Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-02
JOHN Players RISE
Continued from Seventh Page.)

screwed a locomotive whistle on top of
lit. and, at o'clock on New Years
morning. the new whistle on the new
shops at Marshalltown, Iowa, blew in
the new year.
This would be good place to end this
story, but the temptation is great to tell
more regarding the success of this ener-
getic, persevering man.
When the shops were opened. the
Young Englishman was made the fore
man. All this happened considerably
less than twenty-five years ago. In lit
tie while they made him the master me-
chanic. In the year 1887 he went to the
Wisconsin Central. In 1890 he was made
the superintendent of machinery on the
Santa Re ronte,--one OF the longest
roads on earth. 1t begins at Chicago;
strong, like mans wrist: with fingers
on Sacramento, San Francisco, San DIE
go and Ell Paso, and a thumb touching
the gulf at Galveston. The mileage of
the system, at that time, was equal to
ione-half that Of Great Britain. and upon
the company's pay rolls We're 10000 more
raen than were then in the army of the
United States. Fifteen hundred men and
boys walk into the main shops at Tope-
ka every morning. They work four
hours, eat luncheon, listen to lecture
or short sermon in the meeting place
above the shop, work another fou.
hours, and walk out better off by $1,000
than they would have been II they had
not worked. These shops make little
city of themselves. There is a perfect
water system, fire brigade with sta
tions where the firemen sleep police
force and a dog catcher
Here, they build anything Of wood,
iron. brass or steel that the company
needs, from ninety-ton locomotive to
/; single barrel mouse trap. all under the
eye of the Englishman, who came to
America with good wife and two ba.
bies, good head and two hands. This
mans name is John Player. He is the
inventor of the Player truck, the Player
hand car, the Player frog and many 9TH
er useful appliances.
This simple story, of an unpretentious
young man. came to me in broken sec
.tions as the special train sped along the
smooth track. while the general mana
ger talked with the resident director.
and the general superintendent talked
with his assistant, who. not long before,
was the conductor of a work train, upon
which the general superintendent was
employed as brakeman. / was two
days stealing this story between the
bushes of the mechanical superintend-
emf. / hope he will not mind my telling
you that saw two tears start from his
eyes as he said, signing: I'D give lot
to know. tonight, who paid for my sup
per in that little Iowa town when I felt
so lonely and SO discouraged, and when
a dollar looked like a six-foot Wheel
He related, also, that a man wearing
fhish-cut trousers and milk on his boots
had entered his Office, when he had got
ten his first position as master mechan-
sic, and held out hand, saying, with a
smile:-
well you don't know me yet, amt
1T? I'm Martin. the fireman. I quit
lanchin,' already, and want a jobs
Martin got a job at once.
Near the shops at Topeka stands the
Railroad Young Mems Christian Assoc
citation building. They were charging it
when / was there. There are no "sa-.
looms" in Kansas, so Player and his
company help the men to provide other
and more wholesome amusement for
their leisure hours.
Ia