Canadian Transport Sourcebook

Chapter VII

The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, 1881

In 1881, after many negotiations with the Government of the day, sometimes, I have heard, of a most heartrending nature, conducted by Lord (then Sir George) Mount Stephen, the present C.P.R. Company was formed.

The first Chief Engineer of the Company that I served under was General Thomas L. Rosser, a distinguished Southerner, and a most lovable man. He was a tall, handsome, swarthy Southern gentleman of the real old type, had fought in the "late unpleasantness," a Colonel of the Guerilla Confederate Cavalry Force, and at one time, he told me, was opposed to his old college chum, General Custer. They were at West Point together. In one engagement, both Rosser and Custer, together with their wives, were staying in the same hotel, such were the peculiarities of that war, and Custer frequently warned his old class mate to be more careful and not expose himself so much to the Northern fire. General Rosser had been Chief Engineer of the Northern Pacific and possibly on that account was selected for his present position.

I had the luck to be appointed by him to take charge of the location of the Western lines of the C.P.R. I shall never forget my first introduction and interview with the General in his office at Winnipeg. After asking me several questions with regard to the geography generally, he waved his hand across a map of the Continent and said in that most charming Southern drawl of his, "I want you to go out and develop this Western Country."

This was quite a large order but it was about the only one I ever had from him. For several days we discussed "ways and means" and he was kind enough to generally fall in with my views as to men and equipment, but when it came to transport, I found he was violently opposed to the use of the horses and carts to which we were accustomed in that country.

"No, suh! he had too much experience on the Northern Pacific," as he used to find himself going into Winter quarters with a thousand horses on hand, eating their heads off, etc.

No horses for him. What then? Oxen and prairie schooners!

I shuddered at the idea of making a rapid survey with such transport, as I knew nothing of their management or their habits. We argued the point until lunch time. The reason he favoured oxen was that if you were short of provisions you could always eat them—and could always sell them after the survey was over. I contended, but in vain, that a Red River "Cayuse" was just about as succulent and far handier.

It ended in my first party being outfitted with ox teams, but it did not last long. The flies nearly drove them mad, they strayed away for miles, delayed the work, and were generally a nuisance, until at last General Rosser saw the error of his way.

The Chief also refused me any saddle horses, which I thought queer for a cavalryman and a good one, too,—but I bought one for myself. I was on foot and met a half-breed mounted on a decent looking black mare about eight or ten year old. I asked him, "How much for the lot?"—horse, saddle, brindle and blanket. He hesitated and said that this was his Buffalo runner, much prized by them, and then dismounted and asked me to try her, which I did and after a short gallop asked him again, "How much?"

He seemed puzzled about currency and replied, "Nine hundred dollars." I had $180 in new bills which I promptly flashed before his astonished eyes. I do not believe he had ever seen so much money all at once.

He promptly accepted the roll and dismounted. Here was a horse, which I much needed in my business and a real good Mexican saddle and brindle, so I lengthened out the stirrups, tightened up the sinch and got on board.

Just before I started, while he was counting his money, he looked up sorrowfully, patted the mare's head, and said "Au revoir," but catching sight of a short piece of rope hanging round her neck he said," You don't get the rope," so I willingly gave it up and rode away, leaving him a pathetic little black dot on that vast plain. I rode that Buffalo runner hard all that year and she died within a few hundred yards of where I bought her, when I was returning in the Fall, but we had run over four hundred miles of trial line for the C.P.R.

The name of the French half-breed was Jerome St. Luc and I subsequently hired him to go on my party. this turned out to be a good stroke of business on my part, for Jerome was almost priceless. He had been one of Riel's lieutenants in the 1870-1871 Red River Rebellion, but was now converted. He was a perfect guide, could track buffalo, or any other wild animal, spoke English, French and a few Indian languages. Give him an axe and an auger and he could make a cart, wheels and all.

He was with me for about three years and although sometimes excitable and very hot-tempered with others, was always absolutely faithful and loyal to me. Going West upon one occasion, the end of the track being near Brandon, the train conductor came back and told me that one of my men forward was "fighting drunk" and raising a disturbance. I asked him "Why he did not stop the train and put him off," which he finally did, the pugnacious gentleman being deposited in the ditch.

We arrived that night, and the next evening my friend Jerome presented himself at the door of my tent. He never "Mistered" me, it was always "Sekkertan," He appeared to be much annoyed about something and said in an aggrieved voice, shaken with passion: "Sekkertan, who give l'ordre for put me off de train las night?"

I looked up and remarked, "I did."

He simply said, "Oh, ver well, dats all right if it was you!"

After a few hours' sleep in the ditch, with the whiskey all gone, he had arisen and walked over forty-two miles to the camp!

I put all the other half-breeds under Jerome and gave him charge of the transport, and only once had any trouble.

We were many hundred miles West when, late one night, these fellows were making too much noise, fiddling and singing down at their camp, while I was vainly trying to write a report. I ordered their lights out, which offended my friend Jerome, as he was perhaps the chief offender, and next morning he announced his resignation and wanted to be paid off. I refused this arrangement, at which he threatened to take one of the horses and desert.

I had a brand new Smith & Wesson revolver that somebody had presented me with, lying on the table, so I told him that if he took one of my horses I would shoot him as I would a "train dog." He refused to believe this at first, but after thinking it over, he said, "Sekkertan, every tam you tole me someting, you do it, and by God! I tink you do it now!"

The matter ended there, and Jerome was, if possible, more faithful than ever. They have a great respect for a man who always keeps his word.

I found the French half-breed the most useful man in that Western Country, but you must handle him gingerly and often let him have his own way in little things. He resents discipline, but if he likes you, will follow you faithfully as a dog follows his master. He cannot endure the monotony of continuous work and requires to be humoured by an occasional holiday. Jerome, who was perfectly at home on the plains, had the greatest admiration for me because I could find my way with the aid of a compass, which to him was always a most marvellous mystery.