The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-07-18
A MAINE MANS PROMOTION.

President Of a Railway at 81 Years of
Age A Graduate of the University of
Maine.
General Superintendent Ray P. Stevens
of the Auburn & Syracuse railroad has re-
signed his position here and on August 1st,
will assume the presidency of the Lehigh
Valley Transit Company, which operates
about $50 miles of electric railway from
Philadelphia to Allentown, Bethlehem,
Nazareth, Slatington and other Pennsyl-
vana towns. The company also includes
three electric light plants and is conSolda-
ton of nine electric companies in the Le-
high Valley.
The resignation of Mr.. Stevens will be
received with considerable regret in this
vicinity and it will be difficult thing for
the Beebe lines to obtain successor
Mr.. Stevens career has been remark ably
progressive and for young man of 81
years he has taken very important place
in rairoading in the eastern States. He
was born in Eastport, Me-, where he at
tended the public schools and the East
Maine Seminary, Bucksport, from which
institution he went to the University of
Maine, from which he graduated with the
degrees of b. NJ. E. and E. E. He then
took post graduate work at the Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology.
| While in preparatory school he managed
| an electric wiring business and many of the
| principal summer hotels along the New
! England coast were wired under his super
| vision.
| From Nj. l. 7. he went into the employ of
the American Bell Telephone Company in
| Boston and left to prepare for construction
| work in the plant of the General Electric
| Company, for whom he built several elec-
tric light plants in the South.
He contracted the fever and after recov-
cry came North and accepted a position
with the Automatic Fire Alarm Company
of Boston. In this company's employ he
| invented an apparatus for automatic fire
alarms and was appointed superintendent
! of the Western department with head
quarters at Chicago. His services were
needed in far-of Washington and in Feb
ruary, 1900. he went to Everett, Wash,
where he rehabilitated the system of the
| Everett Railway & Electric Company, of
which he became general superintendent
t He built new power house in this place
and an entirely new lighting and railway
| system. Under an agreement with the
Northern Pacific Railway Company he built
an interurban line and electrified the tracks
of one of their branches from Everett to
Snohomsh, the electric line operating pas
Senger and express service while the steam
road carried the freight. This was the first
combination of steam and electric service
used in this country.
Mr.. Stevens great ability resulted in the
quadrupling of the earnings of the Everett
line in five years and his services to the
Auburn & Syracuse, to which he came from
Washington two years ago, have resulted
in an increase of over 80 per cent in it's
earnings. At the present time he is general
superintendent Of the Auburn q Syracuse,
the Auburn & Northern, of the Skaneateles
Lake Transportation Company, and of the
Interurban Electric Express Company.
Among his achievements in this city was
the fine management of the crowds that
travelled to and from the lake during Old
Home week last year without 6. single ac-
cident. With his associate, Superintendent
Havens, the heavy lake traffic has been re-
markably free from accident, both men al
ways being personally on hand at all big
gatherings.
Mr.. Stevens married Miss Pendleton of
Islesboro, Maine, in 1903. He will leave Au-
burn about August l. The Lehigh Valley
Transit Company has no connection with
the Beebe interests and MIR. Stevens Sc
lection is fine recognition of his worth
and we'll deserved advancement. His
friends in Auburn, and they are many, will
join in wishing him every success in his
new feld-The Auburn, n. Y, Citizen July
| 13th