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[[underlined]] To Willie, January 21, 1925: [[/underlined]] The meeting last night was awfully interesting. Mr. Blunt, who is chief engineer of the American Locomotive Co., gave a talk on "Modern Developments in the Steam Locomotive." Well, the audience was composed in part of American Locomotive engineers and also several General Electric engineers on locomotive work. After the paper had been read, a discussion followed and the two contingents had it back and forth as to the relative merits of the steam and electric locomotives. There were also railroad men there including the Superintendent of Motive Power of the New York Central and they all had their say. I enjoyed the meeting a whole lot and it helped me get my mind off my blues. Mr. Blunt showed among others, a slide of a new Louisville & Nashville locomotive, and I thrilled at the thought that perhaps that very engine might some day pull me to you. (Signed: Your Yankee)

[[underlined]] To Willie, January 23, 1925: [[/underlined]] Our shop is very, very quiet, comparatively speaking. There is the hum of the machine tools, the sound of tearing iron, the crackle of the electric arc weld, the popping of the furnace contactors as they make and break the circuits to the heating coils, the drone of pneumatic tools, men talking, chains clanking, electric trucks ding-dinging -- oh, it's a hub-bub but it really seems like a very peaceful place compared with the huge shop, 60, where the turbines are built. In there is a continuous deafening thunder, so loud that talking except at extra-close range (and it's shouting then) is utterly impossible. ...... The weather has turned slightly more frigid, the mercury dropping 30[[degree symbol]] last night. I put water on my hair as usual this morning. When I arrived at the restaurant, I found the whole top of my head covered with a dome of ice. My hair was just matted with it. It was between 4[[degree symbol]] and 10[[degree symbol]] below this morning early and didn't get above zero all day. Awfully nice place. ...... Mother has your picture and just loves it. She says, "I never did a thing all the morning but look at her (your) pictures. Oh, Forman, it is perfectly dear and lovely. I am so happy to have it. I put her right in the middle of the mantel between you and Roger (Casler), and you looked right in my eyes and said, 'Isn't she lovely?' And I kissed you both, and asked Willie if she really loved me. She kept her eyes fixed on someone a thousand miles away, but smiled at me adorably and whispered, 'Yes indeed.'"

[[underlined]] To Willie, January 24, 1925: [[/underlined]] This morning we all viewed the eclipse. It really was marvelous although it was not total here, being, at its maximum, about like this:

[[image - drawing of the eclipse showing a very thin sliver of sun's rim on the left, the rest of the sun is black]]

For the past few days, the eclipse has been the main topic of conversation at the plant. It has been awfully funny to hear the talk among the men. Some thought there might be a possibility 

Transcription Notes:
mandc: last transcriber assumed it was an eclipse of the moon... it was of the sun: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_January_24,_1925