The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-08
WOMAN 4 ~rRAINMiSTER.
Two Experiments Wss the Fair Sex by
the Southern pacific.

of a train at ella Bend, on the Southern
Pacifc in New Mexico, some time < ana
sought the trainmaster's ofice TO ask Tor
one. Opening the door he almost backed
out again. thinking he had INVADED some
ones private quarters.
There was a carpet on the FLOR and cur
tains at the windows and everything looked
| suspiciously clean for a railroad office.
Before he could get out neat littl, woman
came to the railing and inquired wat was
| wanted. The man hesitated a lite, but
said he was looking for the trainmastg.
Il hold that position. What can I do
for your" said the woman.
The man got a good grip on his nerve and
told her he was looking for work in tran
service. and lie pulled a bunch OF letter.
Of recommendation out OF his pocket Inc
woman looked the letters over and said:
They are all right, but you are too old
| to enter our service a. a new hand; our are
limit is IS, and then, too, l see you wear
| glasses and the oversight tests would surely
| be too much for you. / am sorry, but our
| rules are very strict and | have no discre-
ton in these matters.
On the strength of his letters he then
| asked for transportation East. Then TINS
| unusual little trainmaster turned TO q
1 DIuiN hhhhA
sOliver, make the gentleman out a pass
ella Bend to Fl Paso. Railroad mar look
ing for work
When he got outside he learned that
| the black-whiskered nan was the woman :
husband. The woman was Mrs. Mona
Pease. who is aid TO he the only woman
in the world who holds an Office OF lhe
kind on a railway. And she got the ONCE
or merit, too.
| trainmaster at ella Bend. When the wal
with Spain begon he trlegraphed bis resig'
nation 10 headquarters, turned the Once
temporarily over to his wife, VINO, ioi
wears before her marriage, had been q
| telegraph operator on the hne' ana 'hef
| enlisted.
just at that time the road was rushed 70
its utmost capacity by the volume of Gov
eminent business it was handling ana ever
one vas working overtime. MIS-. Feas.
wired repeatedly that the Office was without
a head, but no attention was pad to the
kilograms; meantime she hahuieu 'he ousi'
ness like a veteran.
One day the superintendent OF the division
dropped in at The Bend. The acting train
master was having an audience with a big
engine driver who had carelessly rui
through an open switch, thereby breaking
II. He sat a smiling watcher while the
little woman made the engine man squlrn
with her scathing comment on his neg
liqence, and then. when she told the driver
he could take a thirty-day vacation to mn
prove his oversight the Superintendent
was satisfied that she knew her business.
Before he left he informed Mrs. Pease
that the General Manager had appointed
her 10 the Office temporarily. but before
another month was gone the appointment
was made permanent,
When Mr.. Pease got back from Cuba
Mrs. Pease was doing her work so well that
the companv wouldn't let her resign. Com
~sequently Mr.. Pease had 20 be her clerk.
This experiment with a woman was more
satisfactory than another made by the
Southern Pacific.
Ten or a dozen wears ago "Old Charlie"
Croker, as he was Familiarity called 10y
almost every employee of the Southern
Pacific, wanted TO reward an engineer
daughter for a particularly daring and
meritorious act. and prevailed on the dl-
rectorate Of the road TO educate her.
She a lived all her lfe In the noun
tains of New Mexico with almost no asso-
ciates, except her father. an old engineer,
from top TO toe and her knowledge of rail-
way craft enabled her TO avert what would
have been a serious wreck.
Her reward was an education such "a
few girls of her station in life ever attain.
Everything one Of the best educational
institutions in the West could do for her
was done, and at the completion of her
collegiate course. al her own request, a
post-graduate course in mechanical engi-
neerlng wa added.
Her schooling finished she got a place
in the Office Of the superintendent Of motive
power at a nice salary which was looked
upon hy the male employees of the Office
a. a kind of pension. But the young woman
soon proved that she was more than wotti
her salary.
one day within a year 81 her graduation
she submitted plans and specifications foi
a new typc Of engine. There wer" a nurllS'l
Of new idea- IN the plans and they Were
lust what the company had tgen looking
for. Some Of the bu-' mountain engine
the Southern pacihD has ever had wer,
quilt from that - oi plans
T. was a rIde shock 10 the masculine
elrmeut an that office that the glr should
carry a the honuT~ they Thought 80 safely
their own. and they tell To wondering MIA
thi- gtn would do neat She dbl what theJ
al dp n the night man Cumos along
One day a ~ official Of al Eastern In,
came through the ufn'y No one eNrI
knew huw b. h%apI+ued, but th- hugu'
| hgnJ - fir m1tlN" power IAN e'ip-ed iri
self by trading m-uhauIcs Tor matrlmuHN
The Experiment va closed and thr hfrl
woman n~rhHulr Of the land was Trans
fluu-d into what she be- to-day a srrN
| UHIUN " &C.