The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-11
4S YEARS ON ROAD MORE SICK HERE
EDWARD Parsons 80, Is Contagious Dis
Taking Easy. eases in Last Months
He Was One Beginning the
Santa Fe. Apparent Reasons
HAN DURING BUFFALO DAYS SECOND WARD THE WORST
he Tells of Interesting During
ences in Early Days. Three-Month Period.
Orong Man When Young, He However, There Were Sixty
Is Still Hearty. Three Births Reported.
RAN DURING BUFFALO DAYS
he Tells of Interesting Expert
ences in Early Days.
Strong Man When Young, He
Is Still Hearty.


Forty-eight years Of railroadinE
without an accident or suffering a
SICK day is the record of Edward Par
sons. who put in most of his time with
the Santa Fe- Now, at the age OF 80
years and seven months Parsons sits
IN his easy chair in his home at 1901
College avenue and reflects on his ex-
periences during the early days OF the
railroads in Kansas.
Many are the exciting times he has
seen during that period when the
buffalo still roamed the western prai-
ries and Indians and desperados men
aced the lives and peace of the pion-
GERS
He relates how, one spring, his train
was snowbound near Timpasm just
west of La Junta, Colo. There had
been severe storms that season and
on this particular morning, about l
o'clock, the train was stalled by snow
that came up to the platforms OF the
coaches. Parsons was baggage mas
ter. He prepared and ate his break
fast then went into the coach to see
II any one needed help. Noticing two
elderly ladies who appeared 10 be
rather worried and uncomfortable, ne
asked them if they would like cup
of hot tea. The offer was gratefully
accepted.
He prepared and brought them the
tea, together with some rolls, and they
thanked him profusely.
Fred Harvey Wanted Tea.
'srheir appreciation" said Parsons
did me as much good as the ued
did them. But a few minutes lateL
a Young man came back where was
and asked me if l could spare nm 10
Gun of tea. told him he coulo haNe
coffee II he preferred. but he expressed
a desire for tea. so I prepared It
together with a couple OF eggs anu
some rolls. r1-sd
This man turned out to be feu t
Harvey. now 80 well known thruoQe
the country by his eating houses NJ
was so grateful for the breakfast ina az
he wrote A note to his manager at Las
Vegas. instructing him 10 give me d
square meal every time l passed w
there. I was acquainted with nus 49,;
so took advantage of the ot1er anu
Won may ina CINE how l Jared 80
@E,o1d Harvey, his oldest son, was tola
o( .be affair. and he promptly gaNe
me a pass to all the Harvey easAHe
houses as far west as Las Nesas'
pa-sooz came to Kansas IN APIIl'
80 vent TO work for the Ran
s,s pacific which later became -
I@9to-, pacific. Prior TO this tune nc
M been with the Chicago & AItotI
IRON, 1850 to 1859. He then went 70
New Jersey to educate ms en-. ~
- s+aved there five years, but ZEE
anu anu III ~ the west. came to KAN
rro want TO work under o. n. DAVIS
-,I,a-iDtendent of the Smoky Hin olvl-
stnr asan agent at Bunker Hill; -
or sighteen months he was tIa .Is 80
70 BrookviIIe. about twelve fl4les " 90
.
IesO he went to Kansas CITY anu
-.--+s1 work with the Santa + e ne
Us the Santa Fe's flrst aEenc a
patou. where he remained eight go
Parsons was baggage master S,.u - t Fe
telcrra DTler on the second 0ai-I
-, mat ever. pulled into the city OF
Santa Fe.
second Day in Kansas
y,rsops's second day in Kansas was
soent at Buffalo. near the CoIoi az ~
IfTn and here he helped snoot one u
- b,,re animals after which the town
tne nT,ed with three other men he
s+ar+ed on the hunt, and camped IN
san,-o1 They succeeded in shooting
.-0od buffalo COW. and as parsons was
a butcher until he was 50 years 0lu'
ord one Of the men was a COOK tney
aIioved an excellent repast of butfalo
49, tbst night. During the night.
hjIa asleep. a herd of hundreds OF
huFfaIo passed by within fifty teet OF
where they lay. as was attested by the
tracks next morning
In his youth. Parsons was reputed to
he the strongest man Of his age IN me
country. His lifting weight was Mt
tie less than SEQ pounds
II will never forget" he says, what
a severe scolding my father gave me
one time because I carried a hog We
we're butchering and which weighed
A17 mounds, from the shed into the
smokehouse alone. 1t didn't bother
me a bit. but I took fathers advice
and never tried such fooHshness
Never Sick Day.
The old railroader never had SICK
dav in his life, except about twelve
Years ago when he got "a little under
the weather" but was I'D and around
again in a few days. He never met
with a serious accident until a few
days after he celebrated his eighty
seventh birthday, when he fell off a
ladder in his barn onto a cement
floor. The worst result was a slight
abrasion OF joint, which still bothers
him slightly at times
eve never tried to remember dates
or names" said Parsons. LAS a mat
ter of fact. I never expected to be on
earth at this time. or be called upon
for stories Of the early railroad days.