The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-05-23
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In reviewing the prominent men who
have so materially assisted in making
Tonopah and the entire gold producing
district of Southern Nevada the great
and promising country, it is The
Calls desire in this comprehensive re-
view to give due space and adequate
mention to a gentleman who has mate
rally assisted in this grand result
The discovery of gold in Tonopah
naturally attracted to this section or
the country hundreds OF mining men
and prospectors. These swarthy argo-
nautS were at once confronted with
the momentous problem of transporta-
ton, for Tonopah was sixty miles from
the nearest and, in fact, only railroad
by which transportation facilities were
available Necessity, of course, is the
mother of invention, and as, the camp
grew and the mines began to develop,
the old means of transporting freight
by stage and wagon was found to be
inadequate, and a railroad running d.
rectly into the camp was found to be
a necessity. Capital was occurred and
a company formed to construct a road
from Sodaville to connect with the Car
son and Colorado road at that point
The first important consideration was
the selection OF manager and super
intendent to take charge of the con-
Struction work. The people were in a
hurry for the road to get into Tono-
pah, in order that provisions might be
obtained and the precious metal ship
ped out, so that it was necessary to
secure for that important position a
man who could not only build a rail-
road in the least possible time, but
one, as well, who could construct a
road on the most improved plan for
safety, etc.
Naturally. there were a number of
men available, but the directors wisely
selected Alonzo Trip, a man Of years
of experience in the railroad service in
all departments and man thoroughly
versed in all the manifold details nee
essary to the proper construction and
equipment of the road To say that
the directors chose wisely is verified
by the fact that just exactly four
months after the first shovelful of
earth was thrown out the last and,
by the way, a golden spike was driven
in the last tie Of the new road and
thus Tonopah was placed in direct
communication with the markets OF the
world. This feat was commented on
by nearly all of the leading railroad
journals of the world as being a re-
markable example of railroad construc-
ton.
Mr.. Trip, under whose direction the
IOnOpdn
completely constructed. was born in
Kennebunk, Me, in 1899. The son of
parents who titled the soil. he received
what little education he could gather
from the district schools of the county
In which he was born. At the early
age of Is he left home to battle with
the big world Thrown upon his own
resources, he went to Boston, where
he went to work for the Boston and
Maine railroad and learned the art OF
railroad biography, in which he be-
came an adept. He was among the
first to learn the profession, and With
Robert Pitcairn, Andrew Carnegie and
other noted men, formed the first
telegraphers' union. In 1861. attracted
by the oil excitement, he went to Pitts
burg, where he accepted a position as
clerk for the Aladdin Oil Company. Oil
was then a manufactured product, and
when the natural petroleum was dis
covered, he was made manager Of the
same company. Receiving a most in
viting offer to enter railroad work, he
resigned bis position with the oil COM
pany and went with the Allegheny
railroad in the freight and passenger
department, and when he resigned to
go with the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road in 1882. he was general yardmas-
ter of the company. He was general
yardmaster for the Baltimore and Ohio
until 1890, when he went with the
Charlestown. Cincinnati and Chicago
railroad. When the road was absorbed
by the Southern he was made general
superintendent Of terminals. with head
quarters at Jacksonville. Fla He re-
manned with this company until Octo-
Der. 1908, when he accepted the high
and responsible position of general SUI
perintendent of construction and gen
eral freight and passenger agent of the
Tonopah railroad.
This road was built as a narrow
gauge from necessity. owing to the fact
that the connecting line was a narrow
gauge road. The Tonopah road Is
thoroughly equipped in every way for
rapid and safe handling of freight. and
the road enjoys an enormous business
one that it may truthfully be stated is
much larger than any other road Of
the same mileage in the world. The
road was built by the Tonopah Mining
Company for the purpose of hauling its
own ores out of Tonopah In buvinr
the equipment and preparing for brsi
ness, the plan was based on conditions
as they existed two years ago. At that
time there were no outlying camps
as there are now, and it was Thought
that the road would not be REQUIRED
to handle more than $4,000 tons of ore
a year. and that principally from the
Tonopah Mining Company's mines.
The new discoveries to the southwark
and the springing up like magic OF
/ Goif3f1eld RuTlfrner ann other c.r,r,-