THE RAILROAD CONTRACTOR.

New Zealand Mail, 17 September 1902, Page 11

THE RAILROAD CONTRACTOR.

(By Harold Bindloss.)

It was his partner, Dean, who told the i story of Mellory's early- struggles in ; .British Columbia one day when the prosperous contractor, contrary to his usual custom, turned away a young Englishj man seeking employment. Mellory was j known to be generous. .The somewhat 1 disreputable stranger offered his services ! as estimating cleric, and the contractor, ! who said he had a good man already, suggested that he might in the meantime •i earn two dollars daily by wheeling a bar--1 row. The applicant did so for thirty | minutes, and then returned to say that ! it made his back ache, and he was not I used to such labour. “Folks said you i were good to your distressed countrymen,” j he added. “It’s a big come down for me j to work hard at all. Can’t you really give me anything easier?” “I try to lie, when they’re worth it,” said Mellory grimly. “Like to hold a rock drill? No? Then I'm afraid you’re too good for this country. I could afford to he decent? Perhaps so, but I‘earned my money much more hardly than you : seem willing to do.” “He did,” said Dean, and his narrative confirmed the fact, when the contractor moved away. It was a spring morning when Mellory tramped into a mountain valley of British Columbia. There was only one railway and few waggon roads or bridges in the province then, but its enterprising inhabitants were building more, and Mellory. who had studied theoretical engineering in England, came in on foot to assist them. Nobody, however, seemed to need his services, and at last, after an all night march, he sat down on a hem- | lock trunk and breafasted on two bard biscuits. His threadbare blue-jean was dusty, and though his frame had been strengthened by toil with axe and saw in Eastern Canada, he looked hungry and haggard. Still, the sun drew balmy odours_ from the towering conifers, the splashing of a torrent made music in the woods, and he smiled as he said, “Bad luck can’t last for ever, and I'll find my opening jet.” -Then lie started for the wife and daughter of a Vancouver merchant, who had hired a ranch in the mountains for a holiday, rode up the trail, and drew bridle before him. The younger lady, who had deduced several thiugs from the way he ate the biscuits, said compassionately, “You are a stranger looking, for work? If you_care to earn a dollar you can saw that hemlock up, and roll it clear of the trail. You will find tools at the ranch yonder.” Mellory stood up, thrusting one dilapidated boot behind the other, and flushing a little under liis tan, for he was reluctant to accept what looked like a woman’s charity, and before he answered, the lady again asked, "Is the work too hard ?” “No,” said Mellory, who saw he would certainly earn the dollar. “I should he glad to undertake it, madam.” He returned after walking two miles with a saw, iron wedges, and ah axe, and vigorously attacked the fallen tree.' But the trunk was wide of girth, and the saw teeth blunt, so he spent an hour filing them, and after two more acquired

a distressful stitch in his side, because two men are needed to handle a crosscut efficiently. Still, being a stubborn man, ho persevered, and when at last the trunk was 1 severed, sat down feeling faint and empty. He had lived sparingly of late, and because the little money he had brought from England must be kept for working capital had walked all night to bid for a small contract at an adjacent mine. It’s manager refused him, and a saw miller lie next tried laughed at him. “This won’t do. I must earn that dollar somehow,” said Mellory, commencing again, and' lulling to split the log withwedges, he tried to roll the sawn portion clear with a lever. It would not move an inch. and. while, savage and exhausted, he tugged at the pole, Dean, the saw-mill owner, passed that way. “Struck a tough job?” said the Canadian. “Didn’t think a British tenderfoot would like that kind of tiling!”

I m trying to earn a dollar,” said Mel. lory, dropping the pole. “You were sufficiently frank this morning, and if you wish to be uncivil—take care of yourself.” “I apologise,” said Dean, wlio smiled. “Thought you were a free-meal deadbeat; you looked like it. I’ll help you with that pole.”

•They toiled together, vainly, until Dean desisted, saying, “Somebody has made & mean bargain with you. Quit it, and go back to load lumber for me.”

"I’m sorry I can’t,’’ said Mellory. “I took this contract, and I’m going to sea it through,” and he sat down, feeling dizzy, when Dean rode away. Then, reflecting that where overtaxed muscles failed power might avail, he departed for the settlement, hoping to obtain some on credit. was a long way, anrl the trails were bad, and. limping lialf-dazed into a store, lie did not see that Dean sat on a keg behind the counter

. J want three sticks of giant powder, with fuses and detonators," he said. ' I haven’t any money, but if you will lend me an augur I’ll bring yon their v.alue gto-mmsew,” and after a dubious glance at him the storekeeper wa s about to shake his bead, but Dean signed to him, and lie said, “You can have them as a favour for a dollar. Say, you won’t lose that auger somewhere, will you?” Mellory stalked out of the store, and the dealer said, “Why can’t you do your own charity. Dean? I’ll never see my dollar or the auger again,” “If that -man’s alive to-morrow you will,” Dean answered drily. ‘’When be says a thing he means it; I’ll go bail for him.”

It was sunset when Mellory blew the log into fragments, and calling at the ranch received his dollar and a meal, while how lie next met hig fair employer among the honoured guests at a railway opening celebration does not concern this story. He slept beneath a cedar, and on his way out of the valley next morning met the sawmill owner, who said, “If you're still open to build my slide I’m open to talk to you. Why didn’t I talk before ? Well, I wasn t sure of you. I fancy I could trust you now.”

Terms wore settled, and eventually Mellory commenced the work. The sawn logs were rolled into a lake, and then floated down a river to the mill, but rocks barred the channel, and men must wade among them with pike-poles to drive the great trunks clear. The work was costly, and some of the men got broken legs, while more than one- got killed, and occasionally, in spite of their efforts, the logs piled up in' a chaotic ruin where a rapid swept between converging rocks. Mellory undertook to build a framing that would slide them clear. Wages are bigb 'in that country, and he did much of Iho work himself, wading in icy water under a broiling sun, while, because those snowfed rivers rise each afternoon, he had twice to swim. He worked twelve hours tlailv. and said nothing when miners and ranchers predicted liis failure, and at

last all the inhabitants of the Talley assembled to see his pass put to a practical test. -

Dean and Mellory stood apart from the rest, the latter lean, hard, and wiry, looking dpwn at his slide with a satisfied face. Piles braced together stretched slantwise np stream from a spire of rock •wept by tumbling froth, and another wing of timber led clear of the opposite foam-licked stone. It was a hot autumn afternoon, and, because the snows were melting fast, the roar of hurrying water filled all the valley, and rolled upwards from height to height across long slopes of sombre pines. Par above towered the great white peaks, whose glaciers fed the angry rush, while naan with weatherbeaten faces lounged expectantly among the boulders in scented cedar shade. "That Englishman's idea will work all right, with the shoit logs, but if a long one jammed the piloup would smash his fixings into smithereens,” said one. “Dean wanted to try a few, but the Englshman’s full of sand, and told him to run the whole lakeful down, the boys were saying.”

Just then Mellory said to Dean, "We can't well have trouble if they keep the special lengths back, as yon told them, and as it's a no cure no pay contract you wouldn’t in any case suffer. Still, if s a pity you couldn’t stand the expense of building a slide to take all sizes, as I suggested.” "I'll suffer considerably if they piled up, and I had to bring men in to hew the wreckage clear," Dean answered nervously, and there was a shout of "They're coming."

Swinging round with the current great pine trunks came sailing down stream, and an expectant hush settled upon the assembly, until the first of them struck the slide, bounced off, and hurling spray aloft plunged safely through the pass, when a shout of "Mellory’s fixed it good!” went up. More followed, until the river grew black with the heavy logs, and very big firs grow in that country, while the butts of many drove against the slide with a mighty crash. But its builder had studied theoretical science, as well as lived in Canada by the toil of his hands, and the stout, stone-backed timber stood the shock of each glancing blow. "It's unique,” said Dean delightedly. "You'll save me a hatful of dollars every drive,” and presently spoke again with anger in his tone. "Hallo, those fools have let one of the extra big logs down.” Mellory grew suddenly cold, for a huge pine lurched out from among its fellows, glancing from the wing of the slide, and struck the rock upon the opposite shore. Even then it might have gone through, but that several others hurled themselves upon its after end, wedging it fast, and forming the nucleus of what log-drivers call a jam. Sometimes a lumber river is blocked for weeks by one. Next moment he was running full speed towards the water, followed by such of the spectators as had any knowledge of lumber work and a dozen men with pike-poles strove to wrench the log away. It remained immoveable, and meanwhile, because the river behind was full, trunk after trunk piled itself upon the rest with a thud that set the whole slide quivering. Some slid partly clear above their fellows, some drove under, and were wedged in below, and in a few short minutes the pass was choked with a mass of groaning timber.

"You’re going to cost me hundreds of dollars. Me can't do anything until the pressure wrecks your work,” said Dean; and Mellory, whoso eyes were filled with perspiration, while the veins of his fore; head swelled, eased his grip on a pike to answer, "It's your own men’s fault, and Ihl stake my fife and reputation that my pass will do what it was meant to.” "Only one thing might clear them, and that's cutting the king log,” said an axeman hard by. "Still. I guess it would mean suicide, and there might be several kings,” and Mellory dropped his pole as he stared at the jam. The log which had started the obstruction was partly under water now; it was also tilting one end -snd buckling like a bow, while he could TWc be certain there were not other trunks which assisted to key the mass. "It's a last chance. Give me an axe,” he shouted, and there was a chorus of expostulations from the spectators, "You'll be smashed up certain. Logs going any moment. Hold the fool back, somebody. Take his axe away !”

Ripping off hi s jacket Mellow- leapt down upon the timber, which heaved and groaned and crackled as though animate. At intervals a gap appeared and the butt of a great fir was forced through, or, driven under by the pressure, another vanished suddenly, but one must watch them creeping, rolling, grinding, to understand how what are called live logs work in a jam. Mellory sprang from one which tilted under him to another, he ran along trusting to the creeper-spikes over his heels, then when the end of that dipped under clutched a rising third, and leapt from it across a gap'of spouting foam. The king log rose towards the farther side, and he might cut it there. "Stop the other man'!” cried a bystander, as quivering with excitement Dean dropped from, the framing, and there were further hoarse cries, "Come tack. One’s enough. Smashed up into matchwood they'll be both of them!”

•The example was, however, contagious, and more men would have followed uselessly, but that an old log driver clung to the back of a comrade's jacket shouting, “Don't be an all-fired fool, Tom. You can't do nothing; hardly room on the log end for the two of them!” By this time Mellory had found a footing on the slippery, spray-wet bark, and drove the creeper-spikes well home into it. The river foamed white beneath him, and a chaos of live logs were grinding each other under a tremendous pressure behind. Still more were coining down 6tream, and unless the jam yielded these would rub the whole slide out of existence, and afterwards be stranded high among the boulders by the rush of pentup water. But even as he swung the big axe aloft Dean appeared beride him, saving briefly, "Start in. I'll keep stroke with you. Men who learn to handle it in the Western dominion can d.- greet things

W 1^ x . the axe. Mellory was also hard, and lean, and strong, and the heavy wedge of steel he whirled up, flashed in the sunlight, before descending; with a hiss it struck quivering in the log. When it rose again Dean's blade fell slantwise into the notch, and by twos and threes, then as it were in a continuous shower, the white chips flew up, while the rapid thudding broke through the groaning of the logs. The Canadian was the better axeman, but Mellory’s intensity of purpose atoned for inferior skill, and swaying to each effort the pair kept stroke for stroke, wliile the trenchant steel made circles of brightness as it swept lightly round their heads Sometimes the spectators growled approvingly, more often they held their breath, when the whole structure seemed about to break up beneath the pressure, but all the time the curve of the king log grew sharper, and the gap in its side widened fast.

Mellory was now gasping, Dean's face was purple, and the arms of both appeared to move without their volition, for Mellory's vision was blurred, and he could barely see the cavity his blade flashed into. There seemed to he a heavy weight upon his straining chest, something drummed beneath his ears, and hie throat clove together, but the safety of the slide meant a start in life for him, and ho smote on.

"Come back. Jump clear. She’s yielding !" cried anxious voices ashore, the trunk crackled beneath them, and Dean, expecting his comrade to follow, scrambled across the timber, but thrice in succession Mellory struck alone. He was a doggedly persistent man, and meant to make quite certain. .Then he felt the trunk bending, and flinging his axe into the river he stood erect, a moment too late.

The log was clearly parting, those behind it sliding forward, as though. ready for the plunge, and he knew that before he could cross them the whole mass would break up. There was but one poor chance of escape, and he drew in a deep inspiration before he took it. Meantime, no one spoke or stirred among all the assembly, and straining eyes were fixed upon the tall, lonely figure upon the yielding log. Then there was a sound as of many men growling under their breath, as flinging his hands up Mellory plunged into the river. The current closed about him, dragging him down, and he did not resist it, though he swam under water with all his strength, knowing what would follow, while hardly had he disappeared than with a deafening crash the jam broke up. Again the spectators shivered, for the swimmer would be smashed out of human semblance unless he could reach the end of the pass before the logs. The narrow gap of water was torn up by the plunging trunks that shot forward through a smother of spray, some tilted their thinner ends aloft, the uproar grew deafening, and nobody stirred among those who watched, until one group surged forward as a dripping head rose into view, and a man who swain desperately clutched at the outer angle of the slide. Strong hands reached down towards him, gripped his wet fingers, and some his hair, and after a vigorous heave the rescued man fell over, half-choked, and gasping, but safe, among the rescuers. The whole crowd surged about them, there were shouts of "Give him air! bring some water!” and then a tumultuous cheer as Mellory stood up.

"Not much the worse!” he said somewhat shakily. "No thanks; I won’t have any water; I’ve had too much already. I want you all to remember it was a log of a length I barred that jammed.” There was another roar, drowned by the crashing of the logs, which drove unchecked through the opening, and extricating himself with difficulty from the press Mellory approached Dean, saying “I am indebted for your assistance, and as the speculation was mine it was the more generous. In fact, I hardly see why you should have faced the risk.”

"NoP” said the Canadian, as he stretched out his hand. "What about the logs washing all round the valley? Besides when I made-- the best bargain I could for your time and brains I didn’t buy you all up, bones and body, see?” "I think I do,” said Mellon", and the simple words sealed a bond between them' that was to stand .many a test, while presently the mining manager tapped Mellory’s shoulder. “I’ve been looking at your work,” he said. “It’s well put together, and ingenious. We haven't let our flume contract yet, and if you’re still open come along when you're ready, and see the ground with ine.” Mellory, who did so, secured the contract, which, with the help of hired men, he satisfactorily ' executed, took up another for railroad work, and was on the way • to success when Dean called upon him in Vancouver. "Lumber trade's pretty sick; the coast mills can beat me,” he said. "I often thought that if I struck out afresh I'd like you for partner. I’d be handy where timber came in, and could bring useful dollars into the firm. Feel inclined to make a second deal'with me?”

Yes, said Mellory; "the more so that there’s a bigger undertaking offered me than I can finance. I owe you a good deal, for it was you and a lady who between you gave me my first opportunity.” "I’m glad,” said Dean. “Don’t see the debt. You earned the money, and a good many men wouldn't have done much with that opportunity when the logs piled up f” Dean's terms proven acceptable, and the pair sailed on to prosperity with the tide of mining and industrial enterprise, which commenced to flow into the Mountain Province. Railroads, dams, and bridges were needed, and Mellory built up a reputation as well as a bank balance for himself and partner over the construe; tion of many of them.