New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-10

home, at No. 20 Bruce-ave., Yonkers, has been
overrun with friends and newspaper men
Perhaps no man rejoices more over the APP
pointment than does George Phillips, Mr.. Rock
wells devoted trainman He, with others. re-
ferred to Rocky as they call him, as one of
the best men in the service Good natured and
happy the whole day long, and a considerable
gentleman" their description of their former
companion "a man who believes in the Golden
Rule and lives up to it A man who never
swears or loses his temper"
The appointment of Mr. Rockwell IS the sec
ond time Governor Of this State has taken
railway man in active service for this important
Office. Governor David B. Hill appointed the
late Michael Richard a passenger engineer of
the New York Central railway commissioner
some years ago Richards commission was
handed him he pulled his train into the sta
ton at Albany. He turned his locomotive over
to his fireman, went home for a change OF
clothes and up the hill TO the Capitol where he
was sworn in He did not return to his loco
motive, and died in Office. commissioner ROCK
wells commission was handed him as he was
flying westward last Monday in charge OF the
Second Empire Express. He was not in such
hurry to get out of the harness as Richard was
for he completed his run and then handed in
his resignation. He spent day visiting with
officers of the road and his fellow trainmen
among whom he has long been popular.
When a Tribune reporter asked the superin-
tendent of the Hudson division Of the Central 10
recount some incidents of RockwelIs railway
life he sent for the conductors record card II
showed every promotion since he entered the
service of the company, nearly thirty years ago
In the column which is provided for scoring up
was not single note
you see that he has an absolutely clean rec
ord with u.s. said the superintendent. Ihere
is not q mark of any sort against him.
Fellow conductors tell of a most peculiar ex-
perience which Rockwell had with the Chicago
Express four or five winters ago. There were
reports of a terrible blizzard up the State, and
orders were telegraphed to Conductor Rockwell
to hold his train at Hyde Park near Poughkeep-
sie where the company could care for the pas
sengers. The place assigned the express was
directly over one Of the water pans from which
fast trains take water. In winter steam pipes
keep the water from freezing. A stiff wind was
blowing off the Hudson that night. and the
thermometer was II degrees below zero. The
wind scoeped the water out of the pan between
the rails and scattered 1t over the track and
rails as solidly as though it had been walled in
by masonry.
For thirty hours Rockwell was the life Of the
party thus marooned. The passengers, following
his example determined to make the best of it
The conductor led in telling funny stories, and
when the fund exhausted he made hunt
for vaudeville talent. He found a woman pas
was good at representations porter who had
been a minstrel and several other performers
The passengers gathered in one of the cars and
had regular show, which helped to relieve the
1nonotony Of the blockade.
When the discovery was made that the train
was frozen to the tracks, 1t was Conductor
Rockwell who led the party Of axmen who
and the train continued its run. The passengers
among whom were several Western politicians
OF prominence wrote out a round robin detail
ing their appreciation Of the conductor It was
the first time in the history Of the road that q
train SEas actually frozen TO the tracks.