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Erie, Pa.
Friday, Feb.3, 1939
Bloss and Donovan didn't come today because Ernie was ill; will come later. So I devoted most of the day to chasing the 43 ton around and I learned again a [[underlined]] damned good [/underlined]] lesson, one I seem to have to have hammered in periodically or I forget it,- "speak ill of no man, speak the best you know of every man." They were having trouble getting the generators to act right, one building up in the wrong direction. I got a diagram and thought I saw an error in the connections so it couldn't work right. So I told Maurice and said I thought the Control Division and [[underlined]] not [/underlined]] Barrell, should make the connection diagrams for these locomotives. Then I went to see Greer & check it with him. I found him & Barrell in consultation about the trouble and I rather cockily offered my theory -- which Barrell knocked into a cocked hat and I saw clearly then where my reasoning had been screwy. I wasted no time in telling Maurice I had been "nuts" and he said, "I congratulate you on being an honest man." But I think I did learn that lesson pretty well again.

Jake will be away all next week and turned over to me some jobs he hadn't time to do, so I'll be busy enough next week. As Maurice had given me nothing since I returned from Boston, I was practically run out of work. Am scheduled to give a talk to the N.Y. District