The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-11
RAILROAD NEWS.
President Nudge of Rock Island
in Topeka Today.
Famous Railroad Man Guest of
Commercial Club.
BEGAN AS WATER BOY
Started Career on Santa Fe Near
EmpOria.
Other Items of General Inter-
est in Traffic World.

H. u NUDGE president OF the ROCK
Island lines, is in Topeka today. PreSi-
dent Nudge with his staff is the guest
of the Commercial club and tonight
banquet will be given in honor of the
president and his party by the business
men Of the city.
Mr.. Nudge is not a stranger in To-
pelSa. As general manager of the east
ern lines of the Santa Fe with head
quarters here he made many friends
and admirers. When he left Topeka
Just six years ago he was made vice
president Of the Rock Island. 1t was
predicted then that Mr.. Nudge would
soon head that company-that he would
dictate il operation.
President Nudge returns to Topeka
as a guest-and as a fulflIment of the
predictions of his friends and asso-
ciates.
Since Mr. Nudge went with the Rock
Island in 1905 there is a new spirit on
that road. The Rock Island lines have
been fnoculated with the Nudge spirit
they have been Mudgized. And when
a patron of the road looks over the vast
sums spent for improvements, when he
sees the great strides made by the
lines. when he rides over the smooth
roadbeds and under the protection OF
the miles of automatic block signals
he realizes that Fl. u. Nudge has done
something else besides sit in his Office
in Chicago and write on embossed sta
tionery.
The career of President Nudge is al
ways interestingly is interesting to
anyone who has ambition and who be-
lieves that there is a reward of merit
in the business world.
Mr.. Nudge was with the Santa Fe
during most of his entire railway ca
reer. He was born at Minden, Mich, in
June, 1856. He came to Kansas in 1871
and within a year he began work On
the Santa Fe which was then build
Ing westward as water boy.
Mr.. Mudge's story of success is well
known to most railway men. Before
he began work as water boy he had
acquired a common school education.
He next worked as a laborer and learn
ed telegraphy by study of the profess
sion outside of working hours. He
finally secured a position as telegraph
operator and worked at the key for two
years. Next he became brakeman
and baggageman and was for the seven
years following that time a conductor
on both freight and passenger runs.
Mr.. Nudge then became train dis
patcher, which position he had for year.
He was then appointed roadmaster, and
then assistant division superintendent He
was next made division superintendent OF
the Rio Grande division, the terrible
mountain division in New Mexico. The
Rio CSrande division gives the operating
officials more nuts to crack than any other
division on the road when the SHOWS in
the mountains begin to melt and fill the
canyons with flood waters. Following his
service on this division he was made SUI
perintendent of the western division.
On May l, 1893, he Was made general
superintendent Of the western grand di-
vision a position he occupied till June 10,
1894. when he was appointed general su
perintendent of the eastern grand division.
He held this position till February l. 1895,
when he accepted the position of general
superintendent of all the Santa Fe lines.
general manager Of all of the Santa Fe
lines.
on May l. 1905. he become second vice
president of the Rock Island.
Then he was made president of the ROCK
Island.
At the time Mr. Nudge was made gen
eral manager of the Santa Fe the State
Journal printed the following story of his
first work as water boy on the road:
The term 'self-made man'2is almost too
antiduated and stereotyped for modern
use, but IL is term that is wholly ap-
propriate in relation to the Santa Fe gen
eral superintendent. 1t was H. U. Nudge,
who by sheer perseverance, raised the
water boy to one of the most prominent
positions in the railroad world. 1t may
have been necessity, or 1t may have been
natural inclination to take up that kind
OF work, which was the deciding in
position of water carrier to a section gang
of workmen engaged in the construction
OF the SANTA re west or t1npor1a-. That
was in 1872 and he was then 16 years of
age. For an entire summer he admin
istered to the thirst of the laborers, but
when cold weather came the water boy as
natural consequence found himself out
of employment. At that time there was
a man named f. r. Bartlett acting as
agent and operator for the Santa Fe at
Carbondale. He took a liking to young
Nudge, and when he quit his Job as water
carrier, expired by limitation, he gave him
work at Carbonate. What Bartlett did
not care to do in his position as agent and
operator Nudge did, and the agent and
his assistant proved such good friends
that for over three years the future gen
erai superintendent remained in Carbon
dale
During the three years at the small
Santa Fe station young Nudge was not
idle IN his spare moments and with the
assistance of Bartlett picked up the art of
felegraphy, When he left there he left to
take a position as operator at small sta
tion- From that time on his railroad ca