We can buy or rent
teams from local citizens and get half of our labour locally. San
Francisco employment bureaus will readily supply the remainder, and I
have half a dozen fine boys on tap to boss the steam shovel, pile-
driver, bridge-building gang, track-layer and construction gang. And
as soon as you tell me how I'm to get my material ashore and out on
the job, I'll order it and get busy."
"That's exactly where the shoe begins to pinch, Pennington's main-
line tracks enter the city along Water Street, with one spur into his
log-dump and another out on his mill-dock. From the main-line tracks
we also have built a spur through our drying-yard out to our log-dump
and a switch-line out on to our milldock. We can unload our
locomotive, steam shovel, and flat-cars on our own wharf, but unless
Pennington gives us permission to use his main-line tracks out to a
point beyond the city limits--where a Y will lead off to the point
where our construction begins--we're up a stump."
"Suppose he refuses, Bryce. What then?"
"Why, we'll simply have to enter the city down Front Street,
paralleling Pennington's tracks on Water Street, turning down B
Street, make a jump-crossing of Pennington's line on Water Street,
and connecting with the spur into our yard."
"Can't have an elbow turn at Front and B streets?"
"Don't have to.
Pages:
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276