The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-10-09
GEDDES ONCE MILL
HAND IN WEST VA.

publication in The Times OF an
article stating that Sir Eric Geddes.
hrst lord of the British admiralty,
had once worked in a little town in
West Virginia, brought quick re-
Spouse today. Charles Brooks Smith,
61 Aunsey building, Immediately
identified the town as Nicollette. His
interesting letter follows:
The West Virginia town entitled to
This honor is Nicollette, Wood county,
West Virginia, on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, seven miles east OF
Parkersburg. W. Va,
Nicola Bros. one OF Pittsburgh's
biggest and best known business con-
Germs. built a mill there and estao-
ushed a village for its employees TO
live in. The timber tract originally
purchased by Nicola Bros. having
been cut down and sawed UP, the mill
was abandoned. probably fve years
ago.
Eric Geddes. a young Scotchman,
was sent to 5he mill at Nicollette from
Pittsburgh by the Nicola Bros. He
was general utility man. His init
mate friends became George Ecker,
superintendent of the mill; William
A Croft, foreman. and John Leach
bookkeeper. Ecker was born in Ger
y.
~ the same age. MRssrs. Ecker. Croft
and Leach are prominent and well
known residents OF Parkersburg. W.
Va
Weekend Parties.
1T was the custom of the four to
20 into Parkersburg on Saturday
nights and remain till Monday morn
ing. They made the Elks Club, then
on the top floor of the Citizens Nation
~ Bank building, the towns lone Sky
scraper" at that time. their headquar-
ters. All four were expert pool and
billiard players. Eric Geddes did not
become an Elk. but he had the run
Of the club. He was well known to
all the Elks OF Parkersburg of that
period. He was just one of the boys
and they were a jolly lot Of good
fellows. l knew him, as did all the
other men who frequented the little
club in those happy years. As near
as 1 can remember, without taking the
time to more carefully figure back
through the years, it was about 1902
AT Nicollette. at the time of Eric
Geddes' residence there, a Miss fish
Lavelle, was the station agent and
telegraph operator for the Baltimore
and Ohio. She is married now. and
the father of her brood of bright chill
dren, was a merry young Irishman
who worked on the section Eric
Geddes helped along their courtship.
Miss Lavelle taught him telegraphy
and he would stand guard at the key.
so that she could slip away with her
gallant young lover and walk in the
moonlight
There wasn't a great deal of tele-
graphing to do at Nicollette. l don't
think that Eric Geddes was ever sta
ton agent for the railroad company
at Nicollette, nor the company's duly
accredited telegrapher there. He
probably substituted many times in
both capacities for Miss fish Nor
did he ever work as section hand on
the B. & o. there. He was an en-
ploye Of the mill.
Remembers Old Friends
Sir Eric Geddes has not forgotten !
his friends of those times. Upon his /
elevation TO the admiralty he sent a !
long letter to his friend Ecker, re- |
calling the good old days and asking /
about many of his friends in and I
about Parkersburg and Nicollette.
Mr.. Ecker had written congratulate ,
ing him. The letter was published at
the time IN the Parkersburg papers. /
About a year ago Eric Geddes Croft |
arrived AT the nome OF FOREMAN
Billy and his good wife. letter !
came to his little namesake, and a !
fine, chummy letter TO Billy from /,
his old buddy at the mill. Eric Ged- !
des. Miss Tish'-I do not recall her |
husbands name-has received let |
ter from Sir Eric since he became |
lord OF the admiralty and before.
From his letters to his old friends |
n is plain 70 be seen that the heart /
Of Eric Geddes 10 unchanged 1t |
would never be known from his let |
tiers that he had risen to his high sta
ton in the English government and |
world affairs.
stiH Frequent Club
TIL wager that, were he able TO
take the time to do IT, Sir Eric Geddes !
would like the best of all on this
visit to the United States to 'drop in |
on the old mill hands who are still
living at Nicollette and talk of the
happy times he had with them, and
then to visit George Ecker, Billy
Croft. John Leach, and his other old ,
friends at Parkersburg- He would
ipd the m at the Elks' Club as usual,
but he would find an EIkS' Club OF \
psIatial proportions and furnishings 4
now.
I'll bet q hat, too. that he'd be
eager to call around and hear the II
TbIarney' of Miss fish and to sec
that little namesake OF his out al
Billy Crofts house"