The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-29
dad" GRIFFITH DEAD.
Veteran Santa Fe Conductor Passes
Away.

some time and sinking steadily for a
week as a result of heart trouble. He
was the oldest Santa Fe engineer and
was known as the man who never had
an accident. The funeral arrange
ments had not been completed this
afternoon but will likely be announced
soon. Death occurred at the Santa Fe
hospital where the deceased has been
treated for some time.
: Dad Griffith engaged in railroad
ing in Kansas when he carried a large
gun, in his cab to protect himself. He
was an engineer As years and was never
i'm a wreck. His last work was running
an engine the yard where locomotives
five times as large as the one he first
took out of Topeka passed him almost
every hour in the day. Every old en-
gineer and trainman on the Santa Fe
west of here has been watching his
condition daily and probably know of
his death ere this. Probably no en-
gineer in Topeka was SO well known
and universally liked. He entered the
service Of the Santa Fe in 1870.
Griffith came through the efforts IF
W w. Pagan. who was superintendent
of the system at that time. Mr. Pagan
came from the Big Four in Indiana
where he had worked up through the
ranks as fireman and engineer and
finally went to the Santa Fee Superin-
tendent Pagan had been acquainted
with Griffith as a fireman on the Illi-
nois Central & ST. Louis and also on
the Big Four and realizing his eff
ficiency and his love for the work that
would come to him in the west he sent
for him.
For the first few years Dad" Crit
fifth ran on the short passenger runs
| out Of Topeka to Atchison and a few
little branches around this part of the
state. Topeka and Atchison were then
| the big centers Of the systen1-in fact
the whole system rotated within speak
| ing distance of the two towns. Some
| Of the oldest citizens in Topeka were
actively engaged in the building and
financing of the new road at that time
But Dad was not built for the reg
ular passenger or freight work. He
proved to the officials of the road at
once that he was the best engineer in
the employ of the system and he was
given the proudest of all jobs on the
pay car.
During the early years of the Santa
Fe-from 1870 until Is years ago-the
| road sent a pay car out over the lines
and the men were given their checks
| from this car. That was long before
| the days of checks sent out through the
| agents and through the mails. "Dad'
Griffith and the best and biggest engine
| ON the~road were sent out every month
and the complete route of the employees
was made.
James Moore, now general paymas-
| ter of the Santa Fe. with headquar-
tiers at Topeka. was paymaster in those
early days and well remembers his
| first and bes- engineer
| He was the best engineer on the
| road in those davs.'' said Mr.. Moore.
| Everyone on the line knew and liked
| Dad Griffith. I believe can say
| truthfully that Griffith was the great
| est locomotive engineer ever employed
by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa F'e
railway"
While talking among number of
| the ''old timers" in the Santa Fe yards
| the other day a State Journal reporter
| was told by some of the group that
in the days of the paycar, the man
| picked out for the jobs. They de-
| clared that it took a nervy engineer
| tc plow his way through valleys, for
| ests and over torrents and weak
| bridges-and bad men.
| Dad Griffith was always known as
| the special engineer" Whenever the
| general manager or the president or the
| paymaster or any other particular Of
| Cia1 desired a trip over the line it was
| always Dad" Griffith who was chosen
as the engineer and his old engine No.
15 the pride of the Santa Fe, that was
| put into service.
An old-time engineer down in the
| yards said in reference to this engine:
There wasn't an employe of the road
| who was not proud of that locomotive
in those days. She had a brass dome,
| brass sand dome. brass cylinders, brass
| running hoard and all the trimmings
| were in the highest polish. To top off
| the looks of her she was painted a
| wine red and trimmed and striped in
| old gold. No. Is was a % ton engine
and was the monster locomotive of the
| times. She was used for special pur-
poses only and was. always assigned
to Dad Griffith and his fireman, Will
lam Rain, who is now engineer on the
| Kansas City plug"
Conductor Griffith was a member OF
the Santa Fe hospital board. This
| board consists of an engineer, con-
ductor, the general manager and the
| CHEF surgeon OF the system. To be
chosen as the member of this board
from the railroad men is a great honor
and J. h Griffith has held the position
for many years.
Every railroad man on the Santa Fe
to say for Dad" Griffith. The official:
all over the system know him person
ally and whenever he made an &C
quaintance he made a friend.
II No one seems to know when he wa!
first called Dad" There was nothins
i had thick coal black hair and a blacl
i mustache He had always been an &C
II tive man and was type physically ant
; mentally A we'll known engineer OF
Il the Santa Fe. when asked about tn
, origin Of the name Dad said:
/ Il first went to work for the SAINT;
FNe in 1871 and at that time everyon
| knew Griffith as Dad.
| J. H. Griffith was S. years old ant
| lived at 900 Madison in this city. Mrs
+ Griffith lived with him at this location
| He could have retired from active lif
| and lived on a pension long ago, blu
, preferred to remain on deck.
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