Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-16
LIFE STORY OF LABOR LEADER
characteristics Of wsrren S. Stone.
Chief Of Locomotive Engineers.
IDEALS OF A FoRcEFUL WORKER
Rise from an Humbie Farm Lad 60 the
Leadership Of Seventy Thousand
Nen-specimeB Instances
of His Methods.

of His Methods.
One crisp morning in September. 1873. a
clean-limbed. srnooth-faced Young man vas
uiEging post-holes on the edge Of a farm
IN southeastern Iowa. The six feet Of his
1.-THE and outstanding frame. the glow OF
health and youth in his cheeks. the viEor
and strength with which he forced his
shovel deep into the earth made him a
figure that lit naturally into the spacious
outdoor picture. Suddenly the shrek Of a
locomotive smote the air and from the dis
lance came the rumble Of an approaching
train. The youth paused in his work as
the engine whistled again. this time much
nearer. lie stood leaning on his spade as
the swiftly drawn cars swept across his
vision and disappeared in the woods. leav-
ing trau OF smoke over the tree tops.
The boy flung down his shovel. strobe
back to the farmhouse that perched on the
crest Of slope. changed his clothes and
= walked down to the little town Of Aims
worth. one and a half miles away. and
took the train for Eldon. the headquarters
Of that division Of the road
That night he was firing q Rock Island
engine. With the first coal that he hurled
into the fiery nav Of his locomotive he
began career big with significance to
the men OF his craft throughout the whole
Of North America
That man was Warren s. Stone. Today
he IL grand chief Of the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Engineers supreme head Of a
host OF nearly 1000 men. who are vested
with a larger responsibility than any other
group Of workers and who comprise the
model labor organization Of the world.
When young Stone needed the call OF the
cab that crisp autumn morning out in Iowa
back in the '7os, he was not exactly fol-
lowing a swift impulse. The desire had
been crystallizing in his mind for some
time. His two brothers were conductors
on the Rock Island, which cut across the
family farm. To him they were invested
with a peculiar glamour because they came
home with stirring tales Of the road
Mr.. Stone was q husky coal shoveler
When he started firing he weighed 1877
pounds. he was six feet tall and q giant
in strength His first job was on
''pusher'' engine. used 20 help the regular
engine shove cars up . steep grade. His
first regular run was as fireman on q
freight that Travelled between E1ldon and
Wilton Junction, Ia, on the eastern dis
trict OF the Missouri division OF the Rock
Island. Later on the run was extended to
Rock Island
Prophecy Comes True.
There is nothing even mildly exciting in
the chronicle OF those early days. To use
Mr.. stones own phrase. There was no
heroic performance But one interesting
thing happened that is we'll worth mention
ing.
Mr.. Stone ran between Eldon and Wilton
Junction. where the dispatchers for that
division were located. One day there was
4 new train dispatcher on the Job. He was
trim, alert, wide-awake and energetic. He
had begun his railroading by wooding en-
sines the Burlington. Then he worked
Is q section hand. He studied telegraphy
at odd moments mostly at night and was
now a uli-fledged train dispatcher. The
men of the train crews. particularly Mr..
stone. liked him. for he never was late
and always had 9 ready word of kindly
greeting Many made the prediction that
he would not remain a dispatcher all his
life.
How keen was that sense OF prophecy is
attested by the fact that the smooth-faced
young man who handed out the flimsy slips
At wilton Junction was no other than W.
C. Brown. now president OF the New York
Central lines. master of one Of the great
est transportation systems Of the country.
The two ambitious men who met on the
Auarrow train platform in Iowa back in the
'sOs did not face each other until each had
risen to high station.
FuII-FIedSed Engineer.
Altogether Mr. Stone fired for five years.
In 1854 he became an engineer, and for
nineteen years he worked on the right side
Of the cab. He faced the usual trials OF
his calling but there was nothing sensa-
tional or even dramatic In his experiences.
He did not. for example. guide a passenger
train safely over a trembling or flame
ridden trestls. nor did he stick to his cab
IN any wild rides down mountainstde
As a matter Of fact. save to 'nl in oc-
easionaIIy, he never ran a passenger train.
His own idea OF heroism Is the railroadsr
or any other man who does his job day by
day and does IL we'll.
Naturally. one of the first things that
M stone ala when he became an engineer
vas 70 join the brotherhood. 1t did not
occur 10 the obscure country engineer then
that he was taking at that moment the
most important step OF his life
FOR years this organization has been
making its way 70 peculiar euinenee
II was not only due 20 the high character
Of the men. their inherent sense Of loyalty
and their almost sublime devotion TO haz-
ardous duty. but also 20 the fact that they
r1Eidly stood by the rules which they laid
down for themselves
Their contracts were eAHreO tnAhss' anu
no matter II they worked hardship 20
the order. they we're lived up 20 In the
strictest letter Of the Law.
Before long Mr.. stone became secretary
and treasurer OF his local division Then
ne became local Chairman. This put him
on the general committee Of the order on
the Rock Island. and brought him iatO
contact once a year with the principal off,
eiaIs Of the road At Chicago. In 1893 he
was made chairman Of this general com