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Erie, Pa.,
Thursday, Sept. 5, '40.
George Wakeley came today to check the vibration on the engine-generator set which was corrected and I swear they fooled around all day and never did get the thing running!  George and Ken were in a sweat.  Bldg. 60 was a madhouse.  You couldn't get anything done properly or find anybody.  It was one of the most disorganized, disjointed days around the plant I've ever seen.  The New York Central was held up because Banell was over at Hammermill shooting trouble with Glen Thompson on the new 65 ton loco over there.  The N.Y.C. loco needed new governors applied but "Zeke" Tinkey didn't want to put them in.  The shop lost some left hand turnbuckle nuts and no one knew how to get new ones - finally Bird Hawk got on the job and he was sore about A.J's. treatment of him lately and did nothing but gripe and curse everything.  Nicklas declared he had just learned the B&M is special, needs new trucks, etc. and he is preparing a nice long extension!  I tell A.J. and he throws up his hands, says he can't do any more, Spike can figure how to make a decent 6 to 1 brake and it just looks too bad.  McIntyre and St. L. are out of the groove, phoning and writing to each other on the howitzer job - St. L. is phoning and writing to Cliff Clark again!  When the day was over I was certainly delighted to take George and Ken uptown, have a good dinner at the Den and go forget our troubles by seeing "Boom Town" with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert and Hedy La Marr, a rip roaring, oil business comedy that proved good at making us forget the hectic happenings of the day.  It was my first view of Hedy and I can't give her much.