The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-12-07
TRIBUTE PAID TO
SAMUEL SPENCER
EMINENT MEN AT FUNERAL OF
THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY
PRESIDENT.
Statesmen, Financiers and Railroad
Officials Crowd Church in Washing
ton-Every Wheel on Road is
Stopped.

Stopped.
Washington, Dec 3.-All that is
mortal of Samuel Spencer, late presi-
dent of the Southern railway, whose
tragic death on his own railroad on
| the morning of Thanksgiving day
shocked the people of two hemis-
| pheres, was laid to rest Sunday after
noon in the receiving vault at the
Oak Hill cemetery, there to await
final disposition.
A notable tribute was paid to the
memory of the distinguished railroad
| magnate by his associates, by states
men and by men eminent in all the
walks of public life. The funeral SER
vices, held in historic ST. Johns
Protestant Episcopal church, were at
and public men from all parts of the
country. Many of them were life
long associates. Hundreds of friends
came from the south.
Long before the hour announced
for the funeral, admission to the
| church had to be denied to all but
the closest personal and official friends
of Mr.. Spencer. Hundreds of people
stood outside the edifice Shortly be-
fore 1870 p. m. the officers and en-
ployes of the Southern railway, 319
In number, assembled at the general
Offices of the company, and proceeded
in body to the church. They were
nv, fha c11nnrin-
tendents Of the company, Messrs. For
aker, Loyal, Richie and Coapman.
Practically all of the officers of the
company throughout the system of
nearly 5000 miles were in attendance.
Joining their friends of the Southern
railway in paying respect to President
Spencer, were representatives of the
Mobile e Ohio, Georgia Southern &
Florida, the Cincinnati, New Orleans
& Texas Pacific, the New Orleans &
/ Northeastern, the Central of Georgia,
the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air
Line, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the
Pennsylvania and the Norfolk & West
ern.
Among the distinguished people who
attended the church services were
Vice President Fairbanks, Justice
White of the supreme court of the
United States, Senator and Mrs. For
aker of Ohio, Senator Bacon of Geor
gia, Gov Swanson and Senator Mar
| tin of Virginia, Senator Kean of New
Jersey, Secretary of the Interior
Hitchcock, Senator Wetmore Of Rhode
Island, and former Senator Henry G.
Davis of West Virginia.
Just at 2 o'clock the strains of
Chopin's beautiful funeral march
pealed through the church from the
organ. 1t was rendered by Prof. H. H.
Freeman, the organist of st. Johns.
At the same instant throughout the
system of railroads lately presided
over by Mr.. Spencer, every train came
to a dead stop, every wheel ceased to
turn, every employe put aside his
work. For five minutes over thou
sands of miles of railway every en-
ploye paid silent respect to the dead
president.
| To the strains of the funeral march
the surpliced choir of 40 male voices
silently entered the church and ranged
Itself on each side of the altar. The
choir was followed by the Right Rev.
Henry Y. Saterlee, bishop of Washing
ton; Rev. DR.. Roland Cotton Smith,
rector of st. Johns, and the assistant
rector of the church.
| Immediately afterward ]. Pierpont
Morgan of New York, a lifelong friend
and business associate of President
i Spencer; Chas. Sterling, of New York,
and First Vice President Andrews and
Second Vice President Finley, of the
Southern railway, entered the pew
reserved for them. They were fol-
! lowed by the funeral party
Following the body came the hon.
orary pallbearers, all Of them personal
and Official friends of Mr.. Spencer.
They were principally presidents or
high officials of the railroads of Amer
lea and it was noted that, either per-
sonally or by proxy, they represented
quite one-third of the vast wealth
| Of the United States. E. H. Harri-
man, q lifetime friend, was one of the
last to arrive at the church.
At the conclusion OF the ritualistic
! service, the remains were borne from
the church during the singing of
abide With Me-" After the members
of the family and the immediate fun
eral party had left, the clergy and
choir retired to the strains of Han
del's dead march from Saul"
| n..->.L>. K;yt. Man