Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-11-12
THE LATE JOHN Il. ANDERSON.
His Career Was Marked by Success
as Reward Of Earnest Entleavor.

son, whose untllncly ucatn was nlcn-
toned in Tho Courier last week, was
inferred in the cemetery at Anderson
Wednesday afternoon in the pres
ence OF a large concoursc Of sorrow-
ing relatives and friends. A number
Of citizens of Walhalla attended the
funeral and paid the last sad tribute
TO the deceased by their presence at
the grave.
From the Anderson Mail OF Tues
day afternoon OF last week we clip
the following facts regarding the life
Of Capt. Anderson:
Death Camc Suddenly.
Capt. John Robert Anderson, su-
perintendent Of the Blue Ridge Rail
road, died suddenly this morning at
Ills o'clock, while seated on the
side Of Il lever car in the Blue Ridge
yards. Capt Anderson had complaint
ed Of feeling bad, and while going
over the yard stopped at the round
house to talk with several Of the
employees. He sat down on the side
Of this hand car, and after talking
few minutes, suddenly fell from the
car, striking his face against Il pile
OF stones. Capt. J. G. Marshall and
others present hurried to him, only
to find that he was dead Doctors
pronounced his death due to apo
plexy.
The news Of Capt. Anderson's
sudden death spread rapidly over the
city, causing grief TO hundreds Of his
friends who knew and admired this
man whose life work had been de-
voted to Anderson and to the Blue
Ridge Railway.
Capt. Andcrson's Life.
The life Of Capt. Anderson is a
most interesting story of achieve
ment and an important page in the
history Of Anderson's development.
He was a man Of vision, and his one
ambition and ideal was to bring his
railroad up the the highest standard
and to ultimately cross the noun
tains with his lines, opening a won
derful territory for business and di-
vorting traffic and business from the
rich coal fields to Anderson and to
South Carolina. Though seldom
voiced, except to his closest asso-
ciates, Capt. Anderson always cher
ished this ideal, and though his one
great ambition was not achieved, he
lived to see the time when the rail
road he brought from state of
bankruptcy was on a sound financial
basis and with as good cr71ipmrrf rs
c0uid De Hhurd>d
Born y Seneca on Maria "iat,
1873, 80 r: ". nuu Nurusiae wilson
Anderson i0nn Z Nndor,or aur,rrI
achoo. aL tne age OF six, in a private
school at Belton. His school days
were limited, for in 1885 he stopned
school to assume his first "job," a
position in the freight office at Bel
ton. This clerical work was soon
ended by the appeal OF the real
railroader" TO his boyish heart.
lie was then made brakeman and
fagman in the yard service Of the
railroad, and worked as n brakeman
from the year 1856 until 1889. Dur
ing this time life was not all easy
sailing for John Anderson, but his
receptive mind was then absorbing
the many details and mysteries Of
'railroading' that served him so
well in later life.
In 1889 John Anderson acquired
his title Of Captain" and a position
as conductor on the c. & G. and the
Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta
railroads. He served as conductor
on these lines until 1894.
Reckoning the Blue Ridge.
In 1894 Capt. Anderson took
charge OF the Blue Ridge Railroad
and began his life work-to make
the Blue Ridge a paying proposition
and first class short railroad. At
that time the Blue Ridge was n
short line railroad. extending from
Anderson to Walhalla. and operat-
ing one mixed train from Anderson
to Walhalla and return each day. It
had just been placed in the hands OF