The Washington times., 1917-04-23
ENJOYS PULLED BY
TRUSTED ENGINEER
F.A. Graham, Pennsy Pilot Who
Has Hauled Three Presidents,
Brought Balfour Party.

While Foreign Secretary Balfour
and his party were bowing their way
through the big crowd which had
gathered at Union Station yesterday
afternoon to bid them welcome. q
little man OF about forty, gray hair
ed, bespectacled. his face black al
most beyond recognition, had climbed
wearily down from the engine cab.
picked up his coat and lunch pail
and hurried away to his room In .
hotel.
He was F. A. Graham. engineer
extraordinary" of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. a man who has
become so accustomed to pulling
safely many important parties that
he thinks 1t no honor--he didn't even
don a pair of clean overalls yester-
day.
They don't class him as an ordinary
train engineer. the railroad officials
who know him and his spotless
record. They call him the special"
engineer. For his is the duty OF
plotting all important special trains
over the Pennsylvania system. In
fact. so confident were the officials
in the dependabflity of the little man
did not change engine crews 1t
Philadelphia as usual, but so ar
ranged il that Graham stayed with
the party from the time they left
New York until they were safealy IN
the Washington terminal-Graham
and his 1851.
Watched Engine All Night.
That 1881 Is Graham's own engine.
No one else is allowed to run with
that engine, or to do the repairing
necessary from time to time. That
engine Is part OF the life of Graham.
and he cares for II almost as though
1t were a living thing.
When told early Saturday after
noon that he was to bring to Wash
ington the men who are to make his
tory within the next few days. Gra-,
ham was ready. But he took no
chances. Rather than leave his en-
gine for some ordinary helper to hre
up, Graham stayed at the station all
night, stayed with bis engine. When
asked IL his engine had been search
ed for bombs before leaving New
York, Graham laughed
Lord, no." he said. i've seen every
chunk Of coal that went into that en-
gine, and 1 stayed with her last night.
so 1 knew she was all right She's my
engine. you know. and 1 know every
spot on her"
Graham, in his seventeen years service
with the company. has pulled probably
more noted parties than any other en-
gineer now in service A few OF the
men he has piloted-and he never had
an accident. either-were President
Roosevelt. President Taft. President
Wilson. Sir Thomas Upton. and many
others whom he has forgotten by this
time.
Much Baggage On Board.
But the baggage which Graham pulled
yesterday Enough to supply a com
pany Of soldiers. hat boxes. trunks. trav-
cling bags. grips. tin boxes. fur ccats.
canes. typewriter boxes. and everything
else which a proper Engiishman finds
necessary for his comfort and well
being.
II was stag" train, not woman
being on board from the time II left
New York until 1t arrived in Washlng-
ton.
The colored porters and dining ear
walters have not quit grining yet. Tips
were large and plentiful on the trip.
They wuz mighty nice people" was
the way one grinning porter described
them. as he sat In the Pullman and
counted the returns" OF the trip. They
wasn't nuthin' fussy about EN- They
was quiet, en- tended strictly to busi-
ness. No, they didn't seem very joyfuh
kinda depressed. you might say"