The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-19
|. 3. MCPHERSON, FREIGHT AGENT,
 HAS PROMOTION Waterbury Man Will Take Up His Duties in Bridge
 port Freight Yards, VETERAN AGENT TO
 HAVE EBROADER FIELD Began Service in Local Rail roading Nearly Half 8 Century Ago.

With the announcement today that Lorenzo, B. N70ickerson, for many years in charge of the freight business of the New Haven railroad as eommer- cIal agent, had been elevated in rank to the post of general agent with of fees in Bridgeport, and the appoint ment of J. H. Cosgriff, until now agent at Waterbury, to succeed him, one of the most radical changes in freight service recently inaugurated in this city is foreseen.
 The services of MT Nickerson, whc has been connected with the Nauga- tuck and New Haven railroads since 1869, and who. is one of the experts of the New Haven company in matters pertaining to- frefghts, NwiI1 hereafter cover a broad field in which his en- deavors will be to ascertain the wishes of shippers and arrange for more eff cient methods in freight handling.
 It is expected that the company will enlarge it's present facilities to de- gree beyond the most sanguine ex- pectation of shippers in this vicinity. Immediate changes, will be the en- largement of the central east and west end yards, with additional tracks for loading and unloading car load lots and it is expected that an additional system of, spur-tracking will soon be devised whereby. the larger factories may be better accommodated.
 The deep fund of experience in freight matters obtained by Mr. Nick erson in his many years experience with the railroad may be plainly seen when it is stated that he began ser vice in 1869 as office boy and clerk un- der Blafse Sou1es in the old Naugatuck railroad. The road at that time was merely a line used in conveying freight from the Naugatuck dock to the inte- rior. The steamship and railroad had a separate corporate existence. The . 1T freight house occupying part of the site now covered by the depot with James N. States in charge as ticket and freight agent.
 The freight business of the New Haven road was a small item at that time,'' said MT. Nickerson today, 'sand arrangements had been made for the Naugatuck road to care for it.
 +'The rapid growth of freight busi- ness from that time to this date may be seen from the fact that in October, 1885. in and out. freight tonnage was but B, 3,977 tons, as against a tonnage of 107, ,935 of September -1915.''
 In the period before 1887 the freight business of the New Haven road was conducted successivelY by the Naug- atuck railroad with B1aise Soules as agent. During that time MT Kicker son served in every capacity from clerk to cashier of the railroad. In May,
 
 for the, Naugatuck road and continued in that capacity until March, 1887, when he becamA agent. He then be- came freight agent for the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad under Superintendent William H. Turner.
 January 1, 1892, the business of the Housatonic railroad, Berkshire div1s- ion, was consolidated. In August, 19-1, under F. G. Holbrook, general freight agent of the New Haven system, MT. Nickerson was again elevated to the post of commercial agent which has since been his official title
 Under his guidance here the great changes in freight business have been systematized and when he recalls from perspective the old engines of dirninu- tive size, the small trackage, and the rapid growth of the freight yards. the change in fifty years seems colossal.
 IrS the sos and '70's the cars were but 20 feet long as against 30 and 50 feet today. Where their capacity was but 1o-2o tons the cars of today are from 20 to 50 tons.
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