The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-29
L0REE TO HEAD
ROCK ISLAND COMPANY.
Will BE Succeeded as Head of u. &
o. by Vice President Murray,

Will BE Succeeded as Head of H. &
o. by Vice President Murray.
AS the Seaboard Air Line is now con-
trolled by the Rock Island Company,
any change in the controlling COM
pany is of almost as great an interest
as in the Seaboard Air Line itself, and
therefore the news that President
Loree of the Baltimore and Ohio had
| resigned from that system to become
the head of the Rock Island Company
| and that he is to be succeeded by for
mer Vice President Murray, is news of
Importance to railroad men throughout
the whole country and especially to
savannah as one OF the greatest ter
minals of the Seaboard, Air Line.
The career of the new president of
the Rock Island has been one of rapid
success, attributed more than once in
conversation by the man himself to
hard work. L. F. Loree was born at
Fulton City, ILL.,, April 23 1858. He
graduated at Rutgers College as a civil
engineer and at once entered the serv-
ice of the Pennsylvania company in its
engineering department. In 1879 he be-
came a transit engineer in the United
States army. After two years service
he went to Mexico and laid out much
of the Mexican National Railway.
which President Diaz was pushing at
that period. When this was nearly
completed he entered the employ of
the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and st. Louis
Railroad and then shifted to the Lehigh
Valley company. Before he was 35
years old Col. Loree was made presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania lines west OF
Pittsburg and when the latter company
acquired controlling interest in the
20 and Ohio nv 81
vanced, when barely 40 years old, to
it's presidency.
Mr.. Loree's title of colonel was gain
ed by his command of a regiment in
the Pennsylvania National Guard
The advancement of First Vice Presi-
dent Oscar G. Murray to the presidency
of the Baltimore and Ohio will be due
directly to the superiority of his meth
DDS Of handling large freight traffic
questions. Mr. Murray learned most of
his rairoading as vice president of the
Big Four road, with central Offices
at Cincinnati. o. He was born at
Bridgeport, Conn, May 20, 1872, He
began his railroad work as a ticket
agent for the Galveston, Houston and
Henderson Railroad and eventually be-
came general freight and passenger
agent of that company. He went in
1880 to the Gulf. Colorado and Sante
Fe railroad III Lne same capacity ana
the next year became traffic manager
of the Missouri Pacific lines in Texas.
Mr. Murray entered the Baltimore
and Ohio service as eoreceiver with Mr..
John K Cowen during the reconstruc-
ton days of that road. While Mr.. Co
wen looked after the vexing financial
and legal aspects of rebuilding what
proved to be practically the entire Bal
timore and Ohio system, Mr.. Murray
took hold of the operating and traffic
departments and almost entirely re-
mapped the policy of the road, down to
the smallest details. His success at
once stamped him as a railway execu-
tive of the first rank. and he was re-
tanned when the Pennsylvania took
charge of the Baltimore and Ohio. His
promotion will prove that he has COM
pletely gained the confidence OF the big
men back of the Pennsylvania interests.