The Oskaloosa herald., 1903-01-15
WATER BOY TO SUP'T.
Interesting Career of E. E. Kerwin,
Well Known Here.

Concerning E. e. Kerwin, formerly
trainmaster of the Iowa Central, and
a well known citizen of Oskaloosa,
the Railroad Employee" one of the
greatest trade papers of the country
says:
Few men who have risen in the rail-
road business had a less promising be-
ginning, and no man ever attained sue
cess more worthily than has e. Z.
Kerwin, the new superintendent of the
Central and L. & S. Divisions Of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey.
Mr.. Kerwin was born in Turner's, N.
Y, IN December IS, 1861, where his
boyhood days were spent. His par
ents were poor and we're unable to
give him the advantage of more than
a limited education, and at the age of
ten years, on August /, 1871, young
Kerwin started out to earn his own
living al a water boy to a section gang
on the Erie railroad at Turner's, and
he continued in the track department
in this capacity and that of section
hand until March, 1883, when he en-,
tered the telegraph office at Central
Valley, N. Y, as a student. He was
not long in mastering Morse" and on
June LIST of the same yer he was ap.
pointed agent for the Erie at Noun,
tainville, N. Y, where he remained I'M
til November, when he resigned and
accepted a position as operator with
c. W. Bradley, then superintendent OF
the old New York, West Shore and
Buffalo, being the first operator in the
employ of t hat company at Wee
hawken.
Mr.. Kerwin continued in the employ
of the West Shore as agent and oper'
ator at different points until March.
1885, when he went west and accepted
a position with the Union Pacific, as
operator at Rock Creek wy, where
he remained until December of that
year, when he accepted service with
the Omaha road at Sioux City, Iowa,
as yard clerk, which place he resigned
in February, 1886, to accept a position
as operator and agent with the Chi
cago Milwaukee & st. Paul on their
Council Bluffs division, where he re.
manned until April, 1889, when he al
lied himself with the Chicago Great
Western as an operator in the dis,
patcher's Office at Des Moines, Iowa.
Mr.. Kerwin left the employ of the
Great Western in 1890 to. take a posi-
ton with the Iowa Central as tele-
graph train dispatcher at Marshall
town, where he renamed until May,
1898, when he was promoted to chief
train dispatcher of the Eastern and
Illinois Divisions, with headquarters
at Keithsburg, ILL.,, and In November,
1895, he was advanced to the position
of trainmaster Of the same divisions,
and in July, 1897, on which date the
train d~ispatchers and trainmasters
offices were consolidated Mr.. Kerwin
was appointed trainmaster of the Iowa
Central system, with headquarters at
Oskaloosa, Iowa, resigning that posi-
ton June 9Th Of the present year to
take service with the New Jersey Cen
ural as trainmaster of the L. & s. Di-
vision, with headquarters at Mauch
Chunk. He was appointed superin-
tendent of the Central and L. & s.
Divisions on October 18th last.
MI. Kerwin is one CT the most thor
oughly practical railroad managers in
the country; his training has been
such as to give him an intelligent and
comprehensive knowledge of every de-
tail of the railroad business, a fact
which has been practically demon
strated since his connection with the
New Jersey Central. With his EN-
ployees he is held in the highest re
spect, and the men in all branches o.
the service realize that they are
working under the direction of an Off
cial who is a railroad man; who has
earned the position he occupies
through ability and not influence, and
that when matters come before hin
which relate to their welfare thai
they will be acted upon intelligently
and with a full and comprehensive
knowledge of existing conditions.
In the short time Mr.. Kerwin has
been with the Central he has won the
respect of everyone with whom he has
come in contact, and the Employee
predicts for him a most successful anC
popular administration.
The story of Mr.. Kerwin's life, hi
early, struggle with adversely, his de
termination to succeed, and his ulti
mate success. tells a story which ev
cry young man in America should reaC
With internst and DrOft-