Prescott High School - Hassayamper Yearbook (Prescott, AZ)

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getting to say, “How do you do,” in his hurry to put the mat- ter of the patent for the damsite before Mr. Sherman. The Senator readily took the matter up and promised him that he would put it right thru, that it wasn’t such a hard matter, and he would be returning to Washington about Friday. “So far so good,” thot Dan, and now the next thing was to set about devising means whereby he could sell the site and fulfill his father’s proposition. And right here came the Wallingford idea again. He would see Albert Phillips, his lawyer friend, and see about forming a company, “a la Wal- lingford,” and then sell out to his father. He grinned to him- self as he imagined how sold his Dad would feel, and then sobered somewhat as he thot of how much there was yet to do. The next day he and Albert got together in the latter’s offices and the young lawyer was tickled at the prospect of forming the company. He liked the high-finance idea and besides he wanted to see Dan get his heart’s desire. All the details for the forming of the company were arranged and all they lacked was the patent from Congress. The days seemed to drag. Dan had regained his spirits, and his father congratulated him on his sensible attitude. Dan only mum- bled his thanks. His hardest job was keeping his secret from Marthina. She came very nearly getting angry, but he pre- vailed on her to be a little patient, that perhaps he would have a surprise for her before long. So she remained satis- fied ; something told her that Dan would have a great surprise, although she little suspected its real nature. On Monday morning of the next week Dan received a letter from Senator Sherman enclosing the title to his site and also word that if Dan needed any further help just to say so. After the seeming delay to their marriage nothing had been said to the Senator about it, so he was ignorant of how he was furthering the boy’s interests altho there would probably have been no hesitation on his part. With his title to his site in his possession Dan and Al- bert got together in earnest in the formation of the Tug River Power and Development Company with a list of stockholders gotten out of a popular magazine. Albert was a live member and he played the publicity part strongly. The painter was called in and the imposing title “Tug River Power and De- velopment Co.” was added to Albert’s door. He even went further and secured a franchise from the city for the privi- lege of stringing wires for power and light thru the city. Upon securing this, with Albert’s help, the newspapers started in to make a great ado about the new power company. Great headlines appeared in the papers heralding the birth of the 25

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high hills and suddenly breaking out into a great plain. Roanoke was situated just at the point where the stream emerged from the mountains. As he sat there thinking, not so much of the scenery but of Marthina. her words of the night before again ran thru his mind and like a flash the thot “water power” came. He got up excitedly and whistling to the dog started on a fast walk up the river. He had not been up in this part of the country for several years and his recol- lections, tho hazy, yet brought to his mind the thot of a deep, narrow canyon, just after the meeting of the Tug River with its principal tributary. Clear Creek. The sight he beheld when he rounded a sudden turn made his heart leap. Here was a most ideal site for water power. Its very adaptability to the development of power made him fear that some one had been there before and he looked anxiously for some sign of a location notice, but he saw none. He had no means of estimating the power available, but from his visits to various hydro-electric plants he knew the possibilities were tremendous. He estimated that the capacity of a plant here would easily double that of his father’s and with the low cost of maintenance as compared with the steam plant in town, it was astounding. It was nearly noon when he finished his explorations and he hurried back home, answering his father’s query as to his whereabouts with “hunting.” Excited more than his wont, he called Marthina on the ’phone and asked to be excused that afternoon, but that he would se her in the evening, and ended by telling her that he couldn’t tell her why he wouldn’t be there. Immediately after lunch he hunted up his classmate, Albert Phillips, who had graduated the same year but in the law college, and found out from hi'm all about locating power sites. He found it necessary to post his notices and then re- ceive his grant from Congress. The Congressional part of it scared him somewhat, but remembering that Marthina’s father was expected home in a day or so and being on good terms with him he would ask for advice on that part of the proposition. The next morning Dan did not show up at the plant, and at noon asked his father for a few days off, giving as an excuse that he had some friends coming whom he wanted to show around. The consent was granted as Dan had worked faithfully all summer. That afternoon saw him with a surveyor staking off his damsite. The surveyor, too, was struck with the possibilities of the place and told Dan to hang onto it. The next afternoon Senator Sherman arrived and he had hardly gotten home when Dan came in excitedly, almost for- 24

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new company and the consequent development of the coun- try’s resources. They dilated on the fact that the lower rates for electricity woidd bring it within the reach of all and that hitherto dormant industries would spring into life. When the news of the securing of a franchise from the city reached Mr. Taylor he sat up and took notice. His at- tempt to reach the damsite with his car was without success and he did the greater part of the journey on foot. He very nearly took his son by surprise, coming onto him as he was working with the surveyors. With a hasty “Keep mum,” he dodged into the brush and stayed there until his father re- turned to the city. That evening the subject was brought up and Mr. Taylor said they had a great thing and that the only hope for his company was to form some sort of working agreement with the new company as competition was out of the question on account of the little expense of producing power by water as compared to steam. Dan said very little besides that he thot it would be good policy for Mr. Taylor to see the representative of The Tug River Power Company before they had things too far settled, believing a better bargain could be secured now than later on. Following his son's advice, which was his own mind on the subject, Mr. Taylor went next morning to the oiffices of the Tug River Power Company and entering found Mr. Albert Phillips apparently the busiest man in the world, lie finished writing a note and then whirled around to see who his caller might be. Mr. Taylor introduced himself and continued, “I understand you are representing the Tug River Power Com- pany.” “Yes, sir, answered Albert, “I am their representative at present: is there anything I can do for you?” Mr. Taylor then came to the business at hand with an inquiry as to what plans the company had as to entering the field, and also as to what manner the two companies could combine, stating at the same time, “You know, Mr. Phillips, as well as I, what com- petition will mean to both of us.” A1 replied, “We realize that fully, and for that reason I am privileged to make you a price on the property just as it stands now. “And what is that price?” Mr. Taylor asked, somewhat nervous but out- wardly cool. “Well, you have probably seen the site and realize what we have there; we also realize that and have set our price at a figure which we consider just and proper.” Our price is $100,000 just as the property stands.” “Whew!” exclaimed Mr. Taylor. “That is pretty steep, considering that there is nothing hut the site and no work done.” “Well, Mr. Taylor, we are not, you understand, putting this prop- erty on the market. We are giving you a chance to save yourself and the proposition lies entirely in your hands.” 26