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The lake was almost circular and was a deep, rich blue. It occupied what had been the crater of a volcano millions of years ago. Already bulldozers had ploughed out roads to it through the forest. Men worked with graders and concrete mixers on highways and on bridges across small rushing streams. There was a camp for them.
General Sherman had prophesied that the influx of graders, teamsters, with their following would bring enough whiskey into the country to kill off all the Indians, and that the only good Indians were the dead ones.
The waiting trains loaded with ties and steel began to move and the construction gangs followed close on the heels of the graders. And when the last spike in the track to the scene of the decisive battle was driven, the track-men with their sledges stepped aside to clear the way for the panting engines that drew the first train loaded with piling and timbers for the trestle.
Hurrying timorously through Grinnell the city that was badly demolished and scattered all over the surrounding country by a cyclone in 1882 I pause at Victor, where I find the inhabitants highly elated over the prospect of building a new jail with the fines nightly inflicted on graders employed on a new railroad near by, who come to town and "hilare" every evening.
No inquiries made of those lounging about brought results they had been interested in a lot of drunken graders loaded on the flat cars by force, and sent out under guard and not one could tell whether any man answering Waite's description was in the single passenger coach.
Three hundred sub-contractors were employed on the portion of the line crossing the plains. Bridge-gangs and track-layers followed close on the graders' heels. In 1882 over two and a half miles of track a day were laid. In the following year, for weeks in succession, the average ran three and a half miles a day, and in one record-smashing three days twenty miles were covered.
The Union Pacific Railroad located their line to the California State line and had their graders at work as far west as Humboldt Wells, Nev., four hundred and sixty miles west of Ogden. This line west of Promontory was never built, however, and it is said that one million dollars was expended in this way.
It wasn't necessary even for me to guess twice to hit on what would be the fate of Pike if Allenham should die. In two hours the graders left. They made a long line of covered wagons and filed away to the east beside the railroad track. They were pretty free with their threats, but that was all it amounted to. For a week Track's End was very quiet.
By the time he returns it will be too late for him to hedge. MacMorrogh will see to that." Eckstein nodded. "I made a point of that with Brian," he said. "The minute the word is given he is to throw a little army of graders upon the new roundabout. But Ford won't find out. He'll be too busy on this end of the line with the track-layers. I'm a little nervous about Merriam, though."
We're following up the right-of-way matters sharp and hard now. We can't hold back our graders, and before the line gets abreast of this cañon, we've got to know what we can do here. Now, what can you tell us by this time?" "I can tell you, as I said, the status of every town lot and every mining claim in this valley," replied Dan Anderson. "It's all simple so far as that is concerned."
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