Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-11-04
TO THE PHILIPPINES.
Former Hancock County Boy has
Important Position.

Former Hancock County Boy has
Important Position.
Richard T. Latin, Hancock county boy
born and bred, now general manager Of
Worcester Consolidated railway company,
has sent in his resignation to take effect
Jan. 1, 1904.
A brief sketch OF Mr.. Laffin's life will
be of interest to his many Hancock
county friends.
| MIR. Lsffin was born in Hancock, May
| 81, 1862, and received his early education
| in the common schools there. He moved
| to Boston after having graduated from
| the high school. In Boston his first
employment was with II. K. Plimpton &
Co., furniture dealers.
| Two years before he had attained his
majority he left the furniture store and
began street railway work. In those days
the motive power was in harness and the
driver had not evolved into a motorman.
I His first street railway work was on the
old Middlessx road under Superintendent
John II. Studley. He was conductor and
had charge OF his first horse car on a trip
over historic Bunker Hill.
From then until now Mr.. Latin has de-
voted all his energies to street railway
work and 1t was not many years after he
began work that he was acquainted with
all the ms and outs of the business and
since hen he has kept several PAGES ahead
of the progress oi street railrosding in a.,
Its phases. This has won for k..in his
rapid and deserved promotions.
Not long after starting in on the old
| Middlesex road, Mr.. Latin became famil-
lar with all the lines of the road and in
1888, only two years from the time he
went to work for the road, he was chosen
from the employees as a starter. At the
end of another year he was promoted to
inspector, position then known as aid.
He was assigned to the York stables.
| In 1885 he was sent as inspector to the
central division and in 1883 was given full
charge of the employment bureau where,
until 1898, he was agent of the ROAD In
dealing with thousands OF men who APP
piled for positions during that time.
| 1t was Dec. 8, 1898, that be was made
general superintendent OF division six,
known as the Charlestown division. His
receipts for his first year as general super
intendent were s1,5O0,OO0, which was Vt
that time remarkable financial record
for a street railway division.
| He had more than 1000 men under him,
and during all his years In that capacity
he maintained strict discipline and at
the same time won the heart OF every true
employee of the road.
| There are a very few men no have
worked up from conductor on a horse
railway to general manager of a $1,000
900 trolley corporation, and from that to
general manager of a still larger corpora
ton, including many other important
industrial branches in addition to the
street railways.
The cause of Mr.. Lsffin's resignation is
TO accept much more responsible post
| ton with the Manila Electric Railway,
Light and Power Co., of Manila, P. l.
His official title will be general manager.
The new company has bought the only
street railway 10 Manila, an old horse line.
| 1t also owns every street railway franchise
| in Manila and vicinity, owns a steam rail
road there and has enough contracts on
| hand to keep an army of men busy for
years.
This company will build big electric
railway system in Manila, connecting the