Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-08
ENGINEER No. +
RETIRED ON PENSION
Tom Keefe, Who Has Handled
the Throttle For Forty-two
Years
THE BEST KNOWN ENeINEMAh
Entered Employ Of Road in 1857 as Fires
man-Has Driven Engine Million
and Half Miles and Never Killed q
Passenser-compIiments the CONS
pany. i-s------%
Special to rimes-Republican.

| Special to Times-Republican.
! Clinton, Oct. 8.-Engineman Tom
Keefe. the Oldest engineer on the ChiA
cago & Northwestern railroad In Iowa.
has just been pensioned by the raill
road company, having been on the req
tired list since last July because Of i'll
health. His retirement followed half
century Of continuous employment
with the Northwestern, and the old GaA
lena Union railroad and the Chicago
Iowa & Nebraska, which roads were
merged into the Northwestern.
| For many years Engineer Tom Keefl
ran passenger trains on the Iowa dia
vision Of the road, and it is safe I'd
| affirm that no Iowa railroad man had
a wider acquaintance than the popular
Clinton engine driver, who has growg1
| old in the service of the company. His
pension is $50 a month; "as much as
earned in two months when I CONS
| menced working for the railroad coms
pany," he said.
Engineers on the system are given
| numbers, representing their period OF
service, the oldest engineer on dis
vision being known as engineer No.
l." Mr.. Keefe, since the death Of
George Arnold a few years ago, has
been the first engineer of the North~
western in Iowa. With his retirement
and pension Engineer Philip Pickering
running from Boone to Council Bluffs,
| is engineer No l in Iowa.
| Thomas Keefe was born in County,
Limerick, Ireland, on May Sth, 1910.
and came to the United States In 1856.
After living two years in New Hamp,
| shire he came west locating Ii IL
town of Fulton in March, 1857, enter4
ing the employ of the Galena Union
Company in the same month AT that
time the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska
was being constructed west from CHM
ton to Cedar Rapids. A month later
he was transferred to the railroad
company's steamers on the Mississippi.
In 1861 he left the boat, and fired on
the Galena division between Fulton
and Chicago.
Engines Burned Cord Wood.
Zone day on the old engine tNachusas
we used ten cords of wood between
Fulton and Chicago and I handled ev-
cry stick of its twice in twelve hours
Mr.. Keefe said recalling the circum-
stances of that memorial trip. For
this task he received the sum Of $1.25.
The cars were small and trains were
miniatures of the present great trains
which now glide rapidly over the nets
work of railways. One present day
car would make five of those of the
early days, in size and tonnage.
In 1881 Mr.. Keefe CONNIE enced firing
on the Iowa division. In the spring
Of 1866, when the bridge across the
Mississippi was completed, Mr.. Keefe
was assigned to a position in the ClinA
ton round house and shops. Later he
went to Belle Plaine, and after works
ing in the shops there he commenced
running west from Belle PLANE, at the
trottle Of an engine. Thus for forty
two years, or until July 16 of this year,
he was continuously at work on the
company's lines in the capacity of ena
gineman.
In that time Engineman Keefe travA
eled at least a million and a half miles
averaging about 1000 miles a months
For thirty-seven years he ran passen-
ger trains in Iowa, and for seventeen
was on night runs. The last six years
of his service with the company, how
ever. he had what is known as the
"pension" run. taking No. 13 and IA.
the Des Moines passenger trains, be-
tween Clinton and Des Moines Until
about the year 1888 only two passenger
trains went thru Clinton each way q 3
A cy,d
Never Killed Passenger.
Today, an honorably discharged em-sa
ploye of the Northwestern, Mr.. Keefa
points with pride to the fact that in
his long term of service as an engineer
not passenger was ever killed behlnd
him. This is a record of which vet<
eran engineer may justly be proud
OF course the veteran trainman did
not escape unscathed in his long term
of railway service He was caught in
several wrecks. mostly minor ones how
ever and once was severely 1nJureds
This was near Belle Plaine in 1888
when a coal car broke loose from the
top Of a chute and tearing down the
incline. met the Overland Limited near
Salt Creek. The limited was late and
was travelling at the rate of fifty miles
an hour when the locomotive hit the
car The engine went into the ditch.
and several of the cars telescopeds
Fireman Doc Leakins was killed, and
Engineer Keefe was scalded and badly
bruised.
"The Northwestern Company's us4
age of it's aged employees should be
lesson to the world" said the ex-en-
gineer. No worthy employe is for-
Gus pensions provided by the company
for aged employees Is God send to
many of these, and has caused many a I
grown gray and old In the
service Of the company, to bless the
day he cast his lot with such . prsvs
ident and thoughtful mastsr.