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he was on the verge of passing out as Mosier dragged him through the manhole. So the first near tragedy on the U.P. has occurred. I feel personally we'll be fortunate if someone else isn't seriously burned before the job is finished and we leave it to the mercies of the U.P. Steam at 1000°F is deadly stuff and sooner or later there are going to be leaks or explosions. Let's hope no one gets caught in the ultra-confined crannies of that cab where they can't get away from it when it happens. The locomotives are now scheduled for shipment in January and February. We already have about $2,000,000 sunk in them and there will be plenty more before we get through. They have overrun the original shipping estimate about 300%, the cost estimate about 200%. And I feel right now it would be a good bet at even money, they won't last over a year or two in revenue service before they are withdrawn to be either scrapped or completely revamped. I may be a pessimist but I envision a career for them similar to the old McIntosh 6 Seymour "880", the diesel electric passenger engine the New York Central tried to use and finally gave up because it was so unreliable. It was just one d--- thing after another; they couldn't keep it in service over a few days at a time. The career of this job so far has been very similar except it has happened before shipment. But the first unit has been under steam for almost a year now and they are still making changes.

The Colonel insisted on starting back to Louisville today in spite of the most wintry weather we have had in November in some years. There was a blizzard in progress about the time he left. But he got some chains and departed, figitty to be gone and get back on the job tomorrow for the Saturday rush. We argued some but soon gave up; when he makes up his mind to go, he [[underlined]] goes [[/underlined]]. We enjoyed his visit and hated to see him leave. The Colonel had personality when he leaves, you know he's gone.

Had the poker game at Walt Scarborough's this evening. I had better luck than Monday but still lost $1.30 after being above the board most of the evening. Jake was well in the hole for a while but made a spectacularly characteristic comeback and wound up again big winner - about $2.50. Perk lost about what Jake won. Walt won about

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