Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-05-18
MEN WHO HAVE CLIMBED.
Railroad Managers who stnsted ~ Drake
men. Telegrsphcrs. Rosimen.
fSpecIal Corvcsponsicucel

Railroad Managers who stnsted ~ Brake
men. Teiegrsphcrs. Rosimen.
Especial Correspondence
New YORK, May 18.--Coiping into
Jersey 6ity the other day on tho Erie
road, my attention was attracted toa
nervous, wiry man Of forty, or thcrs.
abouts, who sat q little way In front Of
me. From tho car window he closely
inspected each station house, bridge, cui- Z
vert and piece Of rolling stock, as VIC
moved along. "Know himT asked tho
gentleman who shared tho seat with me.
"His name Is w. J. Murphy, and twenty
years ago no was q telegraph operator at
q small station back on the Susquehanna
division Of tho Erie. Now he is general
superintendent Of tho road, and drawsa a
salary Of S10,000 a year."
This Is only one instance In many.
Among tho officers Of nearly every rail-
road In tho country are 10 be found men
who have risen from the very lowest
round. A. NJ. Tucker. who is division
superintendent on the Erie under Muir
ply, started In as u track laborer and
IFS first promotion was to the position Of
rodlrfan In tho engineer corps. John N.
Abbott, Of the Western States Passenger
association, used to bc IL freight clerk ON
the Erie. G. w. Bradley. general super
intcndent Of the West Shore, used TO =
brakeman and conductor on the
same road. General Superintendent
Bancroft, OF the Denver aud Rio
Grande, learned tho Morse alphabet
In ono Of tho small stations ON the
Eric and counted himself lncky when he
obtained position as telegraph operator
on tho West Shore President Caldwell,
Of tho Nickel Plate, was once clerk on
tho Pennsylvania. +. X. Hahn. general
manager OF the New York elevated
roads, began his career in hisseventeenth
year as q machinist's apprentice on the
Philadelphia and Reading road at Potts
vile.
Tho officers OF the great Pennsylvania
system, from the president down, have
all como up from the bottom. President
Roberts entered the service of the road
In 1859 as rodman In the engineer corps.
Later no had charge Of the construction
Of small branch lines, and finally was
made assistant to the president in 1862.
Ho has been president Of the road for
eight years. A. j. Cassatt, formerly
vice president of the company, also be-
gan as rodman. Second Vice President
Thomson fused to be machinist In the
shops at Altoona. IIo invented the block
signal interlocking switch. General Man.
ager Pugh commenced as brakeman, and
General Passenger Agent Carpenter was
once messenger boy in the Philadelphia
office Of tho company. General Agent
Geer used to be receiving clerk in the
freight department.
James McCrea, general manager OF
the Pennsylvania lines west Of Pittsburg,
like President Roberts, began as rodnan
at $40 month. He now draws salary
of $l5, 900 a year, and Is still under Az.
Robert Pitcairn, superintendent OF the
Pittsburg division of tho Pennsylvania
and general agent ior the company, was
once a messenger boy in the old Atlantic
and Ohio telegraph office in Pittsburg.
| Among the other messengers employed
| at that time was Anson Stager, after.
wards general superintendent Of the
| Western Union Telegraph company; w.
| O. Hughart, now president of the Grand
| Rapids and Indiana Railroad company;
Andrew Carnegie, who few years later
laid the foundations Of his wonderfully
! successful career as private secretary to
| Col. Tom Scott, and David McCargo, now
general superintendent Of the Allegheny
| Valley railroad
RUFUS r. WILSON.