Evening star., 1909-03-05
PROMOTED FOR MERIT
Pennsylvania Railway Officials
Rise From the Ranks.
PRESIDENT WAS A RODMAN
Third Vice President Carried a Sur
veyor's Chain.
GREAT SHOPS AT ALTOONA
Employees Stimulated to Gain Ehaci-
ency by Rewards-Work Closely
Watched and Encouraged.
GREAT SHOPS AT ALTOONA
BY WILLIAM z. CURTIS,

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS,
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record.
Herald.
The policy of promotion for merit has
been developed by the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company to a higher degree than
under any other large employer of labor
in the world and its results furnish a
striking illustration Of the advantages
of that method Of training and rewarding
men.
I have before me list Of the 100 prin-
cipal officials of the company. with their
records. which shows that $50 OF them
started at the bottom Of the ladder and
have been in the service OF the company
during their entire lives. Five Of the
ten exceptions are connected with the
legal department, to which they have
been drawn from time to time from the
most successful practitioners Of the bars
of Pennsylvania. New Jersey and Della
ware. And such exceptions are possible
because railway training is not essen
tial in that branch Of the business. The
five remaining officials who were not
brought up with the company are ex-
perts in particular lines, and who were
employed because they had enjoyed the
benefit of a training and experience which
the service OF the Pennsylvania Company
did not afford.
This accounts for the spirit of loyalty
that pervades the entire organization Of
the Pennsylvania Company, from the
humble track walker. plodding along the
right of way inspecting switches and test
ing bolts and nuts, to the president seated
efficiency of the service is largely due
to the feeling of pride shared by every
one of the $4,000 employees who. whatever
his station may be. his record is kept.
and the eyes Of his superiors are ever
watchful for evidence of efficiency and
motion. Whenever vacancy occurs
in any post, high or low. the men know
that it will be filled from among them
selves and that no outsider will be brought
in to retard their promotion. Therefore,
they have a continuous inspiration to
do their best to merit promotion.
Rise of the Officials.
James McCrea, president of the road.
started as a rodman in the surveying
corps
John P. Green. first vice president. was
private secretary to one Of his prede-
cessors.
Charles E. Pugh, second vice president,
was originally a station agent.
Samuel Rea, third vice president. car
ried a chain for the surveyors.
j. B. Thayer. fourth vice president, be-
gan clerk.
Louis Nelson, secretary of the COM
was messenger, and the other two as
sistant secretaries began clerks in the
office. The same is true of all the assist
ants to the treasurer Of the company.
Theodore \. Ely, chief of motive power
began civil engineer
William A. Patton. assistant to the
president, was clerk. and E. T. Postle-
thwaite, another assistant to the presi-
dent. was a timekeeper
c. NJ. Bunting, assistant to the first vice
president. and Albert J. County, assist
ant to the third vice president, both be
gan clerks, and J. 3. Hutchinson, as
sstant to the second vice president, as a
rodnan
NJ. RiebenaCk, the controller, and all of
the auditors and officials of the account
ing department began as clerks or book
keepers in the Offices over which they
now preside.
George i. Dixon. freight traffic man.
aGer: Edward P. Bates. general freight
agent, and all Of the heads of depart
ments and their assistants in that branch
Of the service began as clerks, messen-
gers. telegraph operators or station
agents
The heads of the passenger department
also began at the bottom
w. w Atterbury, general manager,
and Herbert NJ. Carson assistant to the
general manager. began as apprentices;
George w: Craighton. general superin-
tendent Of the eastern division; S. c.
Long. general superintendent of the
western division; w. Hayward Meyers.
general superin ;endent of the Erie divi-
sion; r. l.. ODonnel. general superin-
tendent OF the Buffalo division; j. B.
Baker. general superintendent of the
Philadelphia terminals; A. G. Shand,
chief engineer: F. P. Abercrombie. su-
all began as rodmen. and F. L. Sheppard.
superintendent of the New Jersey di-
vision, began as an apprentice.
All Of the officials Of the motive pow
er construction, maintenance Of way
telegraph and other branches. and all
of the division superintendent, began
as apprentices, rodmen. laborers, tele-
graph operators or messengers. This
record prevails throughout the entire
list. Every one of the $4,000 employees
may be said to have begun their careers
with the company and have been contin-
ually with it ever since.
In Service Many Years.
On the 3lst of December last. 1850 of
the employees had been with the Pennsyl-
vania company forty years: in addition
to these. LOIS men, who had served more
than forty years. are on the retired list
drawing pensions. On the payrolls today
are 316 men who have been In the service
more than fifty years; twenty-nine who
have been In the SeFVlce 1oT uIty-IlVe
years; five men who have been in the
service for sixty years, and one man
who has been In the employ of the COM
pany sixty-nine years.
The average age of the eighty principal
general officers. Is fifty-one years. and
the average length of their service Is
twenty-six years, which indicates that the
policy of the company Is to place the
responsibility to the stockholders and the
public upon the shoulders Of young men.
and that all of those young men have
spent their entire lives since they reach
ed manhood in its service.
The following table shows the number
of employees who have been in the service
of the Pennsylvania railroad more than
fifty years:
Years Number. Years. Number.
81 ............... Sc ............... /
SIS ............. IL 81 ......-....... Il
56 .......... ~ % ............... 30