“Look up the slope, Johnny. It’s way up there.” “You’re right, Cap. The snow looks like it’s still a long way up there. I don’t see any of it down here.” “It was blowing all over the place this morning. Couldn’t see a darn thing over at Jumbo.” “Whoa ! Didn’t hear you come up behind us. You gave me a start !” “Name’s Morris. Bill Morris. I watched you guys come up the tram. Heard you were coming. Wanted to meet you for myself.” “Bill Morris? I’m Johnny Gadanski. This is my cousin, Cap Goodlataw.” “How’d you hear of us?” “Let’s just say that your reputation precedes you. I’m sure you two want to eat something before getting started. Let me show you in.” “The older man took the lead down the narrow, covered walkway to the north entrance. “We enter here. This door leads directly into the recreation area.” The three men entered a room which was dominated by a billiards table. “To the right is the stairway up to the barracks rooms while the hallway straight ahead leads into the mess hall. Come on in.” The room was well-lit due to the large number of windows facing the glacier. It contained four tables. A man of about the same age as Morris was seated alone in the mess hall looking over some engineering drawings. As they entered the room he looked at the three and stood up. “Bill. Didn’t know you were in the area. I see you’ve brought me my new crew.” “Ran into them on the walkway, Eldon. Figured I’d show ‘em in.” “I’ve been expecting you two. Welcome to Erie--the smallest and, I hope, friendliest camp of the Kennecott group. My name is Eldon Johnson, and I’m both camp manager and mine foreman here. The man who led you in is our general mine manager, Bill Morris.”
“You didn’t tell us who you were. You’re not one of the mine workers, then?” “Oh no. I work directly under the engineers. But I came up through the ranks like most everyone here, including Eldon. “I’m Johnny Gadanski and this is Cap Goodlataw.” “Yes, I’ve heard plenty about you two.” “That’s what Mr. Morris said.” “Yes. Well, the head carpenter is gone. There hasn’t been one here since July, so you are the entire crew. All that remains to be done here involves adding the tar paper to the exterior walls and roof. We just have a tarp over the roof. We need that replaced first. Due to the heavy gusts up here, you’ll want to exercise some care up there. Check for winds first before going up the ladder. Long ways down, you know. Once the roof’s done you’ll be rolling tar paper over the new walls all the way around. I’m told you can handle that yourselves.” “You mean there’s no foreman to oversee us?” “Just me, Johnny. It’s simple enough work. Most men dont’ want to work up there, though.” “We’ve done this kind of work before. Nothing to it. Just point us in the right direction and we’ll have the job done and be on our way out of here. ” “Very well, I’ll leave it to you, then. The scaffolds are still out there in place where the last crew left them. When you’ve finished the work, you’ll need to disassemble them and leave the lumber in the large storage shed. You’ll notice that we’re not building this structure to be anything more than a temporary barrack.” “Sounds fine to us, but can we at least eat first before getting started?” “Oh, yes, Cap, sorry to make you wait. I believe the cook has already set aside some lunch for you. I’ll go back into the kitchen and check. Dinner is only a couple hours away, however.” “Thanks, we’re ready to eat now. It’s been a long day without lunch. We’re used to eating on a late schedule, anyway, right Sla’cheen?” “We always ate after everyone else at Green Butte. They were okay over there, but we prefer to stick to ourselves. We’ll respect them if they respect us.” The cook set out the two meals for the Indians while the four men sipped coffee at the table. Eldon gave a brief background of Erie Mine as they ate. “We opened this mine in 1916, running a very limited tonnage of ore through the tram and hauling it over that rough wagon road to the mill. We found that arrangement very unsatisfactory after three years of small production. It was only the opening of the 12,000 foot haulage tunnel to the Jumbo incline shaft which will finally make this a real mine.” Bill Morris continued the explanation. “Until now the Erie’s been more of a prospect hole. The difference between a prospect and a mine is that a mine produces. Now we’re finally beginning to develop this end because we can move large amounts of ore down our new haulage tunnel to the Jumbo incline where we can hoist it to the surface. In the process of drilling out the cross-cut tunnel, we developed four new ore bodies on the main level. The cross-cut is also the main level for Erie, though it’s the 1,500 foot level of Jumbo. “Quite a difference in elevation, isn’t it? Jumbo upper camp is 1,500 feet higher than this camp. It’s sitting in the white stuff over there. Snowed heavily last night.
“Now we’re driving an incline tunnel on this end to follow the contact zone where we ordinarily find the ore. It’s a thirty-degree incline, like the ones at Jumbo and Bonanza. So far we’ve made it to the 300 level of Erie. There’s definitely some rich ore down there. This is why we had to enlarge this Erie barracks to a size which can support a mine force of about thirty men. Douglass wants to turn this into a full-fledged mining operation now that the larger ones are almost played out.” Eldon took up the narrative. “Our schedule was altered by the big fire. We only reopened a few days ago. This mine has no priority because it is considered only of secondary value, but you can see for yourselves that we are nearly done with the facility. We have finished laying the track down the new crosscut, so we’re ready to deliver ore once we start developing some of the veins we’ve located. A new battery-powered locomotive is set to run the two miles over to the Jumbo where the ore can be trammed to the surface and then sent down the Jumbo aerial tram to the mill for processing. “Actually, I can use more miners than I’ve got on hand. If you want to make yourselves available after finishing your carpenter work here, I can sure use you. I’m told you did stope drilling at Green Butte.” Cap’s ordinarily expressionless face showed considerable surprise. Johnny’s jaw dropped open. “Well, sir, actually we were planning on leaving when the power plant job was done. This offer of yours is a complete surprise. We’d already been told yesterday that we were being laid off. Then someone extended our time at Kennecott long enough to finish this last piece of unfinished barracks work. “Now you’ve presented us with an offer for work which we tried to get when we first arrived here, but we’ve already made plans for returning home to Chitina. We’ll give your offer some thought. Thanks for asking us.” “Do you usually speak for both of you, Johnny?” Cap responded to the question. “We’ve been a team since our railroad days back in 1916, working off and on first for the railroad, then as guides and back to working maintenance on the railroad before going on to Green Butte. We finally arrived here in mid-August because Kennecott needed more help to build their new power plant. We worked as a team from the beginning. We came as a team and we’ll leave as one. It’s worked out well for us this way. Johnny usually speaks for both of us.” “That’s fine with me, as long as you agree, Cap. I want you two to seriously consider my offer. We’re critically short of labor up here.” Cap asked the question which had never been honestly answered. “Isn’t there a policy against hiring Indians for the mines?” “Don’t know about that. No one ever told me anything about a no-Indian policy, but it doesn’t concern me. I just want to get the job done here. If you’re willing, I want you here. That’s my attitude. I don’t care much what the main office or anyone else thinks as long as I meet their production expectations.” Bill Morris sat listening to Eldon’s reply. He nodded in silent agreement and then watched in amusement at the apparent surprise of the two Indians. The two Indians finished eating in silence. “Since it’s still early, we’ll head on outside now and survey the scaffolding and see about getting our work underway. Are those the new-addition drawings you have there?” “Yes, as a matter of fact. It’s all here--the main floor, second floor where the bunk rooms are located and the basement, which houses the heat plant. You can compare this 1924 drawing with the original 1916 plan I have upstairs if you like. In fact, I’ll show you. Have some more coffee and I’ll be right back with that older drawing.” While he was away, Bill continued to sit at the table, sipping coffee. “So you head all of the mines?” “That’s right, son. I’m considered part of management. Now I have something to tell both of you. Listen carefully. “I know about the fight. That was fine. I understand why it happened. It better not happen here. The superintendent gave you a chance, but I won’t. Watch yourselves up here. I’m not as nice as Douglass or Buckner or any of those engineers. I have to go now.” The large man stood up, turned and left without looking back.
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06 February 2011
Chapter 30: "The Erie Job"
Chapter 29: Frank Argues the Point
Bill Douglass leaned back in his oak chair as he considered the argument presented by Frank Buckner. Frank sat on another oak chair across from the wide desk. Behind Bill the window looked down on track grade. There was a north-facing window which looked up the steep hill upon which the mill sat. The south-facing window looked toward lower National Creek. It was mid-afternoon. The sun had displaced the early coolness and the frosty ground had thawed. Bill had earlier returned from a rare visit to the west barrack where he had evaluated the condition of Emil Gadanski. “You’re right, Frank, Emil is very ill. No doubt about that. We need to send him home to Chitina. That’s the home he claims. He says he wants to buy a cabin there with the bonus I offered him. He’s just waiting for the two Indians to return from their short job at Erie.” “I’d like to see his son Johnny and his friend Cap have a chance to work in our mines first. After all, I think that’s why they came here. They’ve certainly shown an interest in the work.” “What? That’s the mines. It’s the heart of who we are. I never agreed to anything like that.” “Those two men have proven themselves in a way I’ve rarely seen, though I have to admit that I’ve not been an engineer all that long. You have to grant, sir, that they showed great initiative by going to work at John Barrett’s Green Butte mine. They also displayed tenacity in sticking with it until I sent the letter offering both of them employment here. We know that they can do mine work just as we know that they work jobs few others want because of the raw physical dangers involved--especially when it comes to heights. If they were white, you’d want them to stay on. It’s not exactly like we have an excess of manpower here.” “I see your point. You have to appreciate that the company has always discouraged the practice of hiring Indians for the mines themselves because they don’t want these Natives to see just how rich our copper reserves really are. After all, we still hear about the bad deal Nicolai got back in 1899--even after all these years.” “But not from Nicolai.” “No, not from Nicolai. I asked Birch about it. He seemed to know the chief well. He told me Nicolai never brought the matter up.” “Who has, then?” “No one directly. But we have heard rumors that the new chief is not too happy about the old deal.” “You mean Goodlataw?” “That’s him.” “But, sir, it’s only rumor, right? No one has contacted the company directly?” "That’s true, but look who we have here now. Cap is Goodlataw’s son. Both young men are grandsons of Nicolai. I don’t like it.” “Well, Mr. Douglass, neither man has complained to me about our mining activities here. I have spoken with both of them on this very matter. Johnny told me that as far as Nicolai was concerned, the copper was not his nor anyone’s to give away. “The chief evidently extracted some other concessions from Birch because of his concern about the railroad. One of them is some arrangement for free passage and another involves the hiring of Native work crews, which I understand they do routinely. The railroad even hired on a Chitina Indian as a cook on the “Kennecott” observation car. “Yes. That would be Tom Bell. He does credit to himself serving the public well on our railroad. He seems to take considerable pride working for us.”
“That’s what I’m trying to say. These men are like Tom. They’re here because they take pride in what they do. My point is that I don’t think the Indians see us as robbers of their treasures. Not these two, anyway. Neither of them voiced any such sentiment, though they seemed to resent our pomposity for presuming that we can tell the Indians where they can and cannot go on their own lands.” “I have to concede that our official policy toward the Native people is arrogant, but I’d never tell any of them that, and you better not, either.” “It is arrogant, Mr. Douglass. It’s not just us, either. Johnny was complaining that the territorial government has tried to regulate their hunting and fishing activities. I’m sure that must appear to be the very height of high-handedness to them all.” “As for our rich copper, it’s not like they haven’t noticed. The Indians live right along the tracks where trainload after trainload of our bagged ore has passed for the last thirteen years. How could any of them possibly miss what we are doing here?” “I think that’s what finally got Chief Goodlataw’s attention, Frank. I’m quite sure he’s not happy with us. I’m also convinced that his son Cap is very much in agreement with his father.” “Sir, we’ve worked for years with a hostile work force who’d like nothing better than to unionize. You’ve been very successful in keeping the unions out of here. What’s the difference? The Indians don’t have to agree with us to work here. Many of the others certainly don’t. The foremen have shown me several socialist worker posters they’ve confiscated. We’ve proved we’re big enough to handle it. We take care of everyone here, and they keep returning. Even in our bad labor years the company seems to make money. I say it’s time to get over this official paranoia and give these Indians the same footing as all the others. We brought all those others in. The Indians have always lived here. It’s only right.” “Well, Frank, we don’t want to be known as arrogant and presumptuous do we? I know I certainly don’t. This is a big step. If I wasn’t in such good standing with the company, I don’t think I’d do this. But, I’ll take my chances with the company. After all, this remote camp of ours has done well for the company from the beginning. We’ve made them ungodly amounts of money. I’m sure they appreciate our efforts.” “So you agree with me?” “I’m starting to agree. Maybe it’s time to drop this archaic frontier circle-the-wagons mentality and do the right thing by these people. If only in this small way.” “I’m very pleased to hear those words coming from you, sir. I don’t believe you’ll regret it. Even if you do, it’s still the right thing.”
“Frank, I have to admit, that you standing in front of me with this compelling argument of yours makes me almost feel ashamed of myself because you are undeniably right. I can’t presume to change our company. But out here, I am the company, especially now that manager Neiding no longer lives here. I have to give you the credit for never backing down on what you believe is right.” “Actually, sir, I’d rather you did not give me any credit. I’d just as soon let it appear to those two that they’re working in the mines for the right reason, because they’re reliable and good at what they do. Cap does’t want to be what he calls a ‘cigar store Indian.’ I think he means he’s no token.” “You’re right, Frank. It’s probably better that neither of our names come up. We particularly don’t want the others to think we’re treating them in any special way.” “ Actually, sir, we’re not. We’re finally treating them in the same way as any man would expect is his due. I recommend we act as though that company policy of no-Indian hire never existed.” “Very smart of you, Frank. Less to explain that way. Very well. I’ll phone Eldon at Erie camp and give him the go-ahead to hire the two Indians as miners. I know he needs the help, anyway. We’re still short-handed. I’ve already offered jobs to all the temporary workers.” “I didn’t know that. You didn’t extend the offer to the Indians, obviousy.” “I did not. Most of those temporaries turned down the mine work, anyway.” Bill rang the combination of bells which signaled Erie. “I’m trying his office at the Erie first, Frank. He’s either there or somewhere in the new tunnel, I’d think. “Eldon ! Glad I caught you. Yes this is Bill. Listen. I have two young men I’m sending up your way to finish the work on the barrack. They’re the Natives we had on the job at the power plant. Yes, the Natives, that’s right. “The fight? Don’t know about any fight. You know about any fight, Frank? No, we don’t know about any fight down here, Eldon.” “They did good work for us. Very good work. That’s why I’m sending them on up. “Foreman? Don’t need one to finish that job. You oversee the roof work directly. Those two don’t seem to need much direction. Show them what you need done, and let them have at it. Johnny usually takes charge. Yes, they seem to run themselves quite well. “But that’s not why I called, Eldon. I want you to go one step further and offer them work in the mines when they’re done with the barrack job. “Yes, they both worked at Green Butte just before coming here. I checked with Barrett. He spoke well of them. Said he’d take them back anytime. They only quit that job when we offered them work here on the big power plant project. “One thing. Don’t tell them about this call. Make it your idea. You just tell them we’re short on miners. They may not take the job because they have other commitments, but I want you to offer it to them anyway. “No, actually, it was Frank Buckner’s idea. He talked me into it. And he is right. I wish I could take the credit. No. Don’t mention either one of us. Keep us out of it. Make it your idea.” “Okay, Eldon, you’re doing fine work up there. Keep it up. We’ve got a busy schedule to meet. This will probably help. Thanks a lot, Eldon. See you at Jumbo later this week.” “No, Eldon, I’m not hanging you out to dry. I’ll back you up. You know that. Any union activity going on I should know about? None? Good. Yes, I’ll be up at the usual time. See you over there, Eldon. Bye.” The superintendent put down the phone. “Well, you heard it. They’re on. We’re committed. If there’s a screw-up, it becomes Eldon’s fault, not ours.” “You’d let Eldon take the blame if something went wrong?” “Why not? I’d keep him on, anyway. That’s my call. He’s covered. We’re covered. It works for me. And it was your idea, Frank. Don’t you forget that. Consider your good judgment on the line.” “I’m willing to accept that. Leaving you out of it, I mean, if it came down to that, sir. Even if they didn’t work out, we did the right thing. “Did Birch ever suggest we consider hiring them?” “No. Never. He never brought it up. E.T. would never approve in any case. You should know that. This is just us out here.” “If Birch was really Nicolai’s friend, he would approve of this, sir.” “Young man, you need to understand how big business works. Considerations such as friendships and other personal feelings should never get in the way of business. Not at the level of a world-wide corporation like ours. That’s reality. Get used to it. Don’t ever assume what Birch would approve of, either. He’s always been a businessman ahead of everything else. He believes in alliances, not friendships. Don’t get soft on us here.” “You’re saying I’m too idealistic, sir?” “I didn’t say that, son, but don’t let your professional judgment become clouded by your youthful idealism. I’m not even sure I’m following my own advice to you by doing what I just did, but I’m giving you this one anyway. “There remains one other problem, Frank” “Sir?” “What are we to do about Emil?”
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Chapter 28: "Reassignment to Erie-1924," Pt 2
As the wagon rounded another bend, the wide rock-strewn area lay before them. They began crossing the fan of a flood plain. All the rocks were a rusty color. Henry pointed toward a ridge ahead. Because of its color, the barracks blended in with the surrounding rock amazingly well. Then they saw it. “That’s it? It looks as if it’s growing out of the side of the mountain, like it belongs there. That’s a long way up there, Henry.”
“Doesn’t it? We still have a distance to go to reach it.” Henry stopped the wagon while a large porcupine worked its way across the trail. They heard rocks crashing in the distance. “The earth around these parts is noisy. Rocks are always falling up there. It’s amazing that there are any hills left at all considering all the erosion going on.” They had a clear view up a wide gulch with a rapid incline leading toward the large rock glacier. The sound of rocks falling stopped. Then it started again. The ice fall came into view as the wagon left the Amazon flood plain. This was a massive, irregular, white wall reaching thousands of feet upwards from the head of Root Glacier to a point well above the height of the northwesterly-running ridge ending at Erie. “This is it. Look at that tram line,” Henry said. It was a gas motor-powered tram serving as the supply line. Reminiscent of the Green Butte tram, the men could barely see the covered adit near the head of the waste ore dump. A snowshed extended from the adit to a small building near the barracks. The waste ore dump was a huge light-colored rubble pile extending from the tram base nearly to the adit over a thousand feet above. Henry jumped off the wagon and grabbed the phone at the tram terminal. He spoke a few words into it and then turned to the two Indians.
“We have to sling this wagon load of material up this tram line.” Henry pulled the tarp back. “See the black rolls? That’s the tar paper you’ll be working with. You two will be applying it to the building exterior and the new part of the roof. I also brought the lathe sticks and three buckets of nails. Help me unload all this off the wagon. Then we can begin making up the slings to send it all off. Once we have it all up there, I’ll send you two, and then I’ll be on my way. ” “I sure hope they have some kind of lunch up there ready for us. We’ll be ready for it by the time we unload all this material. Johnny, let’s rush this us, I want to eat.” “You’re not the only one, Cap. Henry, you didn’t tell us we’d be doing this. When did you have time to load it all?” “I had the men load it up early this morning. It didn’t take as long as you’d think. There’s more material up there, but Chris wanted to make sure you didn’t run short of supplies.” “He could have at least sent lunch.” “Sorry, guys. You know how it goes Loading and unloading is my business. If you’re around me, expect to work hard. “We want to send the entire load up first, or else every hundred feet it will stop and leave you dangling out there while the men above unload the freight.” Henry called the tram tender on the head end and the three of them watched as the load advanced in stages until all of it was finally clear of the tram. “Now it’s your turn.” “What about you? Don’t you want lunch?” “Brought my own. I’ll eat on the way back. So who’s going first?” “I always let Johnny go first,” Cap said. Johnny pulled himself into the next empty ore bucket on the seventy-degree angle line, then Henry advanced the tram just like a clothesline until the next bucket was in line for Cap. He signaled to the top one last time. The tram began to work its way up. Cap looked back as Henry waved them off. The two of them were dangling close to the steep cliff, rising steadily to the tram head. As they approached the top, Henry and his wagon turned and left. The ice fall disappeared behind the ridge as the tram continued up into the gulch advancing toward the Erie main portal level. Cap’s bucket stopped, causing it to swing, dangling him a thousand feet above the ground. He looked up. Johnny was out of sight. He was being helped off the ore bucket.
The tram head was next to a small transformer station at the head of the power line. At the platform were other buildings covered with tarpaper and lath sticks. Cap saw the portal to the north, but he was much more interested in the mess hall to the south, which was in the unfinished forty man barracks. Johnny helped him off at the top and pointed toward the rear barracks door. “You don’t need to tell me where the food is, Johnny. I can smell it from here. Let’s eat.” The path to the barrack was an elevated, covered wooden walkway, open except for a railing on both sides. The distance to the tram base was about the same as that at Green Butte, but the angle of the tram was steeper. The tram motor operator directed the two newcomers inside. “The lunch room is in the barrack. You’ll find food set out. We’ve been expecting you. Aren’t one of you the boxing champ? Everyone heard about that.” “That’s me. I’m Cap. I just want to eat.” “Great to meet you, Cap. See the boss inside. He’s waiting.” Cap looked across toward Donohoe Peak across the glacier gorge to the immediate southwest. Erie was truly an eagle’s nest with a magnificent view. “I thought the view at the top of Green Butte was something. I’ve never seen anything like this before--not where someone has built a full-sized camp anyway.”
“What do you suppose was the meaning of those four ravens, Cap.” “Saghanni ggaay. I’d forgotten about them, Sla’cheen. Look ! They’re still out there.” There they were. Four ravens were riding the top of a cold mass of air right in front of Erie. “They’re not for us, Sla’cheen. But something bad is going to happen. When four of them fly together like that, it always means something engii. “As long as they don’t land here, we’re okay.” The high circular path of the ravens worked its way south toward Kennecott. “That’s good, Cap. For a moment I thought they’d start landing on the power lines above us. Let’s forget them and get some lunch. It’s too high up here to start thinking engii.” |
Chapter 28: "Reassignment to Erie-1924," Pt 1
Cap was the first to awaken. In a matter of a few weeks, it had become very cool in the mornings. Steam heat was now running from the new power plant throughout the facility. He pulled his heavy potlatch blanket off and stepped onto the cool wooden floor. Walking over to the window in his bare feet he could detect a new coldness beginning to permeate the building. Winter was no longer a distant possibility. He looked out the window, expecting to see the usual fog. Instead it was perfectly clear. The four tall stacks were quietly puffing away. Only yesterday the crew removed the last of the scaffolding around stack number two. The others had been removed as Cap or Johnny finished painting each one. Today this last piece of platform would come down, the remaining tarps and other debris would be cleaned up around the plant, and the job would be complete. The sun was not out, but it was light out. Lighter than normal, it seemed for this early time of the morning. Then he realized why. The top thousand feet of the ridge was white. It had snowed all the way down to about 6,000 feet, which was the adit level for the Bonanza and Jumbo. It was difficult to tell from here, but it appeared that Jumbo camp might be under the snow as well. The storm had come in the night and vanished before the first light of morning. It would be a clear, but cool day today. “Johnny, get up. It snowed out there. Time to finish our job and get ready to head home.” “Snow?” He bounded up. “It feels cooler in this room. Looks like woolen underwear today.” “No, it’ll warm up by late morning. You’ll be sweating by the afternoon, Sla’cheen. We’ll need the wool soon enough. Besides, we didn’t pack any. Have to get new ones at the store.” “Wow ! It really hit the upper ridge, Cap. Looks beautiful out there, doesn’t it? No fog either. Sure sign summer’s over. Let’s check on Dad and go to breakfast. Lots of cleanup work ahead.” The train sat loaded with ore ready to run. There were only ore cars. Nothing else. Number 72 was steaming away with Art Holt standing by for the ten-hour ore run into Cordova. “Don’t see that engine up here too often. Usually it’s 71 or 74. One of them must be down.” “The ground is hard, Sla’cheen. “You’re right, Cap. It frosted hard out here. There’s our job. Look at that work. That’s us, Cap. The carpenters built it, but it’s the paint that makes it.” “We did this. Now that’s what I call good work, partner.” “Well, at least we painted most of it. No one else wanted the job, especially on the second and third levels. And who did they turn to for the blackening job on those eighty-foot stacks, Sla’cheen?” “Who else? Are we an unbeatable team or what?” Henry was right there looking over the work remaining to be done. He was wearing his customary smile. Henry seemed to completely lack in prejudice. He tended to view everyone was part of the same family and the world was a great place to live. That was simply all there was to it. Because of his perpetual optimism and child-like belief in the underlying good of humanity, he was immensely well liked. “Henry, I guess you’re the boss today, since we’re done painting. We have a good day of clean-up here.” “No you don’t. I have something else for you. Just got the word from the big boss, of all people.” “Which one is that?” “Bill Douglass. He called me in early this morning.” “What’s going on, Henry?” “Look, you guys, we have an unfinished job up at Erie. That barracks was supposed to be completely rebuilt this summer. It almost was, but this emergency matter of rebuilding the plant here just got in the way. They even had to close Erie completely due to the lack of power.
“Anyway, the super thought maybe you’d consider staying long enough to finish the work up there. It’s not a very tall building. Tall enough, I suppose, but it’s practically right over a high cliff. They call it the “eagle’s nest,” because it’s perched on the edge of a nearly sheer drop-off, ending at the Root Glacier. “They want us to finish it?” “We all know how you guys are. I have to say that you put most everyone else to shame when it comes to raw physical courage, not to mention the really outstanding work you two do.” “Henry, you’re buttering us up.” “Maybe. But you’re the superintendent’s first pick. He wants you to finish the work. Someone in the office finally realized they can’t go through the winter, even with Erie closed, without finishing up the barrack. The temporary tarp covering the roof is sure to blow off. The walls aren’t sealed either.” “But us ? We thought we were leaving. We were planning on moving my Dad on out of here. He’s been getting seriously ill, you know. He has bad spells where he has breathing problems.” “I suspect there’s something more to it than that. My guess is Frank was in there arguing to keep you two longer than this first lay-off. Then it hit them that they really do need you. No one else wants that job.” “We’ve heard that one before. Seems that if it’s really tough, only the Indians can do the job.” “I could do the job, Johnny. But I’ve got too much to do as yard boss. They need me here more than up there, or I’d go myself. I don’t mind at all. Not much anyway. Frank came down to my room early this morning to consult me on this. When I got to the office, Chris Jensen was already there. The four of us talked about the problem. Chris told them that the work had to be done, or the building could be damaged or even lost. “We discussed our options, but they always seemed to come down to you two. We could probably find someone else, but Chris said one of them would have to be him, and he’d rather not.” “Sound all right to you Cap?” Cap nodded back to Johnny. “Henry, if this is a short job and you really need us, we’re your Indians.” Henry gave him a puzzled look. The phrase threw him. “Great ! You’re on. Don’t bother with the clean up work here. I’ve got plenty of help who can finish this job. Get back to the barracks and grab your gear. Expect my wagon to be coming by to pick you up very shortly. You’ll have to move to Erie for a few days.” “How many days, Henry?”
“Chris says ten days should be all you need, if all goes well. We take a five-mile wagon road to the Erie tram base. You’ll appreciate the ride. We follow right next to the glacier. Up there you’ll see more raw ice. You know--white and blue ice. Not so much of the gravel and boulders. Say hello to Emil for me. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of him until you get back.” “What do you suppose really went on in that office, Sla’cheen ? Frank just told us we were being laid off.” “Don’t understand what goes on up there among those engineers. They’re a different bunch--different breed from the workers here. They’re not much like us. They’re sure not like most of the other men we’ve met here either. Though some of them seem awfully icy.” “Do you think Frank was serious about the sheep hunting?” “I believe he really meant it, Cap, but he’ll probably never find the time. They seem to keep him very busy here, ” The steam whistle sent out a series of blasts. Number 72 began pulling out. The loaded flatcars began creaking and groaning in protest over the heavy loads. The conductor jumped aboard the rear platform of the caboose, turned and waved at the two.” “When it’s that close, it’s one huge machine. That thing is tall.” “The engine, you mean? Yes, Cap. Those 70-series engines they use now are monsters.” “I still wonder how they were able to figure out how to drag No. 74 out of that ice-filled river so they could place it back on the tracks and drag it back to Cordova.” “That was some job positioning the boat so we could hook onto it. It seemed like more trouble than it was worth, though I sure wouldn’t like the thought of having that huge piece of steel forever blocking our river channel, Sla’cheen.” “That must have been quite an embarrassment for the railroad. Imagine having a big, new engine like that crash through a trestle because someone forgot to check the bridge for damage. “Never seen a hundred-ton crane before. Between that crane and the smaller one, and all that block-and-tackling, they must have used every bit of knowledge and resources they had to get that engine out of those waters.” “It’s amazing to me that they’re still running it, Sla’cheen. You’d never know from looking at it now how badly it was damaged.” The train pulled away from them and out of sight as they walked on toward the barracks and headed up the stairwell just inside the glass enclosed porch way. Emil was in his room. He was not feeling too well. But as the two approached, they realized that he was not alone. Johnny started to quickly back out of the room when he saw the visitor, but Emil waved him back in. “Come in both of you. I want you to meet someone. Mr. Douglass, this is Johnny Gadanski, my son and his friend and very loyal co-worker, Cap Goodlataw, who is from a very prominent family in Chitina. He’s just like another son to me. Boys, this is the superintendent himself, Mr. Bill Douglass.” The two had never encountered Douglass before. They were surprised to find him to appear to be a very open and friendly man. Bill immediately extended his hand and greeted them. “I want you to know that I’m very impressed with your work. You have done credit to your people, and I know your dad here is very proud. I wish we could find more like you.” “But it was Frank who got us here.” “It was. Frank stood up to everybody, including me, to get you in here. He turned out to be right. If it wasn’t for Frank and Emil, you two would not be here. I just wanted you to know that.” “Mr. Douglass has convinced me that it is time for me to retire out of here. Not that it took all that much convincing. There’s no such thing as retirement if you’re a working man here, but the company has generously offered me a severance bonus. I’ll remain on the job here until you two finish up at Erie, then we’ll all return to Chitina. I’ll have more than enough saved up to buy that cabin I want and get on with my life as a retired man.” “So you don’t mind if we take a few weeks to finish the Erie job? “You guys go on and do the work. You came up here to prove a point. I know that. Well, you just keep on doing it. I’ll be here ready to leave when you get back. Go on now, get yourselves ready. I’ll see you when you return.” The two Indians returned to their room in the attic. “This was a nice room. Wonder what the next one will be like.” “We’re going right up to meet the winter, Sla’cheen. You saw it this morning. Sounds more like Green Butte again to me.” “Small and primitive, you mean. I guess so. What a surprise, meeting Mr. Douglass here, of all places. I’ve heard some good things about the man, and now I think I can understand why,” “Don’t get too taken in, Sla’cheen. We all know that your dad is dying and he that probably got ill having to working with all that paint. We worked with it, too. You know how bad those fumes are. I think they’re giving him a bonus because they feel guilty and want to get rid of him. And us.” “You may be right, Cap, but this was Dad’s life. He really seems to like it here. If it’s all right with him, I say, let’ em do it. I’d like to see him leave here happy.” Cap grimaced back at Johnny. “Don’t forget that these are the same people who disturbed our graves.” “Shee’ya told us that we had to make the best of the world which has been given us, and this is it, Cap.” “You guys ready yet?” “Henry ! That was fast.” “We have to get going. It’s a long wagon trip up there. I want to get back this afternoon.” Outside they encountered a wagon pulled by two large horses. “Jump on board, guys. I managed to hijack this here rig, and now we’re off on a scenic cruise.” | ||||||||||
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| Root Glacier view from the Erie Mine bunkhouse area. --Anchorage Museum of History & Art Continue |
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