Morning journal and courier., 1886-05-10
THE coNsou1DATED ROAD.


 -Mr. Reed Continues as Vfce"Presi-
 dent and Director-A European Trip
 The New Supertntendent-NOt of
 MT. Reeds Railroad Career.
 Vice President E. M. Reed, of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad company, or Saturday, on account of i'm paired health, resigned his position as gen. eral superintendent of the Consolidated road, a position he has held since 1874. He con tinues in his position vice president and director. MT. o. M. Shepard, who several months ago was promoted to be assistant to President Watrous, was elected general superintendent. Vice-President Reed, ac- companied by his wife and daue hter, sails for Europe May g on the Etruria. They will go to Liverpool and thence visit notable sights and places in Scotland, take short tour in Wales, Qreland was visited by MT. Reed on previous trip), thence to. London, thence trip through France, Belgium, Ger many Austria and Italy in part, including stay in Venice if the weather is propitious; also a tour in Switzerland, and returning the party will make a stay in Paris and in London, arriving home in the latter part of August. MT. Reeds retirement from the general superintendency is dictated by the re- Quirements of his health. About six weeks ago he was attacked for the first matism, which affected his left hip, causing intense pain and sleepless nights For several weeks he was unable to bear his weight upon the affected limb, yet attended to the numerous and manifold duties of his responsible position, going to his office and returning in carriage. The difficulty show ing no abatement he takes a vacation, turning in the fall to his office and taking charge of the numerous important duties de- volving upon him, among which is the direc- ton of all the improvements required upon the Consolidated road. MT. Reed at will be seen in no sense retires from active parti- cipation in the care of the interests of the great corporation of which he is so valued member.
 A short glance at his career will be of in terest. Born in 1891, he was before the age of twenty in charge of large railroad shop in Lancaster, Pa. In those days railroads chine shops, but purchased their rolling stock to great extent. He com menced railroading at seventeen, and his ex-
 perience and success we'll illustrates the val
 ue of the advice of Charles Francis Adams,
 president of the Union Pacific railroad, rec ommending railroading to capable and prom ising young men as an avenue for reaching high salaries and and eminent positions. MT. Reed was not connected successlvely with the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, Phila- delphia & Reading railroad, and the Havana (Cuba) & Guine railroad. He was with the Havana 6 Guins road two and half years. This road was about forty-fve miles long then. It is now continued to Matanzas and is ninety miles long. He was next with the Novelty iron works, New York, and from there came to the Hartford & New Haven railroad in 1S4S, having now been connected with this road and the con solidation for 3S years. He has been respon- sibly identified with every important i'm provement, and there are many, of the Halt ford road, and with large number of those on the New York & New Haven road. He was master mechanic of the Hartford road from AS till '53, when he was made superintendent of the road. Upon the Springfield and the New York 6 New Haven railroads in 1872 he assumed charge of the line as general superintendent and in March,
 1874, one and half years thereafter, he was chosen director and vice president. Under his direction and design since he took charge have been built all the new bridges, inciud- ing many of the stone bridges, of this road, and many new depots and a great many other improvements, both this and the New York road. Special trophies of his skill are the tunnels at Hartford and stone arched bridge at Windsor Locks over the Pennington river, one of the finest and larg- est stone-arch bridges in New England. It has seven arches of sixty feet clear span each. The double tunnel at Hartford, under North Main street and Albany avenue, was most difficult work. It is 303 feet long and the
 work was prosecuted under many difficult
 ties which were successfully surmounted.
 On the two streets overhead, on one of
 which horse cars were running, and in both of which were water and gas mains, travel was not interrupted, while all trains below were taken care of and ran uninter- ruptedly. The gas and water mains were taken care of and their operation was undisturbed, and house looking down into the tunnel on the edge of the cut was not disturbed. Beside this the soil, Hartford red clay, was a difficulty which was sur
 mounted. All builders and engineers
 who have had experience in Hartford
 know that the red clay soil of
 Hartford is very troublesome, and much un-
 like the gravelly soil of New Haven on
 which foundations are laid without any extra
 protection. MT. Reed speaks in high terms of the new general superintendent, Mir. Shepard, as most capable man and excel lent man for the position. MT. sides on his promotion. He is thoroughly equipped with railroad knowledge and has made a fine record. He has excellent execu- tive ability He was born in 1S42 in Cleve-
 land, Ohio, and entered the railway service about fourteen years later telegraph op-
 orator on western road. From 1865 to
 1867 he was train dispatcher on that line.
 Then he was promoted to the position of
 master of transportation on the Gulf, Cobra
 do and Santa Fe railroad. From that time on he rose rapidly to places of trust on.the same road, becoming finally su- perintendent and then general superintend- ent and was subsequently, assistant general superintendent of the St. Louis and South Eastern railroad. When he came east it was to take position as superintendent of the New York and New England railroad. Four years ago he became connected with the Con solidated railroad sud had charge of the large freight business of the line at Harlem river. His enterprise and practical ideas soon commended themselves to the officers of the road and he was ad- vanced to the superintendency of the Shore Line, Air Line and the Connecticut Valley divisions of the road. From these positions
 he was appointed assistant to President Wat rous several months ago. The knowledge of his advancement will be received with great pleasure by his numerous friends. He will make his headquarters in this city at the new depot.