Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-02-04
GEORGE 10. ROBERTS DEAD.
Death of the president OF the Pennsylvania
Railroad tI,

| " 5clueh SSst6fddy atttTuuJH az bis iioHiNt
~ kjala, suburb Of this city, of heart
failure, which was superinduced by
acute indigestion. lie was FIRST taken
| i'll in August last, but there had been
| peripda since that titns during which
| lac had been able to be about the house..
/ 10 Saa forced to take to his bud about
! two months ago with cathrrh OF the I
stomach, and grew steadily worse
until the. time Of his death. During /
4 tho last two weeks mis- condition had
become practically hopeless, tho attend
| ing physicians giving but little en-
enlargement to his family. lie dieli
aurrouDded By the momhers Of his |
family, ana was conscious until tine |
iast.
/ lie was horn on January 18th, 1888,
in Lower Merton township, Mont I
gomery county. IA. tiis early edncs
sion was obtained in tho puhlic achooia |
and rounded up hy Il course at tho |
RENSSELAER, Polytechnic lnatitute at |
Troy, n. Y.
Soon after leaving school, in 1851, he |
obtained position as rodman on an |
engineering corps of the Pennsylvania |
Railroad To-, whose main line TO Pitts
hnrg wa5 not then completed. j con
eidosah.e portion OF the mountain
division was yet TO he constructed, anu
il was on ibis division that tho corps
was engaged. Ills capabilities wesa
soon observed and wers recognized Ivy
Bis promotion TO tho position OF as
sistant engineer Of thA Alleghany
division, which included the great tun-
mel. In tho folIowine year he was
offered the position of assistant engi
neer Of the Pennsylvania Il Erie rail-
road, then under construction. and
Z i I
years, during which many railroads
were projected aud built, he was en-
D Gagged in their location End con
Rtruction.
! Mr. Roberts diligence and ability
had not passed unnoticod by that great
railroad engineer, J. Edgar Thomson,
: who had located tho main line OF tho
, Pennsylrsnia railroad. and in 1863 he
induced Mr.. Roberts to return to tho
o service Of the company in which he
began his career, making him his
z principal assistant. In 1869 he was
. promoted to the fourth Ice presidency
of the company and was soon efterward
= advanced to the second vice presidency,
% ana on the death of MIR. Thomson, in
2 1874, and the advancement Of Col.
9 Thomas A. Scott TO tho presidency, Mr..
Z Roberts was made first vice president.
During tho last two years Of Col.
Scott's administration MIR. Roberts nor
q formed nearly all the duties of the
" presidency, and upon his death, in
IL 1850. Mr.. Roberts was chosen his sue
"a cessor.
81 Ono of the most important purchases
20 made during his term OF office was that
80 of tho Philadelphia. Wilmington &
~ Baltimore railroad. The announcement
% Of this fact by Mr.. Roberts at the an
% nuai meeting, which occurred on tho
! tiay tho transaction was consummated,
81 created an indoscribabe enthusiasm in
8 the Great body of Stockholders assem-
~ bled in Musical Fund Hall. In limo
y with this purchase was the acquisition
&c of the Northern Central railway by
.. purchase Of the majority of ita stock, OF
% the Philadelphia & Erie railroad, the
VS. pttsburg, Fort Wayne 4 Chicago rail
40 roa,i and other integral portions OF the
rs company's Western syatem OF roads
Z as a matter of protection, but Of
> economy.
. Mr.. Roberts belonged to the Episca
2 pal Church, though he was horn il
9 tho Society of Friends lie nerel
. allowed himself TO be made promineu
in church matters nor permitted th,
q Use Of Ills name in businGss enterprisO
outside that OF railroading He wa
,oo president of several OF the larger con-
81! panieH whose roads are Comprised il
tho Pennsylvania system and dircctu
$50 III nearly all of the minor ones.
Philadelphia, Pa, Fob. >. ALI tina
il mortal of George Il. Roberts. LAT
AT president OF the Pennsylvania Railroat
:. Co., WAS put in the family vault il
nn Laurel Hill cemetery shortly after
Isl o'clock this afternoon.
N Three funeral services wcra bold owe
of MIR. Roberts remains. At ? O'Clock
60. private service, conducted by tina Rpy
ron Charles S. Olmstead, rector Of So
of AHaph's Church, Of which Mr.. Robert
was the founder, was hold at tn
tor family residence, at Baa, Phi, Onl
Us. tho immediate friends and honurar
ton paiiiiNarorI had been Invited TO aten
raB this services, hut at $50 o. clock. who
nj tho public seryira waa held at S
az Asaph's, that beautiful ediiice was VI
ho comfortably filled 10y friends aud asst
li- riGles Of the former railway magnatt
'ca. aud cmpioyes of tho great system wit
Ftar which Mr.. Roberts had hsEn connecte
lgd for many years This service was COZ
in durtou l,y the Ray. q. ID. Mcdonnell
nan I!rool;lyp, formerly rector of :,
orr Stephens Church, this city, Of whit
Me- Nh. isohDrts was vcstrvman for mar
the yaara. In mia hriei discourse DIR. NJ
eep Conne!I referred :nuchingly to II
gy. many virtues OF tho lsto president, vii
10 whom he had been intimately a
in quainteh for II number Of years. VIII,
ugy tho service in the church had het
for concluded the casllet was borne tnnder
can out of tho church by eight colored pa
vcd bnarerB, who had Leor oscn from ii
mi cnInred nurters of rhe main Office of q
lna Pennsylvania Railroad Go. AT ii
iris Cemetery tho Rt. Rev. OH W, Viii
his tRier, bishop Of Pennsylvania, co
the Quoted tho committsl service.
iGlo. The day was cold aud ireary, Al
Is ct snow and rain alternated during t
holy afternoon. Many Of the most promine
;ical railway men of the country were E
the lectch as honorary pallhaarers, and dt
iou5 pitc tho disagreeahie weather nearly
oue were present. They numbered about II
-. j. W. .Aydon w.
wbn Jonathan ". hydon. supe-intnnde
n mr' Of tho police ind re alarm telegra
syslem, has gone 10 New Yori, to recei
treatment for an ailment to his rig
aldo. William Y. Cssay train d
road catcher. is filling his nlaCs al the
liza ". 81 l.. railroad station and JOSE
hirn iEuhbaru is ocruuyinS Mr.. Case
d Oh place.
1