Rawlins,
Wyo., where l remained In charge OF
that division until October. 1882,
The most interesting matter that
took place while / was at Rawlins
was the Henry Draper Eclipse Elk
petition in 1873. The greatest
totality of the eclipse OF the sun. 1877
seconds, was in the vicinity OF Raw
Inns. A noted party OF astronomers
assembled there, called he DR.. Henry
Draper Eclipse Expedition. There
was in atsparty Thomas Lockyer
the eminent English astronomer;
George F. Barker, the Dean OF the
University OF Pennsylvania; Prof
Watson, Dean of the University a,
Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Henry
Morton, President Of the Stephens
Institute of Technology. Hoboken
New Jersey; Marshall Fox. reporter
for the New York Herald; Thomas A
Edison, and a number OF other
noted men Of science. This was said
to be the first time that a success-
full photograph Of the corona OF the
sun had been taken. Henry Draper
made this photograph from the tele-
scope especially prepared. We had
a cloudless day. and the expedition
was successful in every way. Pro
-fessor Watson making a discovery OF
the planet Vulcan while the eclipse
was on. Thomas A. Edison a an
instrument known as a tasimetre, In
vented by him. to try the heat OF the
corona OF the sun.
1.-The only place for people to stop
was q railroad hotel at that time, and
my wife being away from home, l
turned my house over to Professor
Draper, Mr.. and Mrs. Watson,
Mr., Edison. They made the kitchen
their laboratory for a week.
The Scientists Go Hunting
'After the Eclipse Expedition left
here, Professor Barker and Thomas
A. Edison expressed the desire to go
ut on . hunting and fishing trip