The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-26
RAILROAD NEWS.
Never Missed a Pay Check in
FOrty-TwO Years.
Pete Tellin, Santa Fe Engineer,
Real RailrOader.
HELPED BUILD ROAD.
Began Work in Topeka in the
Year 1868.
Other Items of General Inter-
est in Traffic World.

! Kinsley, Kan, Sept. 26.-"Forty-two
years on the pay roll of the Santa Fe.
thirty-eight years of that time run
ming an engine, and never missed
pay check"
! This was the statement of Pete
Tellin as he stepped, few nights ago.
from his passenger run, which takes
in the line between Hutchinson and
Kinsley. Probably no other railroad
man of the west can boast of such
| long service with a single company.
! Il am IS years of age Tellin said.
/ and 1 feel that I have in me. fifteen
! more years of active service
| Pete Tellin began work for the
| Santa Fe at Topeka in 1868, a year or
| two after coming from Sweden, and
/ he could neither read. write nor speak
| English. His first job was on the
section with shovel. and he helped
build the Santa Fe from Topeka to
Emporia, later being advanced to
/ boss of construction gang. In 1870
he got a job as fireman, and two years
later he was assigned to run as en-
gineer, and he has been running an
engine ever since, or until he got the
position of passenger conductor two
years ago.
In the wild days of Newton and
Dodge City Tellin lodged bullets in
OOlAl lOW u.s. ne lIISQ the SWllOIA Gil
CINE in Newton in 1871, when that
town was the end of the railroad. In
| 1873 he ran the first construction train
from Dodge City to Granada, Colo.
Engineer Tellin took the first Santa Fe
train into Colorado, and ran the first
train across the Arkansas river when
the bridge at Granada was completed.
That was July 4, 1873" he said. land
it was the drunkenest Fourth I have
ever seen. Engine No. 80. named
I gT-
the first to cross the river. The en-
gines were named in those days, as
we'll az numbered.
Lonesome Country Then.
From the time the railroad was
first built to the western line of Kan
sas, and for twenty years or more af-
forwards, ran out of Dodge CITY,"
added the pioneer engineer. And I
want to tell you that if I had been Of
fered all the land as far as L could
see in all that part of the state L
wouldn't have had it as a gift. 1t was
lorn looking country under the shin
ing stars. Today you can't buy some
of that land for 500 per acre.
There was one thing this country
was good for then, however, and that
was wild game. It was daily sight
on my run to pass herds of buffalo,
antelope and other game. Buffalo
never gave me trouble, however, but
once. This herd was miles long, and
| it seemed to me there were millions
in it. I sounded the whistle and pop
| ped off steam, and did everything to
scare them, but they wouldn't scare,
/ and for nearly three hours my train
was held up waiting for the brutes to
! get across the track
| In the days when Pete Tellin COW
| cred the great plains country in
| Santa Fe engine, bands of Indians
secuted along the Arkansas river.
These savages never bothered me
much he said. Now and then
culvert or bridge would be burned out
| and they would say the Indians did it,
who were just as bad as the Indians.
| There were plenty of Indian scares,
/ however. Many times 1 would get
| orders to look out for them. One time
| tiers near Kendall, but they had gone
! before our train got in. The only time
4 my train was ever attacked by Indians
/ was near Cimarron, when band of
| them fired a Volley into our coaches.
| We always went armed in those days.
| carried two Winchesters in the cab,
and also two big revolvers in my box.
/ We also had a lot of Winchesters in
! the baggage car. We took few shots
| at them and they hurried away, way
! ing their blankets.
| Cowboys, the first edition of the
| Rough Riders. gave me the most trou-
| BILE. At Newton, in 1871, for several
months it was unsafe for a man to go
| out of doors after dark We couldn't
wine or attend our engines at night
for the cowboys would shoot out the
| lamps. Every morning I would have
! to patch up the headlight on my en-
J CINE, which would be shot full of
| holes during the night. One night
! twelve men were shot and eight of
| them killed during a fracas. Newton
was a lot worse than Dodge City ever
| was, and ] lived in both towns during
| their worst days"
In his forty-two years experience
in railroading Mr.. Tellin was seriously
| injured but once. And then I would
have been all right if I had remained
on the engine he said. He was run
ming at q good rate of speed one
night when suddenly he saw a car
on the track ahead. Putting on the
! air and shouting to his fireman. he
! jumped from the cab. The quick work
| of the engineer saved the train, only
slight damage being done to the pilot,
but Tellin's leg was broken.