The Young Engineers in Arizona; or, Laying Tracks on the Man-killer Quicksand

The Young Engineers in Arizona; or, Laying Tracks on the Man-killer Quicksand by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock, tells the tale of two young engineers, Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton, who take on the difficult task of building railroad tracks across dangerous quicksand in Arizona. The story begins by showing the gambling scene in town, brought to life by the character Jim Duff, and illustrates the conflict between the engineers and those who want to take advantage of the workers. The first part of the book creates a vivid barbershop scene where people gamble over a fly on a mirror, which leads to Jim Duff's gambling business. Duff is shown to be a schemer who takes advantage of naive people such as Clarence Farnsworth. When Reade and Hazelton arrive, their youthful enthusiasm is contrasted with the dishonesty of people like Duff. This sets the stage for the troubles they will face from the local gambling community and the dangers of the quicksand they must overcome.