Chimmie Fadden Out West

Summary

In an audacious corporate gambit, the ostensibly guileless Chimmie is dispatched into the unforgiving crucible of Death Valley, California, a desolate expanse chosen for its stark contrast to the burgeoning industrial ambition of the age. His mission, orchestrated by a Machiavellian railroad syndicate, is to orchestrate a theatrical 'discovery' of a purported gold strike, a meticulously crafted illusion designed to ignite a speculative frenzy. Following this grand deception, Chimmie is tasked with an equally audacious feat: to embark on a record-shattering transcontinental dash eastward, thereby imprinting the railroad's name into the annals of speed and efficiency. However, the meticulously laid plans of both man and corporation soon encounter the capricious nature of reality, as the barren landscape and unforeseen human elements conspire to unravel the intricate charade, proving that even the most meticulously engineered schemes are vulnerable to the unpredictable currents of fate and the raw, untamed spirit of the American frontier.

Synopsis

Chimmie is sent to Death Valley, California as part of a railroad scheme. He's to pretend to have discovered gold there, then set a new transcontinental record heading East. It doesn't quite work out that way.