The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-14
Relation Of Santa Fe Shops to
Topeka.
Employees Magazine Gives EX-
cellent History of Plant.
LARGEST IN KANSAS.
Topeka Shops Are States Big
gest Industry Today,
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

The current issue of the Santa Fs
Employees Magazine contains MS
tory Of the development of the Santa
Fe shops in Topeka, written by Tom
Mac Rae of the editorial stan OF TINS
publication.
Like the history of the general offices
and the coming of the Santa Fe into
Topeka written for the May issue Oh
the magazine, this story contains =
complete "biogra ply of the work OF
the Santa Fe in this city. The excel
lent article is illustrated by scores OF
photographs taken by Guy Hamilton
staff photographer of the magazine.
The article covers nearly fifty pages
in this valuable publication and is pre-
coded by a full page picture of John
Purcell. superintendent of the SHOPS
The issue of the July number of the
magazine is dedicated to Superintend-
ent Purcell.
Below is clipped a few interesting
features of the development of the
Santa Fe shops in Topeka:
Amid network of shimmering rails
and ladder tracks in Topeka, the cap
ital city Of the Sunflower state, IS
found Kansas greatest industrial
works. Yet it is not an industrial.
works in the commercial sense, mas
much as none of it's immense output IS
for direct sale to the general public.
All this giant outlay of labor, this
the erection and maintenance of build
ings. this constant buzzing, whirring,
roaring of machinery, this huge en-
plOyment of trained brains and skilled
hands-this monster monument to the
activity of man and the progressiveness
OF the railroads. but a means to an
end-an aid in the production of trans
portation the only commodity rail-
road has for sale.
AS mighty oaks from acorns grow, II
frr1a ri 70 eqiC
so have the Santa FEES interests in To-
peka developed, until today our shop
property has an area of one hundred
and twenty acres. wherein two thou
sand five hundred men are employed
This number does not include the three
hundred employees of the general
storekeeper, the one hundred and sixty
five men on the station agents force,
or the three hundred engineers, fire
men, trainmen, bridge and building and
miscellaneous employees. Then there
is the new Santa Fe general office
building, one of the finest buildings in
the state, with nearly twelve hundred
employees. So today in Topeka the
Santa Fe employs four thousand four
hundred people and pays out in sal
aries at the rate of over three million
dollars a year. In Topeka is located
also the splendid railroad hospital, one
of the finest on the continent, and a
Railroad Y. NJ. c. A with the third |
States. most of the members being
Santa Fe men.
So, commercially, the Santa Fe means
TO Topeka far more than do the cap
ital and all its other city, state AMI
national institutions and private in
dustries. 1t is pre-eminently the great
est factor in the maintenance of the
city, just as it is the greatest asset of
the state of Kansas.
When the Santa Fe first started con-
EfTIRTOn
sessed of the general offices. The gen
eral Office force at that time=June.
1869-cOnsisted of NJ. l. Sargent, sec
rotary and paymaster and James
Knox, clerk And what little repair
work was to be handled was done in
Topeka. So it became settled in the
minds Of Topeka citizens that, as
matter of course, the general offices
and shops would remain permanently
in that city. But the road grew and
grew. More men crowded the general
Offices and more men found employ
ment in the mechanical and operating
departm ents. other cities looked
with envy upon Topeka. In a way
they fOresaw the future of our present
great system and they wanted to be-
come the headquarters for the Santa
Fe activity. The fact that the com
psny had as vet not spent any money
in building permanent accOmmoda-
lions had much to do IN maintaining
their hope of at some time winning
out over Topeka.
Apprehensive lest soma other town
outwit them, the citizens of Topeka on
July ., 1872. proposed to the company
that in return for keeping their shops
and offices in Topeka for all time the
city would give them 100000 The
vote on the proposition vas endorsed
by a large majority. But the offer was
not very enthusiastically received by
the railroad officials, and the hundred
thousand dollars lay unaccepted for
six years
With d railroad such as the Santa
Fc behind them, It is not to be Won
dered at that in the service are so
many splendid mechanics. From the
Santa Fe ranks have gone out many
man to control the fortunes of other
roads or to become prominently iden-
titled in their service. and everywhere
the value of Santa Fe training is rec
oEnized. This conditions has been
brought about by the desire of the
mana cement to give the widest pos
sible scope to the usefulness of the
men in the service of the road, and
to the intelligence of Santa Fe men to
grasp the opportunities presented and
to try to fit themselves for promotion
This has resulted in efficient workmen
All over the system. and as a result of
$500 v-vnuR NM rrOny1-rrrvvv,