“Soon we’ll be returning up the line to Kennecott. We can’t have Kay-yew-nee try to follow us all the way up there. I’ll have to get Violet or her new friend Abbey Webley take care of him while we’re gone.” “Isn’t Abbey a dog musher?” “That’s what she calls herself, Charles. She’s taken several of Violet’s dogs and trained them for sledding. Seems to be good at it, too. Strange white woman. Good-looking, though. “Charles. I need you to do something for me.” Charles’s eyes widened as he looked at Cap, realizing that when Cap talked like this it usually meant work. Cap had been like another older brother--a bin’ ga. Cap was often the one to give work assignments to Charles when Johnny was not around. Not that Charles minded too much. He admired Cap almost to the point of hero-worship, much to the embarrassment of Cap. “Nothing difficult. I need you to take Kay-yew-nee over to Violet’s yard and keep him tied up for a few days. At least a week. If your sister won’t take him, I’m sure Abbey Webley will. “I don’t want the dog to try to follow us all the way to Kennecott.” Charles felt relieved. This was an easy assignment. He smiled at the thought. Charles smiled readily. He had a very pleasant and unassuming personality which was almost too eager to please. Like only a few others Cap had encountered, Charles did not seem to believe in evil people. He was confused by racism and bigotry. It just didn’t make any sense to him. “Sure, Cap. Leave it to me. What ar e you doing up there this time? Will you be working in the mines like before?” “No, Charlie, we’ll be repainting the mill. Maybe do some work on the nearby hospital as well. That’s it. Then we’re coming home for hunting season.” “You mean you and Johnny are painting that? I’ve seen the pictures. It’s the tallest building I know of in the valley. I’d sure like to be there to see it.” “That’s why they want us. We proved ourselves last year painting the tall, new power plant there, and we worked on top of Erie, which isn’t that tall, but it seems it since it’s on the edge of a thousand feet of drop-off. Not too many men will work at those heights. It doesn’t bother either skeel’eh or me. Besides, now we’re experienced.” “Wow. Like I said, I wish I could see it.” “I heard you. Let me think about it. You never know what may come up. Your mother needs you on the fishwheel, you know.” “I know, but I’d leave the fishwheel at Chitina anytime to go to Kennecott to help you soon’ga . I can carry my own load well. You know that. Find me a way. I’ll be there. I want to be a part of it. I want to be there while it’s still here. I know someday it won’t be.” “No one else thinks that, Charlie.” “It will be gone. Railroad and all. You’re the one who said it. I believe what you say, Cap. Cap smiled at Charles, then turned his attention back to the scenery. He thought about Charle’s words. If the other young Indians heard Charles talk like that, they’d make fun of him--or worse. They think it’s honorable to voice a hatred for everything white. They can’t see past the hatred. I love the independent spirit of Charlie. Innocent. Yes, that’s it. No hatred in him. Just a sense of wonder, like a child. The train passed over a small trestle as it turned away from its course which ran along the north ridge of the Chitina River valley. It was approaching the overlook above the Kotsina River valley. Once it reached the Kotsina, it would begin the final steep descent. The train slowed as it headed into the last turn before the steep hill. From the cupola Cap could see the rebuilt trestle in the far distance. It looked just like the one before it, which was just like the one before it, leaving no indication that the bridge had washed out only weeks before.
The engine crawled down the hill, finally reaching the steep east-end approach of the trestle, then slowing even more as it crossed over the madly rushing and swirling heavily silted river less than fifteen feet below. The narrow trestle shuddered. So did Cap. Many had died here, including that Irish crew in 1917 and the fireman aboard No. 74 when it crashed through the bridge the next year. Others had died on this spot before that and more would undoubtedly follow. This was the most notorious spot on the entire route. The river which raged below was unforgiving to all who underestimated her power. A very thrilled and light-headed Johnny stepped down from the cab of No. 21 once it pulled up to the station and then backed up to the repair barn. Cap and Charles uncoupled the caboose so the engine could back into the barn for the required repairs. The Siberian mutt sat on a large timber, absorbed by the activity of three of his favorite humans. Cap pulled one of the tall doors open. It was a large, empty space, except that the large, black iron hulk which was Old No. 100 quietly sat in the darkness of the next bay. Their work over, the three men walked toward Chittyna Village, which lay beyond the far end of the turn-around at Town Lake. Cap would stay at the cottage this evening, then head for Lower Tonsina to stay with his father for a few days. As the three began to pass the depot, they heard the unmistakable roar of the 1917 Indian motorcycle owned by Tom Weller, a bearded, rough-featured, heavily built man who always wore a cap and usually had a cigar in his mouth. Tom owned the Lower Tonsina Lodge. The Indian motorcycle circled around and screeched to a halt just in front of the three Indians. Tom stepped off the bike and pulled up his goggles above his ever-present cap. The man was known as a hard drinking womanizer, even though he had a very enticing, if somewhat strange, female companion named Alice to help him run his lodge and keep him company. Tom frequently came into Chitina to gamble at the no-name billiards hall. It mattered little whether it was pool or cards or anything else, Tom loved to gamble. He usually won. Some believed he walked with a small devil on his shoulder to give him gambling advice. His luck was phenomenal. He was also known to be a sore loser. Sometimes his opponents would throw in the towel and let him win rather than face the consequences, especially if Tom had been drinking whiskey that day. “Hey you guys, glad to see you back from Strelna. Any of you up to a game at the old parlor?” The three of them looked at each other. They had told themselves they’d avoid going to the no-name billiards hall when they returned. So much for resolutions. “Sounds good to me,” Johnny said. “We haven’t got paid yet, but we’re good for it.” “That’s good enough for me,” Tom replied.”Let’s go!” Cap and Charles nodded in agreement, then headed for the no-name billiards parlor. The dog rushed ahead and pushed at the door, alerting old Smitty that Johnny was around. “How about a buck a game? Any takers?” Tom asked. “That’s awfully high-stakes, Tom, but you’re on,” Johnny responded, throwing a silver dollar down from out of his pocket. “Hey Smitty, got anything good back there?” Tom shouted. Smitty responded with a bottle of whiskey and a box of cigars. “Good man, Smitty. You guys want to split on this? You can’t expect me to do all the buying, you know.” “I’ll cover for the other three. I have some change. My brothers can just owe me for it,” Johnny replied, pulling out several more silver dollars. “Works for me. Hey, you guys, I’ve got a big party planned at the lodge this weekend. You know, one of those spring-into-summer kind of things. I’ve got my homemade wine I made just for the occasion. It’s based on rose hips Alice picked last fall. Wine’s my thing. Also got beer and whiskey. Alice will be cooking up the fish and I’m roasting a large pig. I’ve even found a band. Well, sort of a band. Anyway, big doings. You guys need to come on down. Tell everyone.” The four of them traded shots at billiards for several hours until all were beginning to miss easy shots as the effects of the whiskey began to catch up. Charlie was not used to so much alcohol. He passed out on the bench early. Tom was a hard drinker who rarely showed any effects. Johnny and Cap were beginning to feel like they were being set up. They finally decided it was time to quit. “Look, I got to get back to the old homestead anyway. Alice awaits, you know. Need a ride Cap? Hop on, I’ll have you there in no time. I just came out here for a break and some spices I better pick up before Alice kills me.” “I was going to stay in town overnight, but since you’ve offered, let’s go.” The Indian motorcycle roared off with Cap on the seat behind Tom. The bike ripped down the narrow Edgerton cut-off trail toward Tonsina, not quite twenty miles away, spewing a large cloud of fine dust. Cap was beginning to wonder if he would live to see his father, but Tom was a skilled motorcycle rider from way back, and he was very familiar with the trail. They ran through a deep cut passing three narrow lakes before the valley opened up, with a view of the Copper River to the right. Tom pointed to a cabin with a barn four miles out of Chitina. “That’s my business partner who lives there. We churn up a little hootch once in a while. He just moved up from Valdez. Bob Reed. Great guy. I’ll take you by some time. Not today. Got to get back to Alice. I’m feeling the need! Whoa!” The narrow trail followed a series of winding hills until it reached a popular picnic spot known as Liberty Falls. Then the trail entered one last steep and very winding descent to the bottom of the hill where log bridge led to Lower Tonsina Lodge. Cap felt dizzy when he finally stepped off the motorcycle in front of his father’s cabin just east of the bridge. Enough of that. What a machine. What a name. Indian. I like that. Wouldn’t mind having one of those. Maybe I’ll talk Tom into letting me drive it one day. “Thanks, Tom. Maybe I’ll stop by before heading back to Kennecott.” “Hey, you do that Cap. I’ll give you credit ‘til you get paid. No problem. You ought to try Alice’s cooking. Out of this world. Got to blast. She’s hot. I’m hot. I’m outta here.” Tom disappeared in a thick cloud of dust. The hills hovered high above Tonsina, completely dominating the small area with their stony massiveness. Up a distant hill just beyond the rustic log lodge on the far side of the river was the family grave yard. Cap looked in that direction. Somewhere up there his mother was probably watching him. He turned around and walked up the pathway toward the cabin.
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08 February 2011
Chapter 35: "Returning Crew Meets Tom," Pt 2
Chapter 35: "Returning Crew Meets Tom," Pt 1
It was time to return home. Some track work remained, but section foreman Jack Corey deemed all of the major repairs completed between Long Lake and the Copper River crossing. The three skeel-eh volunteered to be included in the first lay-off. They would jump a ride on the maintenance engine, consolidation no.21, when it returned to Chitina for routine oiling in the pit. Charles planned to help on his mother’s fishwheel, as he did every summer, while Cap and Johnny needed to prepare themselves for their return to Kennecott. Number 21 was to head off to Chitina towing only its caboose. Johnny talked engineer Albert Dalton into letting him ride up front in the locomotive cab. The engine was an American Locomotives Rhode Island 85 ton consolidation--a 2-8-0. That was the designation for an engine with eight drive wheels and two leading ones, with no trailing wheels under the cab and firebox. There were four of them in the system--20 through 23, built in 1907 with sequential serial numbers as part of an order of equipment originally destined for China. These were the most powerful engines on the roster until 1915 when the first Mikados arrived. Because of their special wheel arrangement, they were best suited to head the ore trains. The problem was that it normally required two of these engines hooked up in tandem--a process called “double-heading”--to pull a line of thirty-five loaded ore cars.
It soon became obvious that it would be far more efficient to simply buy newer, more powerful engines. By 1915 the new Mikado had proven to be a good candidate for this type of operation. The Mikado was the name for an engine with the 2-8-2 wheel arrangement. The first engines with this wheel arrangement were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for a Japanese railroad company. The ALCO-Brooks model weighed 95 tons and was equipped with super heaters which made more efficient use of the steam it generated. The first three of these arrived in 1915 and 1916 just in time for an anticipated jump in copper production. In that year ore production took a leap from 81,104 tons requiring 90 trains of thirty cars each for the year to 177,916 tons of ore that would require 198 trains pulling the same load. The vastly increased mine output meant the train consists would now require thirty-five loaded flat cars instead of thirty, just to keep up with the demand. Two more of the Mikados were added in 1917. With the arrival of the Mikados, the CRNW Railway began running two distinct trains on the same track. The Mainline, or Cordova Local, ran from the Alaska Steamship wharf to Chitina. The Chitina Local was the temporary Bonanza branch line to Kennecott. The company built the mining branch line to less strict engineering standards than the mainline, using lighter rail and tighter curves with heavier grades, but overtime the distinction between the branch line and the mainline was lost. The use of the concurrent trains doubled the capacity of the line. The trains would meet in Chitina, switching name designations and continuing on down the line. The arrangement began in 1916 and continued for the remaining twenty-two years of railroad operation. It enabled daily service throughout the system as long as conditions permitted. In 1936 the boiler on no. 71 blew up while the engine was at the service bay in Chitina, killing the fireman and seriously burning the engineer. The engine was hauled back to Cordova and permanently sidelined there, leaving the other four to carry the load. The fifth Mikado was no longer essential due to the diminished requirements of mine production. As the four consolidations were no longer needed for mainline service, they were commonly to be found running the work trains, including the rotary snow plow consists. Since all the moguls were now used as switch engines and pushers stationed at Cordova, Chitina and Shushanna Junction, usually the CRNW used one of the consolidations for small passenger train consists.
The 20-series Rhode Islands were impressive engines with drive wheels that were fifty-six inches tall. The cab was high above the tracks, with a commanding view. Above the long boiler were two large sand domes as well as the huge steam dome. They were stately and majestic machines, indeed. Finally Johnny had the ride he had dreamed of since he was ten. he had the engineer’s view from the cab of one of the great Rhode Island engines. He assisted the fireman, but was more interested in just watching the a view he could only imagine until now, as the locomotive worked its way through the lower Chitina River valley. The mountains to the south and west, like much of the region were dramatic, the effect enhanced by the relative closeness. It was an experience beyond anything he could imagine. The effect of seeing all this mountain scenery from the control deck of the eighty-five ton engine rumbling with its obviously powerful pistons over the widely-spaced steel rails while the wind whipped by his face as the engine advanced rapidly down the gentle slope past Strelna Lake left Johnny beside himself with not a care in the world. Just behind in the caboose, Cap was sharing the cupola with Charles. Matt had prepared some of his famous coffee which both young men were sipping. “Your older brother’s having the time of his life up there, Charles. He’ll be up the clouds long after we arrive in Chitina.” “It’s what he’s always dreamed, Cap. He never could stop talking about the iron horse machines when he was a kid.” “He still hasn’t stopped. He says less, but never stops admiring them. They seem to take him out there somewhere no one can see.” Down below Kay-yew-nee was studying the conductor. The boys had left the dog behind at Chitina, but the Siberian mutt had worked his way up the tracks, finding Johnny and Cap two days later. He was not about to be left out. Cap was considering this problem of having the dog follow them all the way up the line to Kennecott, where he would no doubt be shot.
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07 February 2011
Chapter 34: "Strelna Work Crew Sets Up," Pt 3
"I know, climb the pole and splice in so you can have a connection." "You’ve got it, Cap. We’ll need every man we’ve got to pull that engine back into line. It went off right where we lost our first Pullman years ago. They made the curve too steep. This time the ground must have sunk just enough to let the leading wheels drop over the edge. We’re stuck good until we pull that thing back into place." "Can we get it back on track, Matt?" "I think so, but I’m sending for the engine at McCarthy and more crew men just in case. It can pick up the others at Strelna." "How long ?" "Oh, probably all day." Engine No. 102 pulled in with the regular McCarthy crew and the Strelna Native crew four hours later. It pulled a flat car with extra rails and a frog and switch, plus three box cars carrying most of the remaining railroad workforce on the line between Chitina and McCarthy. It took three more hours to pull engine no. 22 back into place. "Obviously, the rest of the line must be good, so we’ll follow No. 102 into Strelna. It can turn around at the gravel pit wye there and return home." "That’s good, Matt. So we’re finally on the way to Strelna?" "Just don’t forget that the next several weeks could be like this, Johnny. If the line keeps sinking, which it probably will, we may be facing even more derailments." "Great life, isn’t it," Charles responded. "How’s your head, kid?" "I’ll survive. We’re all hard-heads around here, anyway." Cap was among the first to spot the smoke somewhere in the distance. He watched for the flames through the trees. It was not long before the top of the raging fire could be seen. It was a large one. As the train hit the straight stretch that passed by Strelna , the form of Dwyer’s Inn came into view, heavily involved in flames. There was a small gathering of people trying to save the structure with a hose from the nearby water tower, but the effort was clearly futile. The crews from the three work trains jumped out to help, but there was little to be done. The large two-story log building would burn to the ground. A historic piece of old Alaska was going up in flames. "If we had only been here last night, maybe we could have saved it, Tanas." "Maybe Mr. Stevenson. Or maybe it was meant to happen this way. Once that train derailed, we took all the extra men up the line with us, including the ones they could have used to fight this fire. Now it’s too late." We’ve arrived just in time to witness the white man’s lodge disappear before us." "White man’s lodge, Cap?"
of the men whose money built your railroad and that mine, Mr. Stevenson. Now it’s going up in smoke. It will be only the first of many." Cap’s prediction froze the conductor in his steps.
As if to answer his thoughts, Cap continued. "You take our land and hunt it until nothing remains and then expect us to be grateful that you bring us white man food. You take our language and give us yours and tell us we must be like you, then you give us only work the white men won’t take and tell us we can’t go here and we can’t go there. You expect us to want to save places like this after all that disrespect?" He walked away from the conductor, joining the other Natives closer to the wall of fire. "It’s too hot to get anywhere near it, Cap. Look at the shape of the building dissolve before us." "This doesn’t look good for our fall guiding business, Cap. That rich-man’s place was where our sheep-hunting customers gathered." "Nicolai wouldn’t have minded, Sla’cheen. You know what he thought of those big game trophy hunters. Maybe this was Kay-yee-gay ‘s doing." "The spirit of Nicolai ? That wouldn’t surprise me, Cap. He resented anyone hunting our land except us. He always said they were rich, so they could bring in their own meat. Uncle Tanas stepped up behind them to add to the conversation. "I know you boys made money off of them. That was good. Billum would have done the same. But always remember that our great tyone hated trophy hunters. Many times he said that hunting for just the horns is what killed off our Indian brothers’ way of life. He feared the hunters almost as much as the railroad which brought them in." "But Uncle, you’ve worked for the railroad company for years. You’re a regular , just like Tom or Uncle Andrew. The railroad’s your life." "I know. I’m proud of my work, but it still bothers me sometimes. Yet even your own grandfather told us we can’t turn back." "He said that we must make the railroad our own, uncle. It’s the only way." "We have to stop talking and start fighting this losing battle. Let’s look like we mean to save what we all know is lost." "Okay, we can look like we want to save it, " replied Cap. Tanas tried to gather his scattered crew, most of whom stood by watching the blaze in complete fascination. They seemed to enjoy the spectacle. "Let’s grab a hose and help bring that fire down," Tanas yelled out. "In the end this could work out well for those of us who are still here, Cap. Maybe not us, but Uncle Eskilida’s people. They live right here. If enough white men leave, our people can come back and hunt as before." Cap grabbed Johnny’s shoulder and pointed upward. In the distance were the Saghani-Ggaay--four large black ravens circling high overhead. "They’re here. Why always four, Cap ?" "They appeared only after Nicolai’s curse. When the end comes, there will be a multitude of them. Until then, there will always be two pairs. It is the way of the Kay-yee-gay who resides with us in this valley."
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Chapter 34: "Strelna Work Crew Sets Up," Pt 2
"Tanas, how far to Strelna ?" "About nine miles, Charles. You boys come with me. We have to grab some wheelbarrows and help the others." "Tanas, I spotted a large moose out there in the brush. Let’s hunt it down for lunch. Let the others run the wheelbarrows. We’d all rather have moose than most anything else." "Charles, now you’re talking. Cap! Johnny! Go with Charles. He says there’s a moose out there. See if you can bring it in. Yes, dead, you half-white jackass! Butcher it up and give it to the cook. Maybe we can have it in time for a late dinner." "Beats working the wheelbarrows and hefting 450 pounds of rails." "The company’s going to pay for the food one way or the other. Get out there and bring it in!" The three skeel’eh needed no further encouragement. Each grabbed a thirty-thirty rifle and headed north through the heavy brush. It wasn’t long before Tanas heard three shots. Several hours later, the crew finished removing sixty feet of rail, and hauling in the gravel fill. The skeel’eh were quick to skin and butcher the large horned animal. In the meantime, the rest of the crew arrived on No. 22. In the rear of the consist was the familiar Baldwin pusher. Johnny and Cap walked the long distance to the front of No. 100 to uncouple it from the second consist. Having been freed for a second time, the old engine once again headed down hil in reverse for its slow return trip to the maintenance shop at Chitina. After the crew had dumped about a hundred yards of gravel on the low spot, Tanas finally called the work to a halt. "We’ve done it. That’s good enough. It’s time to put the track back in place. Food break first. The cook says it’s chicken soup and beans for lunch, but it’ll be fresh moose stew for dinner."
nephews on the moose hunt. Few moose had been taken that winter. Many Chitina families had to subsist on salmon, rice and beans the entire winter. Toward the end of winter, even the salmon had run out. After lunch, the men re-installed the three, twenty-foot sections of rail. Foreman Jack Corey asked engineer Art Holt and conductor Matt Stevenson to hold up the train at Kotsina siding overnight. The engineers agreed. It was getting too dark to see the condition of the track. Matt telegraphed McCarthy and Chitina, notifying them that the Chitina Local was closed from Strelna to Kotsina at least until the next day. "Charles, how’d you get so lucky? We’ve looked for moose all winter. Couldn’t find anything since nen’testende." "You mean freeze-up, Cap ? No moose at Tonsina ? There weren’t any moose near Chitina, either. This must be the first. Sure has good taste. The cook did a great job with it on such a short notice." "I’d have joined the crew just to eat the carrots, I’m so hungry." "You mean you’re sick of beans with Pilot Bread, Cap ?" "That’s it, Sla’cheen. Too many beans. That was all we had. Sometimes I think this railroad is a good thing. It brought us real food." "You must be getting soft, Cap. You don’t sound like your usual self." "Starvation around here, Sla’cheen." "It’s a tough life, Cap." Cap chewed a sinewy piece of moose meat, then grinned back at Johnny. "Not tough at all, Sla’cheen. Just right !" After their dinner, the skeel’eh walked west down the tracks, carrying their Winchesters just in case. "Maybe we’ll find some rabbit this way. It’s a good area." "I suppose since I’m the youngest, you’ll expect me to skin it." "You brought your knife, didn’t you, skell’eh ?" "I always have my knife on me, Johnny." They headed to a point where the track starts to veer to the northwest. It was the top of the long slope to the river base. The forested area opened up there, allowing a magnificent view of the wide, braided Chitina River hundreds of feet below. "Look at the, Cap. The Tsedi Na’--the very center of our people’s way of life." It was still covered with ice, though an open channel had broken through. "It won’t be long now, " Charles observed, pointing to the open water, which was already starting to flow over the top of the ice. "That’s called kataleni. The ts’itu’ and its tendelzaghi are what you see." Charles gave a puzzled look to Johnny. "Open water and ice chunks on the river, Charles. Never mind Cap. He confuses me, too. Cap tries to keep our Ahtna words alive, even though the teachers beat him to stop it. They beat me too. I learned quick. I had to help Cap because they kept throwing him out of school." A strong wind blowing through the canyon worked its way up the high ridge to the rail grade, sending cold snow dust blowing around the open area. "Whew ! It’s too cold to stay out here in the open. Let’s head back to the bunk car. Long day tomorrow." The three returned with five snow-shoe hares they encountered on the way back. The temperature on the hill that night dropped to zero. In the black spruce-lined area where the two maintenance train consists sat at Kotsina siding, the wind rustled the trees, but the trains themselves were sheltered amidst the heavy growth. The engineers and firemen kept the boilers fired all night. Unlike the newer 70-series, these two had been converted back to coal. They required constant shoveling. Crew members alternated on duty with the firemen all night long. The 1910-era engines hummed in quiet contentment all night. The light was sufficient at seven to begin moving the trains forward. The cooks had breakfast ready by six so that everyone would be ready to continue the slow run into Strelna. Maintenance Local No. 22 was now in the lead, since it was on the main line all night. It would work its way on to Porphyry, once it picked up its Strelna crew. The rail followed a largely straight line past Strelna and Silver Lakes. Then it hit a large curve. The sudden jerk as the rear train skidded to a halt knocked Charles off his seat in the cupola. He fell down to the floor of the caboose, hitting the wood hard. "What was that?" Charles, are you all right?" Johnny jumped down, followed by Cap. They pulled Charles off the floor. He was stunned, but not hurt. Matt had already rushed out the front door of the caboose. Johnny and Cap helped Charles out. Far ahead they could see the place where engine no. 22 had derailed on the wide curve. It would be another long day. Matt returned for Cap.
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Chapter 34: "Strelna Work Crew Sets Up," Pt 1
"You must never forget who you are, who your people are, or
Another spring break-up was underway. After a long winter of minus fifty to minus sixty degree temperatures, the increasing daylight had finally brought in a warming trend. Night time temperatures had been minus twenty-five the week before. By early March, the lowest temperatures were only minus ten. Afternoon readings had been rising into the thirties since early February and had hit forty degrees above by the end of the month, causing considerable glaciation along the tracks and the beginnings of ice-breakups on the rivers. The railroad had assembled two trains to work the eastern end, otherwise known as the Chitina Local branch. Because the track walkers had already detected problems with the rail bed near Strelna, the CRNW shut down the line east of Chitina and dispatched the two maintenance consists north much earlier than normal. The last load of ore had gone through Chitina March 2nd. There would be no more runs until the problems with a sinking rail bed were corrected. The bridge watcher at the Copper River crossing predicted that the ice would go out early. The trestle crossing would go out with the ice. The two maintenance trains had to be over the bridge near Chitina before the trestle washed away. Freight consolidation engine no. 21 arrived from Cordova first. It was pulling a line of twenty, 1870s-era dump cars loaded with gravel, plus four flatcars piled high with wooden ties and steel rail couplings and other hardware, a box car full of tools, a kitchen car, two bunk cars, and a caboose. Behind the first train was a second, which also carried a pile-driver rig. The railroad scheduled Chitina Local No. 21 to operate out of the Strelna gravel pit, while No. 22 would continue on to Porphyry to work on the far end of the Chitina Local Branch. The pile-driver was for repairs on the Kennicott River trestle. It was also the back-up rig for the east-side when the time came for Copper River trestle to wash out. Cordova Locals 20 and 23 would work the area from the Copper River delta near Cordova up to Chitina. All four consists had been assembled for spring break-up repairs, similarly equipped with the same number of Western Air dump cars, flat cars and the rest. Number 20 would be temporarily stationed at Chitina to work from Chitina south to Bremner. That train would also utilize a largely Native crew, as would numbers 21 and 22. It had been a long, cold, miserable, and unproductive winter. Everyone--Native and white alike--had waited anxiously for the spring breakup so they could get back to work. Trapping had been at an all-time low and no one had any spare cash. There would be no complaints about the existence railroad this year. It was the savior. The CRNW would keep the people of Chitina alive through another year. The railroad had long since become a part of the Native way of life. Although everyone who could work was ready to board, the Native crew for No. 22 would be picked up at Strelna, where the several small families headed by old man Eskilida still lived, about sixteen miles away from Chitina. The railroad also kept another crew in reserve at Chitina for Cordova Local No. 20, which would be arriving within a week after 21 and 22 departed the depot. These men might be needed to take the rails and stringers off the bridge after the two maintenance trains crossed if it appeared that the trestle might go out early. The railroad always tried to salvage the top part of the bridge. As they began their tenth season working railroad maintenance, Johnny and Cap had seniority. They chose to ride the caboose with the conductor. This was the favored place on the train. Conductor Matt Stevenson always had hot coffee brewing there. Besides, it was the warmest spot, and its high, rear-end cupola, had an excellent view of the rest of the train and everything to the rear. The two hopped aboard along with elder uncle Tanas Nicolai. Tanas was most senior because he was also full-time. He headed the Native crew for Local No. 21 and even 22 when the two consists worked together. Tanas spread his crew out between the two trains, so each would have a small complement of workers until they reached Strelna. Then Tanas would take charge of crew 21 and his cousin Edward would take crew 22. In the earlier days a white man had been given charge of each Native crew. The white bosses never acknowledged the Indians by name, preferring to assign numbers to each man instead. They would count one through twelve. If there were twelve men--no matter which twelve they were--the crew was considered complete. Sometimes the Indians would substitute one of the men for another without telling the white crew boss, but the twelve men whose names were on the payroll were the ones who would get paid. The Indians would replace one of their own if he was sick or had to be with his family or even if he was too drunk to be present. That way the Indian whose name was on the payroll would still be paid and would not lose his job. The substitute who replaced the regular would receive other compensation from the Indians themselves. Every Native protected each other in a system they developed from the very earliest of the railroad days. The Indian crew members found numerous ways to make life difficult for the white crew bosses. The white men would often quit in complete frustration. Finally, the railroad superintendent relented and began employing Native bosses. Tanas, Edward, and Andrew of Chitina were among the first. Once the Indians took charge of their own people, the railroad management discovered that maintenance ran remarkably well. Tanas had worked on the line since the first train came into old Chittyna in 1910. He was in the first group to benefit when Nicolai made the deal with Birch that obligated the railroad to hire entire crews of Natives for seasonal maintenance. Nicolai did not ask for year-around work for most of his people because he knew it would not benefit them. Instead he asked Birch to consider hiring a few for full-time work so there would always be some Natives on the railroad year-around. The railroad unintentionally gave men like Tanas, Tom, Edward, and Andrew a special status which was highly respected by their own people. Each of them lived comfortably, if only modestly. Tanas had a skill for keeping the peace between the Natives and the whites which the railroad valued. But in reality, he used his powers more like that of a shop steward, always trying to protect his people against the sometimes strange and arbitrary ways of railroad management. It was in the early morning of March 5th, 1925 that the first consist, No. 21, pulled out from its place on the main line in front of the locomotive repair barn. The engine arrived only the day before. It had been kept running all night because it was far too cold to let the boiler shut down.
Matt pointed to the pot, looking first at Tanas. "It’s ready for you guys. Be my guest." Johnny had talked Tanas into letting his brother Charles along with him on this run. Although Charles had no seniority, Tanas allowed him to ride in the caboose because Charles was part of the family already on board. Charles, as the junior member poured the cups. He handed the first one to Tanas. It went in order of rank and age, except Charles had deliberately given the white man, conductor Stevenson, the second cup rather than the first. Matt and Tanas, chose to stay below, allowing the younger ones to watch the tracks from the cupola. Behind the caboose, an old Baldwin mogul was coupled on to act as the pusher. No. 100 was permanently stationed at Chitina because the four-percent grade on the other side of the crossing required an extra engine to help a fully-loaded consist up the hill. The Baldwin was second in age only to the legendary No. 50. Old No. 50--a Rogers 4-6-2, was Mike Heney’s original--the first CRNW locomotive. Heney was the contractor who built the White Pass out of Skagway and who had been in charge of constructing the CRNW railbed when he suddenly took ill and died. The railroad considered the 1871-vintage wood-burning engine obsolete. Old No. 50 was too antiquated to sell, so the railroad kept it in the eleven-bay roundhouse at Cordova, ready if it was ever needed for whatever duties were required. It never was. The duties of Heney’s original engine ended with the driving of the copper spike at Kennecott on March 29th, 1911. It sat in the darkness of the roundhouse for twenty-seven years, a useless relic of the frontier days of old Alaska. Cap sat on the north side of the cupola. He had a good view looking straight down the loose, sandy cliff which dropped steeply into the Kotsina River bed over a hundred fifty feet below. This section of the railbed was subject to heavy erosion. Still going uphill, the rails left the Kotsina basin, heading southeast. The rails crossed the ridge which separated the Kotsina from the Chitina River until the wide Chitina River canyon was finally in view. Then the rails resumed an easterly course. It was only a few minutes into Kotsina. The small whistle-stop consisted of a siding and a line shack. The line shack was rarely used. It was one of twenty-four of similarly designed ten by twelve foot frame buildings with hip-end roofs, dating back to 1914 when the railroad began upgrading its many miles of line so it could operate in the winter. The train pulled off the track onto the siding. Johnny and Charles helped the Baldwin pusher uncouple. It backed out of the siding and took off in reverse, all the way down the six miles of steep hill to Chitina. "Look, Cap. There’s smoke coming from the line shack." The entire Native crew assembled there. "The foreman from Strelna is here. There’s already a problem with the track sinking just ahead. We’ll have to get out the wheel barrows and pull up some of the track for shoring up. The section foreman says its unsafe to run the engine any farther until we repair it." "Okay, Tanas. Guess we know where we’ll be tonight." Matt returned to confirm Tanas’s evaluation. "Cap, climb that pole and tap into the line so I can telegraph the stations at McCarthy and Chitina. "This looks like it, boys. Haven’t seen the problem yet, but foreman Corey seems to think it’ll take several hours to repair the damage. He says much of the rest of the line into Strelna is beginning to sink, so there may be other delays. If we’re lucky enough to get through to Strelna, we have weeks of work ahead of us. Everything seems to be sinking." "It’s already started? Seems awfully early, especially as cold as it’s been." "There’s a spring and a pond up there that never froze. We thought we’d taken care of the problem last year, and the year before that, and the year before that." "So this is it? We’re at Kotsina tonight?" "Looks that way to me, Johnny, unless we’re lucky. Cap! You connected yet? Climb on down here with that wire so I can tie in with my key!" "The other load of gravel cars should be along shortly. We may need the extra gravel in case the 240 yards we have on hand is not enough. Can’t get to the Strelna gravel pit from this side. It’s too far away."
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Chapter 33: "Billiard Hall Conversation," Pt 2
“You know, Cap, I’ve had the same sense about the place since we first went to work up at Erie. The people will be gone soon. Maybe not the camp, but the people. Even grandfather said it would not last. He told me I’d live to see it all end and that even the railroad would quit running one day.” “If that’s true, and I am sure deep within myself that it really is, what do you think will happen to McCarthy?” “McCarthy will still be there, even if the mine quits. Look at all the placer claims out there. McCarthy does a lot of outfitting, just like Chitina does.” “Maybe, but even if McCarthy survives Kennecott, it won’t be the same. Think about it. What do you see on the railroad except Kennecott ore and Kennecott freight. There sure aren’t many passengers. Never were. When I came back from McCarthy last time, I was alone in the coach. Just me and the dog and that attendant. That was it. “This is just a mining railroad. I know it looks like something more than that, but without the mine, I don’t think there could be a railroad. Nicolai was right. We’ll both live to see the end of it. And that means the end of McCarthy. You don’t think Rose would want to stay in that town once the supplies stop coming, do you?” “So Cap, what are you saying? Are you saying that Rose will leave and go where ? Where will she go ?”
“Where do you think ? She’s a big-town girl who’s making money at McCarthy because there’s so much business now. That’s it. When the business moves, she will too. She’ll probably leave Alaska. Do you think she’ll really want you by then anyway? You know what she is. She loves money. Not you. Not any man.” Johnny almost struck Cap for that, but backed off. Cap was ready for him, but Johnny’s anger gave way to depression. He leaned back in the chair, feeling spent. He had to face it and admit to himself that Cap might be right. “Sorry about that, Cap. I know you’ve been polite about it and avoided the subject. The sad part is you may be right. She probably proved your point when she refused to come back here with me .” “Look, Johnny, I told you what I believe. I don’t want to dwell on it. I’d rather try to beat you at this game of billiards than fight you. What good would the fighting do? We’ve backed each other up since school days--since we were both six or seven years old. That’s a long time. We’re sla’cheen who are fortunate enough to claim the same grandfather. If we’re going to fight, let’s save it for someone who truly is our enemy.” They started a new game. Cap beat Johnny easily, probably because Johnny’s mind was somewhere else. He was silent for some time before finally speaking back up. “I got a letter from Frank Buckner. He wants us back next year.” “Really? Do you you want to go back? If you really want to go, I’ll be there with you. No money around here, anyway.” “Still? After all that has happened?” “Still. It doesn’t matter what has happened. We’re sla’cheen.” “Frank wrote that the company plans to repaint the mill next year. They’re also going to build a larger hospital. He wants us back because of our experience on that power plant job. No problem getting on, he wrote. The superintendent has okayed us for rehire to do the paint job. It’s a big one, similar to the power plant painting job. Harder, though, because the building has old paint which has to be scraped off.”
Cap considered it, while he watched Johnny rack up a new game. He opened the stove door and put in yet another stick of wood. “We sure have to work hard around here to stay warm.” “Yes, it hurts me to watch you sit in that captain’s chair and place a stick of dried, cut firewood into a hot-burning stove. It must kill you, Cap.” “You know what I mean. It takes a big load of wood to keep any of these places going. That’s all day out in the woods. Sometimes I think we had it easy at Kennecott.” “So it’s Kennecott ?” “It’s either that or the railroad maintenance work again if we want enough cash for the year. Trapping isn’t going to do it. I just want to be able to get out of work by fall time so I can hunt and do the guiding business again. We completely missed it last year. At the time I never gave it much thought because we were so busy. But I don’t want to miss out on the hunting. Then there’s still next winter’s trapping.” “So, it’s settled then. We’re a team, once again.” “We’re a team, Sla’cheen.” Kay-yew-nee jumped for the door. His ears were straight up and his tail started wagging. Johnny’s mother Helen came in the door. Charles followed. The wagon was waiting outside with her companion Fred from Copper Center holding the lines. “You two have been down here long enough. It’s cold out here and I came to pick you up for dinner. We’ve been working on the moose stew all day, and you need to come home. That’s that.” “I cleaned out the back of the wagon so we can ride below cover.” “That’s good of you, Charles. You’re a great skell-eh.” “It’s really cold out there, Johnny. I’m riding in back with both of you. Mom keeps warm with Fred up front. She actually enjoys it.” “Fred’s my blanket,” Helen replied. “Let’s head on up the hill, Cap. I’m ready. You’re staying until after the cold spell, aren’t you ?” “I’m ready for some good Native food, and I was planning on staying with you anyway. Soon as this weather breaks, I’ve got to pick up my supplies and get back to Tonsina.” “Smitty ! We’re leaving ! You back there ?” Rita stepped through the door. “Smitty’s sleeping. You’re the only ones left. I’m closing now anyway.” “Got a bottle ?” “Got money ?” “Will these do ?” Johnny threw several silver dollars onto the counter. Rita’s eyes widened. She was resigned to credit in the winter time. The coins were a welcomed sight. “You want two bottles ?” “You got it, Rita. Say good night to Smitty. Be sure to tighten up the stove. Goodnight.” “Did you see that old red-haired witch’s look when I threw her those coins, Cap ? Guess that’s what it takes to make women happy.” The four of them walked out to the waiting wagon. A huge horse was anxious to get moving. It was frigid out there. The smoke from the stacks throughout town was rising to about sixty feet and then leveling off, creating a canopy of gray where the temperature was warmer. This was a phenomena of extremely cold weather. Fred had the use of the horse thanks to his connections with Orr Stage Lines. He had driven the wagon up the hill only to find Helen wanting him to bring her back down to pick up her two boys. She considered Cap the same as one of her own sons and she fussed over him just as she did over Johnny. Fred, a good natured Tl’aticae’e Native who had known Helen since the old days, had happily obliged. He would be staying with Helen tonight, putting up the horse in a makeshift barn until morning when it had to be returned to the stage line company. Actually, he would be taking the wagon into Copper Center tomorrow himself. The wagon passed the Commercial Hotel and began the pull up the long hill into the Indian village of Chittyna where a large pot of moose stew and a very warm and cheerful, if somewhat smoky, large open room awaited the five of them. “If Emil was still alive, he’d have been here with me. I would have taken care of him. He would not have needed to buy a cabin for himself.” “I know, Mom. I wish I could have brought him back.” “You did.” Johnny looked up from under the tarp to his mother who was huddled close to Fred. He pulled his heavy coat around himself tighter. It was biting cold out there. He looked forward to the warm fire up the hill, the moose stew and the home-brewed tea. “Skeel-eh, look ! It’s the Yaw-koss out to greet us.” Cap was pointing toward the Northern Lights, which were dancing wildly across the sky in all their brilliant hues of red, white and green over Chittyna Village. “It’s like the old days at Taral.” “Yes, it is skeel-eh Charles. You were there with us to hear the story Shee-ya told us that night. The Great Creator is smiling upon us tonight as we ride home to the house we built for our shee-ya. Sla’cheen, we have made the right decision. Kennecott waits for us once again. “I hope it waits for me, too, Soon-ga.” “For you, too, Charles.” Johnny listened to the conversation between Cap and Charles completely astonished. “You think we can somehow get them to hire Charles ?” “Charles will be there. I’m sure of it, Sla’cheen. The time is right.”
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