Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-07-08
WEST SIDE BOYS CAREER
Wallace D. Even, Railroad Engineer for % Years. Boasts
of No Accidents-Passed His 73rd Birthday Ami
versary

Creve Occur line not single passen-
ger was injured, and that engine No.
265 was kept in the service seventeen
years with but two general overhaul
ings and few common repairs. He
said many leading men and women of
ST. Louis, when school children board
ed his train at Laclede (now Edge
brook, Benton, Glendale, Clifton
Heights, Cheltenham, Towards and
Tower Grove on their way to the old
Pope school at Ewing and Laclede
avenues.
"AH along the line they would ask
said Mr.. Even, What has become of
the lake tram ?'s when some one would
remark, There she comes; can't you
see the engineers whiskerS 2"
Recounting otherA experiences. Mr..
Even mentioned the cioudburst OF Sep
TENDER, 1888, at the east end of the
.eY'' in Coleman cut. The engineer
said that water. two feet deep flowed
down the track and that brush and
rails had to be cleared from the road
bed before the train could proceed.
Even also related experiences of close
shaves in taking sidinss and in stop
ping the train a sight Of broken rails
Not a Wheel Off in 35 Years.
Not wheel off in thirty five years"
said Even, as he strched his beard,
4 guess many beside railroad men
will understand what that means"
In summer the noon run brought in
what was known as The lice train,
and Even says eight cars of ice apd
a passenger coach usually were in the
string The ice was taken from the
Immense storage houses on the banks
of the lake According to Mr.. Even,
in the winter of 18S4S5, the lake yield
ed ice 16 inches thick. The previous
winter, according to Even. ice II
inches thick was harvested in Febru
airy, while the temperature fell to 26
degrees below zero.
Voted First for Lincoln.
Mr.. Even commenced his railroad
career May 1. 1851 on the old Ra
cine line. from the city of that name
to Beloit Wis, d distance Of sixty
eight miles. In the fall Of 1859 the
tracks We're extended thirty six miles
to Freeport, III. From this point Even
pulled a train of flat cars, with fences
and benches Ito accommodate passen-
gers, with wood burning engine. to
Racine Junction, connecting With the
Lake Shore line to Chicago, where in
May, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was RON
mated for president of the United
States. Mr.. Even says Lincoln was
the first president he voted for, and he
has been supporting the same party
ever since.
Even served year as Vaepnmaster
with the Forty ninth regiment of Wis
consin volunteers. and five years after
field, Mo-, and was engineer on the
Atlantic & Pacific. In 1872 he was
given a passenger run between Spring
field and Pacific, over the tracks which
now comprise part of the Frisco sys
TEN and the following year was chang
ed to the other end of the line. run
ming between Springfield and Vinita,
Indian Territory. He was transferred
to the Missouri Pacific system by Supt.
A. A. Talmage March 1. 1876. and re-
manned with the company until his
retirement.
Mr.. and Mrs Even have a family of
three sons, all of whom are engaged in
railroad work. as follows: Lyman is
passenger conductor. running out of
Sale Lake City, while Charles is sta
ton agent and telegraph operator at
Della, Utah: Harry, formerly d con-
ductor on the main line of the Mis-
souri, Pacific, now is switching for the
St Louis Terminal system.