The Cecil Whig., 1881-05-28
THOMAS A. SCOTT DEAD.
The Career of the Great Railway King
Ended.

Colonel Thomas \. Scott. who died at
! . clock on Saturday evening, at his
t country home, Woodburn, near Darby,
| Delaware county, was born in London,
| Franklin county. Pa, December 2Sth,
| 1924, and was educated at the village
school. While lad he worked i'll sew
eral country stores, and on the death of
his father he became the clerk of his
brothcr-in-law. Major James Patton, who
was collector of tolls at Columbia, where
considerable freight was transferred from
the State canals to the Philadelphia and
| Columbia railroad. lie soon showed that
he possessed good business tact, and his
efficiency led to his promotion in 1S41 to
| the Office of the collector of tolls on the
lc was made chief clerk He had charge
of the passenger and freight traffic be-
tween Philadelphia and all local and
through points to the West.
On September l. 1S49, the first divi-
sion of the Pennsylvania Railroad, eX-
tending from Harrisburg to Lewistown,
a distance of siXty-one miles, was open
ed for business in connection with the
canal and the turnpike. y year later he
entered the service of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company as general agent of
the Eastern division of the road, his
Office being ut Duncansville. His zeal
and administrative ability were SO great
that i'll 1888 he was appointed general
superintendent of the entire line, and on
| the death early i'll 1860, Of William Il.
| Foster, Jr., Vice President of the Com
pany, he was elected to fill the vacancy.
While holding these positions he made
! himself master of the details of rail
way transportation and of the nature of
the industries and interests along the
! Pennsylvania line. and made a special
study of one Of the growing questions
of the day-the through traffic between
the great grain growi.1g districts of the
! West and the Atlantic Seaboard.
| While he was in the midst of his en-
| crossing work the war hroka out, and he
was required by Gov. Curtin to provide
for the transportation of troops within
! the State. The outbreaks in Baltimore
and in other parts of Maryland had prac-
! tically cut Washington off from railway
communication with the North and East,
and in this emergency Gen. Simon Cam
eron. who was then Secretary of War,
sent dispatch to Mr.. Scott stating that
"a man of great energy and decision,
with experience as a railway officer.
was needed to restore the broken commrl-
nication with the North, and asking him
to report at Washington on the following
morning. Arranging his business affairs
as quickly as possible. Mr.. Scott went to
| Washing, ION, and almost before President
Lincoln fairly realized that the work, in
which he took deep interest. was begun,
u line to Philadelphia by way of Annap-
oils was i'll working order. and troops
from the North were landing in Wash
ington.
Partly as a reward for this achievement
and partly i'll recognition of his ability
as an administrative officer. Mr.. Scott. on
May ;. 1861, was appointed Colonel of
of the District of Columbia Volunteers.
\ few weeks later he WAS appointed,
through General Cameron's order, to
take charge of all Government railways
and tclcgraphs. In August of the same
year he was appointed Assistant Secre-
tary of War. During the Fall and Win
ter of 1861 So he visited the armies of
the West and Southwest. for the purpose
of simplifying and facilitating the trans
portation of troops, and in the Spring he
went to Fortress Monroe for Il similar
purpose to aid the Army Of the Potomac.
In these .journcyings he travelled over
10000 miles, tranSacting a great deal of
executive business.
Colonel Scott resigned his position as
Assistant Secretary of War in June,
1869. and returned TO his duties as Vice
President Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company.
He was still Jealous, however, in doing
anything that would aid the Union cause,
and a pleasant story is told which illus
trates his energy. At the time of the
battle of Antietam. when the Union sol
dicrs were i'll great need of ammunition,
| Colonel Scott took personal charge of a
train of cars filled with powder, and hur-
ried it forward to its destination at such
high rate of speed that, to the great
alarm Of the trainmen, the boxes on the
| wheels began to smoke. Despite the
danger Of an explosion Colonel Scott
| and to the great relief of the men on the
train. as well as to the soldiers. the cars.
with blazing wheels, came rolling into
town in ample time and III safety.
| In September, 1868, he again forsook
his Office, aud was assigned to the staff of
General Hooker, with the rank OF colonel
and assistant Quartermaster. Here again
his fertility in devisins practical schemes
of transportation was shown, as he for
wartied to Chattanooga from Louisville
and Nashville sc, geo men under Generals
Hooker and Howard, repairing old rail
way lines that had been partially destroy
ed, and utilizing every means in his pow
er, SO that the work was accomplished
| quickly and to she satisfaction of his su-
periors. Again he returned to the Penn
Sylvania Railroad Companys Office and
devoted all his energies to planning the
future of the corporation Long before
this time the company had 4 complete di-
rect system Of railway communications
between Philadelphia and l'ittsburg, and
| controlling, besides, several important
roads west of Pittsburg.
At length in the winter of 1S;0-.1 it
was though desirable that special com
pany should be created, which should
have control Of all of those lines, with Il
single exception, which We're leased by
| the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Company.
| This corporation was called the Pennsyl-
vania Company. and it's lines connected
| Pittsburg with Chicago and st. Louis. OF
this newly formed company Colonel Scott
was elected president In June. 1874. on
the death of J. Edgar Thompson, presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com