The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-08-25

quick young man, l.. q.
\ Wheeler, was sent down TO
Globe, Ariz., close upon the
border line between the United States
md Mexico, 10 take charge OF a tele.
graph Office. The town is the center
OF gold and silver mining region,
and on Sundays and holidays was
thronEed with miners from thirty to
.orty miles around, while the long
rows OF saloons, dance halls and gam
bling bells did land. Office business.
Murders and robberies were common
occurrences. Mr.. Wheeler had come
from family of stanch Buptists, liz.
ing back in Albany County, New York,
and, unlike lnrge majority of the
young men amid the excitement of n
mining region, retained his religious
zeal.
During the two years that Mr..
| Wheeler lived on the southern border
OF Arizona he made numerous efforts
to establish permanent passionate
there, but none was successful. Then
un idea came to him. 1t was to have
n railroad car built with Il chapel in
1T, so that 1T might be hauled from
one mining town TO another, for all
mining communities soon have a rail
road built 60 them when they get TO
I be at all prosperous. Mr.. Wheeler
made careful drawings of the car he
had IN mind, mapped out routes that
such car might make in tho Terri.
torres, and studied the scheme from
every point OF view. A year later he
went back to New York and, with the
help of the foremost Baptist Clergy
men of New York and philadelphia,
LAID his plans for missionary work in
! the far West before the rich members
o. the evangelical churches. John D.
rockefeller liked the idea and gave
him $4,000 toward the chapel car
scheme, and his daughter, Mrs.
strong, OF Chlca o, gave $4,000 more.
The late George w. Childs, of Phila-
delphia, gave $1,000 for Bibles and
literature to be carried in the car and
distributed in the homes of Western
pioneers. A fund OF $4,000 was raised
among dozen Baptists in DR.. Armit-
ages Church in New York for main.
tanning the chapel ca.
When the car was finished all the
Western and traDscontinental railroad
companies gave Mr.. Wheeler free
| permission to attach the car to any
regular freight .or passenger train at
any time ION twenty-four hours no.
tice) when travel was to be made from
town to town, or when repairs we're
necessary Mt railroad shops. The car
was named "Evangel." 1t has now
been in operation nearly six wears.
and has travelled in every railroad
Iocalty-in many localities a score of
tlmes-from Mexico to British Column
Dla and from the Rocky Mountains to
the Pacific. Mr.. Wheeler was killed in
railroad accident last year, but in his
administration of the car over 1000
persons declared themselves converted
| to Christianityin the "Evangel."
The first work of reclaiming sinners
was along the line of the Southern
Pacific Railroad from Ell Paso. Tex.
to Hamn, Ariz. The church on wheels
drew vast number of people, who
probably could not have been induced
TO attend worship in common build
ing. The chapel car stayed at Benson.
Demlng, Maricopa, Tombstone, and
Globe for weeks, and everybody.
miners, stage drivers, COW punchors'
saloon keepers, faro dealers. monte
men, and "Il.around tough men went
night after night to hear the Light
ming Pnrson," rs Mr.. Wheeler was
known in the Territories because of
MS 1ual occupation of preacher and
telegraph operator. A book of thrill
ing tales might be written of the work
OF MIR. Wheeler and his wife in the
hardest towns in Arizona and New
Mexico. From Arizona the car went
to lonely hamets in the San Joaauin
valley and along the coast in Cali
lorna, wherever there was railroad
communication. Then it went to Ore.
gon.
The prncticabiliiy and usefulness Of
the chapel car ''Evangel" had been
demonstrated by that time, and the
American Baptist Publication Society
took IN hand the building and eauip.
ping OF two more chapel cars ON Mr.
Wheeler's plans. The funds were con.
tributed 10y wealthy business men in
New England and New York Civ.
andrew Carnegie, who had recently
been on tour of the Pacific const
and had seen the work the "Evangei"
and its missionaries were doing
opened his purse for the new cars
SO since 1898 there have been three
new cars. The "Evangel has been
kept IN the missionary field, along the
lines OF the Northern Pacific. the
Emanuel has been employed ALONG
the Union and Central Pacific routes
and the 'Judsou' has been utilized
by party OF young men on the West
ern branches OF the Atubison. Topeka
and Santa Fe Railroad system. In
the last two years fourth chapel car
the Hope, has been used for services
among railroad men nj important
transfer and repair shop stations in
California, Oregon and Southwest Ter
ritories. Funds have now been col
lectcd for fifth chapel car for use in
the western hamlets OF Texas, the
Indian Territory and Kansas, where
there are Chrstinn people who have
no places OF religious worship.
The chapel cars are ali alike in
general arrangement. They are 20
feet long, 10 feet wide and IA feet
high. Each has seating capacity Of
100, and twenty or thirty more may
hmm~ m.aN. -.