The sun., 1916-12-31
.WHlTRIDGE DIES
AFTER AN OPERATION
President Of Third Avenue
Railroad Is Victim Of
Appendicitis.
NOTED FOR CAUsTIC WIT
Born 81 Years Ago, lie Was
Lawyer, Essayist and Trans
portation Expert.

Frederick ". whithdse. president Of
the Third Avenue Railroad. died in m.
New York Hospital early yesterday
morning. He was operated upon for an
psndicitis last Wednesday. An
Improvement in his condition was fol.
lowed by a relapse which resulted In
death.
Mrs. whitridse and her two daughters.
Miss Joan and Mrs. Charles f.. Green
eugh. were at Mr.. wMtNidse's hedslde
when death came. Subsequently they
we're Joined by Edward A.. Maher. sr..
vlce-prcsident Of the Third Avenue Rail.
road and one Of Mr. Whitridge.s closest
friends. and his son. Edward A. Maher,
Jr, To them the Heath was a great shock.
a. they had been informed late Friday
night that while MIR. whitridse was very
weak no serious outcome was 10 be
looked for.
Later In the day the body OF MIR. Whit
ridge was removed to his home at 10
East Eleventh street. where he had lived
fer nearly thirty years.
steady Foe 81 Hsmbas.
Frederick wai!insford Whitridge. who
vas 81 years old at the time of his
death. vas one OF the most interesting
personalities New York has produced ~
half a century. for Mr.. whi;ridEe. al
though born In the old whaling town Of
New Bedford. was "A real New Yorker.
His versatility was revealed In his
manifold activities as "A leading lawyer,
transportation expert and doctor OF In
arm railway concerns. essayist and av-
thor. public speaker and wit. Many
Dersons found in the wit and tenacity
Il Mr.. Whitridge a curious resemblance
70 the characteristics OF the late Mayor
0aynor. with whom Mr.. Whitridge
sometimes disagreed sharply and anus
ingly.
!, may be that he will be longest re-
membered for his d~etestatiou Of pre-
tenoe and humbuE. frequently expressed
IN the form Of inimitable letters to pub
lie officials. Pages Of a newspaper might
easily be filed with Mr.. whitridge's
biting but always amusing comments on
What he considered the clumsiness and
ineptitude OF public bodies. Back In
1903. soon after he was appointed re-
eeiver Of the Third Avenue Railroad. he
paid his compliments to the Public Ser
vice Commission with this brief quo
ta,ion from the remarks Of st. Pau,
the quoted from the Bible with Mayor
osynor's facility:
For so Ia the will Of God. that BY
we'll doing ye a put to silence the ig-
norance Of foolish men"
Friend OF Roose welt.
MIR. whitridge was a great friend OF
Col. Roosevelt, and none the less 40 in
recent years when they found them
selves so exactly In agreement over the
causes and Developments Of the war.
particularly Germany's violation Of Del
GUMS neutrality. Mr.. Wh.tridge went
10 Spain at President Roosevelt's request
to act as special ambassador at King
.Alfonso's wedding, and they usually
found themselves in agreement politi-
cally.
One Of his downright Temperament.
naturally found himseif at puts with
labor unions touching on transportation
activities. although II was observable
that with his own employees Mr.. Whit
ridge was able TO get along pretty
amiably. They considered that he was
fair and in more than one strike they
Qui, work only because there was nc
other recourse under the compelling
rules OF their unions. Four years ago
the locals threatened him with q strike.
and In replying by letter he said he
thought there was a good deal Of hum
bug about them" (the unions). Subse-
QuenNiy, AT u raik at the rfotei AstoT, no
aid:
Il have been surprised to see how
labor Is hypnotised by labor leaders who
are not only ignorant but cowardly. I
have said the same to their faces. I
have said they did not have the brains
Of a canary. The remedy for this ID
publicity"
After a childhood in New Bedford ne
vent 10 Amherst College and was grad
uated from hat institution In 1874 and
from tae Columbia law school in 1878.
In 1854 he married Miss Lucy Arnold,
daughter OF Matthew Arnold. and subss-
auently became head of the Law firm OF
Waitr.dge. Butler & Rice at 90 Wall
rtreet. In March. 1905. President Roose-
vel. sent him to Madrid as special AM
bassador.
Ba'ore accepting the Third Avenue
Railroad ~receivership appointment In