The Somerset reporter., 1906-03-29
Some of Names Oldest Railroad
MpT
Lewiston Joornsl. March "A. I@6.


in Maine. but in the long procession the
writer is inclined to believe thai Vim
Frye of Skowhegan stands at the front
in length of service. For ffiy-eight
years he has been on duty and during
that long stretch of time there has not
been a single day when he has not been
In the pay of the system that is now
known as the Maine Central railroad
The summer suns and winter frosts have
ever found him at his post Of duty, and
today he is just as faithful as when he
commenced his work as a boy in the
long ago. True, be has occupied differ
ent positions and as the ipfirmities of
age came creeping on be was placed in
the easy position of gate tender in the
village of Skowhegan. Say what we
please about the heartlessness of great
corpor atoms we cannot deny that the
Maine Central railroad takes good care
of its old and faithful servants. As they
become incapacitated for the sterner du-
ties of vigorous manhood they are not
cast adritt to battle with poverty, but
easier places are found and they are
until the grim messenger summons them
to their last great trip The writer can
recall cases OF aged employees of this road
who are incapable of any active service
whatever but yet they go "puttering
around" happy in the belief that the
| company could not get along without
their services. Their pay may be re-
duced from the old figures, but yet
enough is still drawn from the treasury
of the company to place them beyond
want aud smooth the wants aud troubles
of age and decrepitude. This custom is
doubtless borrowed from the establish
ed habit of English nobemen, who re-
ia IN the services of all their old servants
on their estates long after those services
have lost their value. There is not a
lordly house in England but has ts long
list of pensioners, and as long as one of
them can pick up a fallen leaf he
imagines himself vital part of the es-
tate 1t is an amiable trait in human
nature, and one which we hope will con-
tinue To expand and grow in this coun-
try. We believe that railroads are the
only class of corporations that have
adopted this English. custom, and as for
private individuals 1t is not even thought
of among our wealthier classes. Even
corporations are not soulless.
Very fortunately Mr. Frye has not yet
passed his days of usefulness. His rs
years have not dimmed the lustre of his
eye or the sprightliness of his step
He is just as alert in the performance
of his duties as he was more than half a
century ago, although the officers of the
company have very considerably given
him position of comparative ease.
Mr., Frye was born in the Irish county
of Cork in 1881, and in company with his
parents came to this country when but
l6 years of age. The family at once
came to Waterville, and in 1S4S the boy
secuted a position as teamster in the
service of the old Androscoggiu & Ken
| nebec railroad which at that time 8
building its ling between Watervlle and
Lewiston. The contractors for the
grading work were Cushman & Currier,
| and it was under these men that young
Frye saw his first service. In a recent
conversation with the journal, MIR Frye
said:
at was a long time ago that this road
was built, but | can remember its be-
ginnings as If it were but yesterday, |
was lad of 10 at that time, and had
just come to this country. | hired out
as a teamster, and in our gang there
were thirty men. Of course there were
other gangs scattered along the line, 30
that the work was going on all the way
between two points
at WAS hard job, but was a strong
boy and had\pever been pampered with
luxury, 80 of course it seemed all right
to me. We worked good part of two
years on the grading and laying of ties
and track, and then in 1850 the first train
was run over the road. Edwin Noyes
was then a leading officer in the COM
pany and WAS on the train. | can well
remember the excitement when it came
into aterville. 1t was regarded as a
great event, and the whole community
turned out. The little depot WAS cover
ed with bunting and flags, and even the
streets of the city were gaily decorated
Speeches were made and the celebration
was a general one as we'll as a big one.
"fhe road bed as well as the rolling
stock WAS very different then from what
it is today. Everything was rough and
crude. The cars were small and poor,
but this was so much better than the
old method of travel that everyone was
satisfied and thought IL wonderful i'm
pIoyement The road was not well bal
lasted and the cars thumped and bump
ed along in rather rough fashion. The
conductor was William Mitchell and his
train consisted of two small cars
AT the completion of the road | was
made trackman and my business was
to look after repairing the rOadbed and
| became very familiar with every inch
of my section. | can remember of the
road sinking at one place III swamp
between Lee Is and Lewiston and two
freight cars went down out of sight and
were never recovered.
The engines in those days were very
small, and az a result the trains made
slow time | changed around more or
less and for a time worked on the line
between Watervlle and Bangor Then
| went on the Penobscot and Kennebec
road The Lewiston road had been
built first and the road to Bangor and
Augusta came later. | think the road to
Bangor was completed in 1854 Then
the Augusta road followed soon after,
at first.
"In those early days there was great
rivalry between these roads. Especial
ly was this true of the lines running
from Augusta and Lewiston in to Water
vile. Zach one tried to get into Water.
Vile first and at times the conductors
and engineers would take desperate
chances TO do this The last mile or
two would always be race.
81 worked on the Bangor road for
about year and a half, and lived in
Pittsfeld while 1t was building. In 1855