The San Francisco call., 1895-07-19
FUNERAL OF A. n. TOWNE.
Simple and Impressive Cere-
monies Were Held at the
Residence.
REMARKS BY DIR. STEBBINs
A Vast Throng of People Present.
A Southern Pacific Tribute
to the Dead.

A vast throng of people assembled at the
Towne residence on California-street hill
yesterday afternoon to attend the obsequies
OF A. \. Towne. In the throng were many
representative citizens, leading bankers,
merchants, railroad men, lawyers, physi-
clans, Federal and State judges, Office
holders in the service of the United States,
the State of California and the cities of San
Francisco and Oakland.
The remains of the distinguished rail-
way manager rested in casket banked on
every side by floral tributes. The features
OF" the dead were in perfect repose, sug-
,gestlye OF tranquil rest from work and
care.
The service was simple and impressive.
Rev. DR.. Horatio Stebbins, resting his
right hand on the casket near the head
and holding in his left hand the Bible,
spoke of Mr.. Towne's career from boyhood
until the hour that he passed away. He
spoke with more feeling and tenderness
than usual, but did not exalt above human
kind the subject of his eulogy. He OBJ
served that Mr.. Towne belonged to class
OF men that achieved success by conquest
Of difficulty. He referred to the gentle
graciousness of manner and the kindness
and hrmness which were characteristic of
the man whose mind did touch the nerves
OF the world. He referred to Towne's fine
intelligence and the will which followed it
as thunder follows the fash of lightning
In closing the speaker said:
1.-The life of a manager such as Mr.. Towne
was is not a bed of roses. He had the
ability to make other men believe in him.
Enemies he may have had, for all good
men have enemies, but he won the respect
OF his fellow-men and the admiration of
women. a. n. Towne never struck blow
IN malice or revenge. He was upright and
kind"
After the singing, ''Lead Us Home" by
the male quartet, DR.. Stebbins read ad-
mirably from the fortieth chapter of
Isaiah, the following verses:
The voice of him that crieth in the wilder
ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low; and the
crooked shall be made straight and the rough
places plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together; for the
mouth of the Lord bath spoken it.
shall 1 cry? All flesh is grass and all the
goodness thereof is the flower of the field
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because
the spirit OF the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely
The people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but
the word OF our God shall stand forever.
Prayer followed the Scripture reading
and the choir then sang "Good-night I'm
Going Home"
The casket, followed by large concourse
Of people, was conveyed to Mountain View
Cemetery, Oakland. The honorary pail
bearers were: c. F. Crocker, ]. A. Fill
more, w. F. Herrin, W. G. Curtis, w. II.
Mills, 7. II. Goodman, J. C. Stubs, A. D.
Wilder, \. 7. Smith, r. P. Schwerin, R. H.
Pratt, Lloyd Tevis, John ]. Valentine,
Charles 6. Lathrop, Isaac L. Requa,
Charles Webb Howard, George E. Grey,
William E. Brown and John 1. Sabin.
Behind the honorary pall-bearers came
those employees of the Southern Pacific
Company charged with the actual duty of
bearing the casket. Following is the list:
Sacramento division-Engineers Barney
Kelly and John Green, Conductors Dan
West and John Cooper.
Coast division-Engineer John Cornwall
and Conductor c. B. Gould.
Santa Cruz division-Engineer James
Stanley and Conductor George Colegreve.
Scott and Emil Frick, Conductors John
Massey and Henry c. Hubbard.
The Masonic choir quintet, consisting
OF Samuel D. Mayer, ]. r. Ogilvie, ]. G..
Baston and Walter c. Campbell. conducted
the music at the Towne residence. There
was no singing at the cemetery.
The directors of the Southern Pacific
Company held a meeting yesterday fore
noon, which was attended by c. F. Crocker,
Charles g. Lathrop, W. II. Mills, George
Crocker. Russell ]. Wilson, N T. Smith
and J. C. Stubbs. In the absence of C. P.
Huntington, C. F. Crocker presided. The
following preamble and resolutions were
read by Secretary Lansing and adopted by
the meeting:
To the President and Board Of Directors Of the
Southern Pacific Company Your committee,
appointed TO formulate the expression of this
board concerning the life, the services and the
character OF Alban Nelson Towne, late second
vlce-president and general manager of this
company, and to place upon the records of this
corporation the estimate in which he was held
by his late associates, beg leave to report as
follows:
Mr. Towne's experience in the operation and
maintenance OF railways commenced in his
youth, has continued through all branches of
the service to the general management OF the
varied and extended duties of directing the
operations of one of the largest of railway
systems. The record Of his advancement con-
tains every grade of official relation, and the
time OF his services for the railroad lines now
operated by this company, including those
formerly operated by the Central Pacific Rail-
road Company, has extended beyond quarter
of q century. The success which characterized
the employment of his great executive abilities
IN the management of these properties followed
his thorough knowledge of the controlling
principles as well as OF the practical details
relating TO the subjects OF traffic and trans
pOrtatiOn.
In tho direction of those subiect to his COM