The New York herald., 1921-02-23
M. H. SMITH, RAIL
PRESIDENT, is DEAD
Helped Build and Was Head Of
Louisville and Nashville
Thirty Years.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Feb. 22-Milton II.
Smith president Of the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad Company. died in
his home here to-day after heart
attack. Mr.. Smith had been iii for
several months and his death was not
unexpected. He was Sc years old, and
continuously had been president OF tho
Louisville and Nashville since 1891. He
leaves wife. two sons. Sydney and
Milton H.. Jr., OF Louisville, and two
daughters. Mrs. Thomas ]. Fielder and
Mrs. Robin Cooper both OF Nashville.
Milton Hannibal Smith was FOR
thirty five years chief operating officer
OF the Louisville and Nashville Rail
rcod. which he helped &c make one of
the principal railway systems of the
South owning and operating more than
Ooo miles OF trackage. He was born in
Green county, n. Y. September II.
1896. His father, a farmer a short time
later removed with his family 10 Chau-
taqua county. n. Y, and then 10
Illinois. where the boy grew to man
hood. Farm life proved irksome TO the
future railway president. and before he
reached tie age OF twenty he had mas
tered the art of telegraphy and taken
a position at Holly Springs. Miss. IN
the office there OF the Mississippi Cen
trail Railroad.
When the civil war began he en-
tered the military railway service. be-
Ing first stationed at Holly Springs
His work here attracted the at
tention Of his superiors. ard after the
fall OF Fort Donelson and the battle OF
shiloh, he was transferred to Jackson,
Tenn, as master of transportation on
all military roads in the occupied dis
tricts OF the South.
AT the close of the war he became
freight agent at Louisville for the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Mr.
Smiths service with the Louisville and
Nashville continued with but one inter-
ruption until his death. and the story
OF the way In which this came about is
told by his friends to illustrate the
dominating personality he possessed and
his impatience with opposition In
course he thought right.
At Montgomery Ala, during the yell
low fever epidemic along the Gulf coast
in 1873. n shot gun quarantine was es-
tablished. No trains from the South
were permitted to enter the city under
any condition. Mr. Smith. as the chief
| traffic officer of his company. went TO
Montgomery and sought to have the
quarantine modified to permit passenger
trains TO pass through without StoPpihS
and with windows closed. He failed.
Then he issued orders placing an en-
barge against the movement of all trains
| from the north in Montgomery and with
In five days the city's food supply began
| to run low.
! Urgent appeals were made to him to
! permit the movement of trains with
| supplies into the city. They were met
with the reply that when the quarantine
against the movement OF trains through
| Montgomery. bearing refugees from the
fever stricken dirtricts OF the south had
been modified, all his embargoes would
be lifted. Montgomery authorities would
not agree TO this and carried their ap-
| peal 10 Hermann Newcomb, then presi-
! dent OF the road. He issued orders re-
/ volxing the embargoes. Mr. Smith re-
/ signed.
/ He was AT once offered and accepted
/ the post OF general freight agent To-
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a
I place he held for three years. His next
/ post was general agent for the Pennsyl-
vanla lines at New York, which he held
/ until he went back to the Louisville and
! Nashville as chief operating officer. with
the title OF vice-president January /.
.