Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-06-03
Death Of John Edgar ThOm-
son.


has been CONSIDERED IN business, The
announcement of that even, on the 2Stt
ult., surprised every one. and occasion
ed very general regret.
Mr. Thompson was Pennsylvania
BY birth and education. His ancestor:
arrived with William Penn. One g
them, Benjamin Cope, was member
of the Provincial Council another
Samuel Lewis, a minister of the Soci-
ETY. of Friends, was a member of the
fist Legislative Assembly. Mr.. Thom-
sons father, John, wss civil engineer
of distinction. lie was associated with
Latrobe il planning the Delaware and
Chesapeake canal /; was connected with
the Holland Land Company, in the
western portions of this State and New
York built the schooner White Eish
at Erie in 1893, aud long before rail
ways or canals we're dreamed of, brought
il by Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake. the
Mohawk and Hudson rivers and Allan
tic Ocean into the Delaware and the
little vessel decaycd in Independence
Square. Edgar was born 10 Delaware
county in 1903. His fatker died iu
1912.
After the usual education of that
period, Mr.. Thomson having decided to
follow his fathers profession, was en-
ployed By Major John Wilson in 1897,
on the Philadelphia and Columbia rail-
road, and three years later was trans
ferred by him TO locate the eastern end
OF the Camden and Amboy road. lie
then visited Europe to increase his pro
fessional attainments, and, returning,
became chief engineer of the Georgia
road, from atlanta 10 Augusta, in 1886
He completed the construction, and was
general manager Of the road that, in-
cluding the Athens branch, had the
then unequalled length Of 2l3 miles.
And it is, perhaps, deserving OF note,
now that railway construction Is grow
ing SO fast a. the south, and when
kindlier feelings and more intimate re-
lation. are springing up between Penn
fylvania aad this section Of the south
certainly, that the city of Atlanta was
named by Mr.. Thompson. He also
purchased about this time the Mont
gomery and West Pointroad, then bank
rupt completed and made 1t profta-
bic, snd laid out the chattanooga and
Nashville road, that was built after hls
plans. HIS reputation gained by these
enterprises was such that he was desired
to take charge Of the Memphis and
Charleston connecting roads after he
had left the south and his opinion in
railway matters always carried weight
there.
Mr.. Thomson's emiuence. hsW ever,
dates from his connection with the
Pennsylvania Railroad, of which he
became chief engineer in lS47. He
located and superintended the copstruc-
ton of the portion west of Harrisburg;
and was chosen President of the Com
pany in 1852. Successive re- elections
retained him uninterruptediy in that
responsible position. His labors ami
ard their uses 10 the
road, city, State AID country, and the
greater uses promised, are perhaps as
well known and as highly appreciated
as could be expected. They have not
been overestirnated. When he accept
ed the post of engineer, the road ex-
tended no further west than Harris
burg. At the close Of little mo.e
than twenty years he leaves it with uh-
connection to all the south
.rn ports Of the great lakes and far out
IN the line of the North Pacific; over
he Kansas and Union Pacific to San
Francisco to New Orleans and cen
ral Texas along the whole southern
,oast of the Atlantic aud through much /
IF the interior Of the south. And .
great as this foreign connection is, the
strictly domestic growth of the com
,any has paral,eled it. Every step OF
bis growth had bis approval neccssa-
lily; much of it was proposed aud
achieved By bis force. He gave his
,wn influence and the great weight of
he Pennsylvania road 10 the consolida-
ion of the Pittsturg and Chicago
Dads and the completion of the Fort
Wayne to the construction of the
Jincinna;i and the lease of the New
Jersey roads, and to those steamship
on the Atlantic that unite
Philadelphia with Europe. Mr.. Thorn
ON was also an inhueuual member of
he Atlantic and Pacific and Of the
'exas and California companies, and
Fas 4 director in the Southern Rail
ray Security Company. He was con-
erned in 4 number of railway enter
rises, principally in the south, that ere
of the Pennsylvania COM
any.
1t can be easily understood that such
nesgements left little opportunity for
thar a,npIor,,on, NJ frh,p,-on ,r,.