The sun., 1919-08-03

fore the station employees could mus
ter force enough to stop them. And
then the casualties began. The train
conductor, standing watch In hand,
was knocked senseless by a hard
thrown shoe. A brakeman received
similar missile in the pit OF the
stomach and he dropped to the foor,
speechless with anguish. Every pas
senger on the platform was deluged
with rice. Finally the station master
appeared with force of gatemen.
order was restored. the conductor and
brakeman were resuscitated, and the
train left only couple of minutes late.
Cramer of Grand Central.
Up at Grand Central Terminal,
which might be called the northern
gate of the city as the Pennsyivania
Station is the southern gate, William
A. Cramer, stationmaster, is the man
who cares for the traveller making his
preparations to leave or fastening to
his ultimate destination after arrival.
The organization of the Grand Central
differs In some respects from that of
the Pennsylvania Station The termi-
nal itself Is separate corporate entity
from the lines which make use of 1t
| and besides operating facilities for the
New Haven and New York Central
| lines the company is one of the largest
| owners of profitable real estate In the
city. Miles Bronson Is general super
| intendent Of the terminal and the cleo
trio division and G. H. Wilson Is SUI
| perintendent.
But the man who has put his wife
on the train for Toronto and subse-
| quently discovers that he has forgot
ten to give his spouse her tickets and
money rushes to Cramer's Office. And
| so does the man who has just missed
the Lake Shore Limited and who in
sists that he must be in Toledo next
morning. Cramer is the bearing point
| where the corporation comes in con-
tact with the public at Forty-sscond
street, just as Egan is at Thirty third
| street
In manner, appearance and methods
he is the complete antithesis of the
Pennsylvania official. The two men
are living examplars of the PROPOSE
ton that there Is no set formula for
success. Cramer is retiring, almost
shy, with the manner and appearance
that one is accustomed to associate
with men who deal largely in theories
rather than facts. Perhaps the big
gold trimmed eyeglasses which he
wears at his desk add to his air of
being college professor or rather a
successful playwright.
His intercourse with the public Is
large, of course, but it is confined to
the people who come to his Office with
inquiries and complaints. Cramer
seldom appears on the station plat
forms. and it is safe to say that of the
many thousands who use the lines he
represents very few know him by
sight. There are just as many promi
nent people in and out of the Grand
Central Terminal every day as there
are at the Pennsylvania Station. The
list of passengers on the Twentieth
Century Limited for a year would be
nothing less than a who's Who in
America" but there is only one who
insists that the stationmaster himself
must escort him to and from his train.
That is Andrew Carnegie. who invari-
ably asks for Cramer when he reaches
the Grand Central. Most of the per-
sonal attention paid to travellers AT
the Grand Central is left by the station
master to his four assistants each OF
| whom has a coterie of acquaintance
and friends among the habitual Gus
toners of the New Haven and New
York Central.
While Cramer and ERan appear to
be In entire contrast as to all outward
appearances, yet they have the same
essential attitude toward their work.
Like Egan. Cramer will tell you that IL
Is all a question of organization, and
II you can induce Cramer to talk about
1t little he will tell you just how he
arrived at that conclusion. Nine years
ago he was on the verge OF a physical
brea kdown. One morning the terminal
superintendent of that day called the
stationmaster up to his Office and said:
"Cramer, you must go away for while
and get well. Make your arrange
ments to leave for Chicago at o'clock,
and when you get there go to the Office
and you will find transportation West"
Cramer told the superintendent that
he couldn't leave just then, whereupon
the superintendent expressed in un-
vanished terms his opinion of an eSs
ecutive who couldn't trust the organi-
cation he himself had built up.
81 thought of about a thousand
things in the next two seconds"
Cramer says, land then 1 made a reso-
luton and told the superintendent
that ! would go. I was away for six
weeks and I found good many things
at loose ends when l got back. But
I've never forgotten that interview
and i started in then to build up an
organization that would carry this
place through no matter what became
OF myself. Now if want to go away
for "A month go and things go on just
the same"
Cramer began his railroad career at
tho age of 16 as newsboy for the
Union News Company on the Pennsyl-
, vania Railroad. He subsequently,
served as passenger brakeman and
conductor and has been assistant sta
ton master and station master at the
Grand Central for seventeen years.
On the Jersey side of the Hudson
there are half dozen railway stations.
large and small. most OF them largely
given UP 20 communication business. A
typical station master of the lines
across the river is Henry Byrnes OF
the Lackawanna Terminal at Hoboken.
who says he handles more commuters
every day than any other road In the
country. -And there isn't finer class
, of people in the world than pass