The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-11-15
PIONEER OF RAIL
YIELDS TO DEATH

L
builder personal friend of Abraham
! Lincoln. and one of the historic char-
acters of the west, died at the Cullen
hotel in this city yesterday from an at
tack of pneumonia. The disease was con-
tracted in Dry canyon, where Mr.. Camp
bell, despite his 20 years of age was
the construction of a con-
centrating mill Mr.. Campbell began rail-
reading over a half century ago, and
the construction of the
Southern Pacific from California TO Og-
den. During his lifetime he broke the
worlds record for fast track-laying, and
was for years a superintendent of the
salt Lake division of the Southern Pa
clt1c road In early days he was con-
ductor on an Illinois road, and there met
Lincoln, about whom he used
TO tell many interesting "reminiscences.
Inc death of Mr. Campbell marks the
passing of one who knew railroad work
from it's infancy, and who saw the wheels
OF progress roll over the untamed west
and convert its sage Undiscovered plains
INTO productive farms, well stocked cat
tie ranges and busy cities. He saw the
day when he and one clerk handled all
the business of the Southern Pacific be-
tween the coast and Ogden, that now re-
CURES hundreds of clerks to look after.
Such is the progress he has witnessed in
half century.
Interested in Dry Canyon.
Mr.. Campbell has for years been a resi-
dent of Los Angeles, Cal. but about a
year and half ago he came to this city,
and became interested in some mining
operations in Dry canyon. He took up
ms residence at the Cullen, and has made
that his home since. At his advanced
struction of a mill in Dry canyon for the
Mono Mining e Milling company. in
which he was interested, and successfully
completed the work only a short time
ago. The altitude there was too much for
him., and he contracted a cold that soon
resulted in an attack of pneumonia. A
few days ago it became evident that he
could not Withstand the attack and his
wife was summoned from their home in
Los Angeles in time to reach his bedside
before his death.
Railroaded in the sos.
Mr.. Campbell was born in Londonderry,
Ireland, in 1882, and came to America
when lad IL years of age. When but
young man he turned his attention to rail-
reading. and in the early Sos took up that
work. His ability as builder was quick
ly recognized by the railroad company and
in the SOS he was sent west to superintend
the construction of the Southern Pacific
from California to Ogden. This work he
attended to from the time the first grad
ing was commenced until the last spike
WdS uTlNen lIldI competed the TOdu 10
Ogden. This was at the time when the
Southern Pacific and the Union Pacific
were racing with each other, the former
from the west and the latter from the
east, for the right of way to the coast;
was being pushed with all
speed, and it was while laying this track
that Mr.. Campbell broke the worlds
record for fast track-laying, by laying
ten miles more of track in a day than any
other man has ever laid in the same
length of time.
After completing this work Mr. Camp
bell was made division superintendent of
the Salt Lake division of the road, and he
spent many years of his life looking
days big railroad offices and numbers of
clerks were unknown in the western rail-
road world. and Mr.. Campbell in his later
life has remarked to his friends that
when he was division superintendent OF
the Southern Pacific he and one clerk
handled all the business of the road. Now
hundreds of clerks are required to handle
the increase of business that has come
connection with the railroad Mr. Camp
bell went to California to live, and re-
sided there until he came here year and
a half ago.
Tales of Abraham Lincoln.
It was in the early DAYS of railroading
in Illinois that Mr.. Campbell met Abra-
ham Lincoln. At that time Mr.. Camp
bell was conductor on a road running be-
tween Springfield and Bloomington, and
it was on this train that he saw Lincoln
and learned the characteristics and pc
culiarities of the great statesman. He
was full of "reminiscences of these times.
and often told them to his friends. Some
of these stories, that were told to Fred
l.. Davis, who enjoyed the friendship of
Mr.. Campbell, were related to The Herald
by Mr.. Davis yesterday. One of these
stories, showing the oddly of Mr.. Lin
coins character, is that when he was
travelling about on the train in those
days he always insisted upon riding on
top of the cars. The cars in those days
were much lower than they are now, and
Mr.. Campbell, who was the conductor on
the Bloomington. road, used to tell how
ing up on top of the car. When the train
whirled through the country towns with
figure wearing tall'stove-p1pe" seated
on top, everyone knew that ABE" Lin
coin was making a journey.
AS illustrative of Mr.. Lincoln's ability
to make himself at home wherever he
might be, Mr.. Campbell often related
the story of an amusing incident that oc-
Cured in Bloomington in the early days.
Mr.. Lincoln was riding ON top of Camp
bells train as usual when he saw a man
in Bloomington with whom he had some
business. He asked Mr.. Campbell to stop
the train. and when this had been done.
he walked over to the person he wanted to
see and told him to come to his office.
The man asked with some surprise if Mr..
Lincoln had an office in that place, and
was assured by Mr.. Lincoln that he had.
Walking over to the sidewalk, Mr.. Lin
coin sat down on the edge of the walk,
and, lifting his 'stove-pipe" from his
head, placed it on the sidewalk, and,
drawing some business papers from 1t,
remarked that wherever he put his hat
down, there was his office. Mr.. Lincoln
transacted what business he had with
the man, and, putting the papers back in
his hat and replacing that upon his head,
boarded the train and continued his
Journey.