Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-31
HERALDRY OF RAILROADS
Origin Of Signs EmblaOned on Print.
ing and Rolling Stock.
THEY SERVE A USEFUL PURPOSE
Romasce Of Coats Of APss, FlaEs aua
hSaOGra=s which DtstfNGuish
Maay LiAss-The Uaiss
Pacific shield.

better known than the corporate name !
George FOxhsl gives an interesting &C
count OF the origin OF these heraldc de-
vices in the current number OF the RaI-
road Mans Magazine. from which these
excerpts are taken
shortly after Mr.. Il. l.. Lomax, general
passenger agent Of the Unoin Pacific rail-
road company. entered the service Of that
road az Omaha, as assistant general pas
senger agent the late M r. .. Potter.
the vice president and general manager
OF the Union Pacific. asked him to get
UP a trade mark for the Union Pacific
railroad that would convey an idea Of pa
triotc association With the government
using the national coiors-red, white ana
blue.
Nj. LomaX, during his search tOr some
thing suitable, saw . shield on an old
freight car which was altogether different
from anything that he had ever seen Ia
the shape of shields. and it occurred to
him that, with proper changes, a good
trade mark could be worked out of II.
He had about 8 hundred sketches Of
Sifferent forms OF shields drawn. and
finally selected one that did not conflict
with any other shield, national or other
wise, Of which he could get record lie
had the upper corners cut off and the body
Widened and a point drawn at the bottom
and thirteen stripes, alternately red and
white, shown iu the body, ana blue back
ground with white letters at the top This
vas al once approved and adopted
Later Mr.. Lomax wanted to work in the
words, The Overland Route" as that was
the old name of the Union Pacific and this
was done in the shape Of legend at the
bottom and outside OF the shield; but, later
he concluded to show this in the center Of
the body OF the shield within a narrow
pArarelogram and a ring. Then ne added
al the bottom of the shield, Worlds Pic
torisl Line which was later eliminated.
=. When the shield was first worked out
Z the parallelogrsm extended diagonally
through the middle Of the shield from the
right at the top, to the left at the bottom
This, however, was changed later to run
from left to right.
The time consumed in working out the
various changes in accordance with ideas
which occurred from time to time, was in
the neighborhood Of one year
swastiIla of the Rail.
In slanclng through the field OF railroad
heraldry the first place historically must
be given to the emblem OF the St. Louis
Rocky Mountain ami Pacific Railway COM
notices, devices, or designs, enacted or con-
structed by our spiks-sticking friends,
beaten all the way round the world, when
II comes to age.
The main ground OF this device is a
Uwastika. The swastika was doubtless In
vented by some friend Of the greas-grand-
rather OF the gentleman, who built the
oheops pyramid or the smiling Sphinx or
the hanging gardens OF Babylon or the
Tower OF Babel Anyhow it seems to have
been found In every part OF the world, and
at every time that history can put a tag
on; and some that It cannot even IL IL
does not admit It.
Tho swastlSa on u black flag, With a
circle surrounding It, bearing the words
The Rocky Mountain Route" il the EN-.
blem of this road. It probably typifIes the
age-enduring strength and richness OF tn,
country through which the road passes, a,
Veil az hints at its history, the swastiks
having been one Of the earliest decorativ,
designs OF the American Indian tribes
An Emblem and a Religion,
There il so much to say about the North
orn Pacific's peculiar trade mark that III,
difficulty IS in selecting things to be sale
in the short space We wish TO occupy so a.
TO give full idea OF the large meaning
Of the symbol Fer antiquity this trad,
mark runs the sTastika pretty good sec
ond.
As nearly as can be traced, it originated
as a symbol, In the abstruse mind of
young Chinese named Chow Lien Xxi. Thi
young man was an ardent lover OF nature
and IN the course OF his rsmblss he dis
covered a cave OF peculiar formation.
He used q modification OF the outline o
this cave to illustrate a system of phil
osophy established by Fuh Hi, q Chines
philosopher, who lived some 5000 or 400
years before Christ. The symbol who
1T first seems very complicated, is in real
ity exceedingly simple.
% IL you describe circle and rule a lin
through the diameter, then describe tw
seml-ciroles, having the center one-Quarte
Of the distance and the circumference
touching the center OF the larger circle. tn
semi-oircles facing Ia opposite directions
you will have the simple outline OF tn
Great Monad. The system OF philosuph
Is stated az follows: THE illimitable Pre-
duoed the great extreme: the great ex
trsme produced the two principles; the tw
principles produced the four figures" An
from the four figures we're developed wha
the Chinese call the eight diagrams OF Flu
III, In 1922 d. c.
Taken from the Korean Flag,
This IS the origin OF the SYMBOL. but
Is not from this source that the Norther
Pacific adopted Il. To quote from tho hi,
tory OF the trade mark as published by tn
company:
The design was discovered and adapts
TO ius present use in 1898. Mr.. r. H. NJ,
Henry and Mr.. Charles s. rec. then,
now the chief engineer and general pal
senger and ticket agent OF the compan!
respectively, are principally to be credlte
With Its discovery and adoption.
The Northern Pacific was in search
trademark. Many designs had been col
sidered and rejected. MFR. McHsury, Viii
visiting the Korean exhibit at the World
ta.r' was struck with geometric desis
that appeared on the Korean flag
1t was simple, vet offeetive-plain, y,
striking At once the idea came TO MI
THAT II was just the symbol for the Ion,
sought-for trademark with but slsl
modification Il lent itself readily 20 u
purpose"
The AFistOcrat OF EmbIemH.
Another design the foundation % While
can do pretty well in the matter OF havir
attained years OF discretion IL the q
D. W." significant Of the great FLYER OF a
Chesapeake a Ohio, between New Yoi
oad Cincinnati. This emblem is a produ
L..