Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-12
RemarkabIe Railroad Career.

ance.
Rema rkabIe Railroad Career.
Robert a. McMains has had most
remarkable railroad career, and few
men anywhere who have seen the same
.ansth Of service could point 10 as good
a record.
Mr. McMains came TO MarshaIltown
IN 1872. and four months later, early
in the year 1873. went TO. work for the
Iowa Central in The round house. He
was there but a short time before he
began firing. and for three years was
fireman on freight engines. He was
sci up to be an engineer on Sept. 10,
1878, and has been an engineer ever
since. and most of the time in the pas
senger service The greater part OF
/ Mr. McMains' career as an engineer
had been on the passenger runs, and
IL. between this city and Peoria and
Marshalltown and Mason City.
But the remarkable part Of Bob
McMains' career lies in the fact that
/ in all his years of service he was never
pulled off for a single day on ac-
count of any n1ishap; he was never
called before an official Of the road 10
answer 10 any infraction Of the rules,
/ however slight, and was never at any
time on the carpet" for violation of
railroad ethics. In all his railroading
Bob" McMains never cost the Iowa
! Central a dollar for any accident. He
never missed a pay day in all these
years, until he becam me i'll last winter.
In a continuous service of thirty
seven years in the employ OF one rail-
road company Mr.. McMains has estab-
! lished q record that few men enjoy.
Mem Der of City Council.
! Mr. NcMains had been honored by
his friends OF the Fourth ward by his
election as a member Of the city coun-
| Gil Bob" McMains was not a polti
clan in any sense Of the word. and
never took much active interest in city
politics until the council saw fit, with
out any suggestion on his part, 10 elect
I him as a member of the council to fl
a vacancy. This was on Dec. u, 1904
when Mr.. McMains was chosen TO sue
coed Peter kreutzer, who resigned be-
cause Of changing his place of resi-
dence.
Mr. McMains flied the unexpirec
term Of Mr.. kreutzer, and became g
candidate TO succeed himself in the
spring election of 1905. The fight ir
the ward, with George Herman, the
present m emf Der from the Fuorth, a:
HIS 46GlllS OppDS4IlOIl- W cs lli1 iiOllSS
and closest Of any Of the ward cam
paigns, and when the ballots wer.
counted, on the night of March 81, Nc.
Mains was found TO have a plurality o
eleven votes in the precinct. Mr.. Nc
Mains was reelected in the spring o
1907, and retired from the council
April / 1909.
Sketch of Career.
Robert A McMains was born Oct 3
1850, at Henderson, III. His peopl.
moved to Oskaloosa when their sol
Robert was s years old, and the boz
had the advantages of being reared OF
farm near that city. When the civi
war broke out the boy Robert, the,
only 3, was anxious to go, and answer
: ed the call as a drummer boy, servin;
an enlistment Of three months in Com
pany l, Forty-seventh Iowa infantry
In Oskaloosa in 1870, Mr.. McMain
was married, his bride being Mis-
Manta Bolton, who survives him. Tn
couples married life has been mos
happy and connpanionable, and tw
people could not have loved one an
other more dearly during their man,
years of married life than Did Mr.. an
Mrs. McMains. The death of their onl
daughter, Lulu, which occurred in 1ss
at the age OF IA, was sad blow t
both parents, and one from wflic
neither ever fully recovered In add
. ton to Mr.. McMains' long active ser
. vice as an engineer on the Central h
l was, for a period Of few year:
| travelling engineer for the company
/ Mr.. McMains was man of man,
] friends and, in fact he knew n
enemies He had a happy faculty o
making friends apd keeping them o
a jovia1 dispositions always the same
and honest in all his dealings. his char
acteristics were Of the kind to make