New-York tribune., 1900-07-19
THE PASSING THRONG.

The time was" said R. A TrinbIe. OF PhiladeI-
phia, at the Everett House yesterday. when rail-
roadng offered a tremendous field
RAILROAD and a rapid advancement TO a
LIFE AS young man of energy. brains and
CAREER fond Of hard work. With the
try gridroned it is. with
tens OF thousands Of miles OF steel rails, and with
the screech of the locomotive whistle greeting the
ear the country over, 1t is epitome OF the rapid
advancement Of this country when you pause to
think that the first railroad was built little more
than a half century ago In that time so great has
been the progress and development OF railroads
that mighty fortunes by the score have been made
from their building. A quarter of a century to
forty years ago young Of ability had great
fine art, which necesstates the most careful edu-
cation to understand. but IL has been reduced to a
progression in the positions OF Importance steady
and uniform To succeed to-day must first
practical experience in all branches railroad
and all this must be engrafted great ability. for
in the chosen field of his life work while the re-
wards are great. the competition is greater stll.
Thomas Scott was budnF nD the sRf {e
system the work he did superhuman the re-
suits he accomplished marvellous. Scott was essen
TALLY man of action. For example at one time
there there occurred on the line freight wreck that
cutting thus completely barring the main line
THE local authorities were beside themselves for
they could not figure out how the wreck could be
cleared away and the line reopened
SCOTT AS A In less than two weeks. At this
MAN OF juncture Scott arrived on the scsna
ACTION and after a survey OF the wreck
sent for a great quantity OF coal
OIL with which he had the pile thoroughly drenched
II was then touched off, and the god OF fire soon
removed all trace of it, and traffic was resumed on
the line in twenty-four hours. A bridge fell and
II was feared a long delay must ensue but Scott
put more than two thousand TO work on that
one structure, and thus eliminated the question OF
delay. Those were the days when such things
Gou5Ieu ana were not only possible but necessary.
Today ralroading is reduced to such a fine point
Una onat tne need for them no longer exists The roads
S aIe .o1 saIeguarded for that The last instance
remember OF such railroad work as that was al The
T%nnSsown T5omsoV nood IN 1852 think 1t was. Frank
InoiIsoh, oy great work and the of side lines
was one or the first to arrive upon the scene Once
nar3ici,Ia an over the line were summoned, and
PdruGuIar task was given each one to DO in
could to the spur. and the line was reopened with
ras euioI9 t swtthesS There Were two fall
kept on as superintendents Of unimportanf mo15
tam divisions were never again promoted"
| America has beaten the world in railroads and
railroad appliances she has beaten the world IN
most things where the inventive
AMERICA genius of her sons can,a 49,
LEADS THE play. The Pennsy' is kept I'D to
! WORLD date and anv invan+ton tbat
promises well Is sure OF a fair
| tr1aI there They were the first to recognize the
value of the air brake. as they were the first to
! adopt the block system. Their progressiveness in
this respect story Mr.. Thomson once told me well
ates An EnSllsh inventor came 70 him at
| one time with block system for which he wanted
70 OBTAIN a trial He was armed with a letter from
/ the chairman OF one Of the great English roads
! warmly commencing the signal and saving that il
| was IN use on the English line. Mr.. Thomson sent
the man on TO Theodore n. Ely, then superintend-
| ent Of motive power at Altoona with instructions
10 give the signal fair trial few days later he
itecelVed oncial word from Mr.. Ely that the system
| IN question had been abandoned by the Pennsvl-
h vShI4 ten years before In favor of a better one
! which had in its turn been superseded!
! To-day" " concluded Mr.. Trimble the chance for
accomplishing great things in railroading is bv and
/ steady
| did in former times ~ '"i' II