Weekly journal-miner., 1922-08-23

citizen as William A. Drake. Mir Drake died at his home here shortly before noon yesterday, following sue cessive strokes of paralysis during a period of over two weeks.
 He was "A years of age, and had counted the last 30 years of that time in Arizona as one of the builders and managers of the Santa Fe Prescott x Phoenix railroad.
 At the time of his death, he filled the position Of assistant to the vice president of the Santa Fe coast lines.
 MT. Drake was born at Franklin, N. Y, on January 30, 1S4S. He ob- tained his technical education at the Delaware Literary Institute, and just after the close of the Civil war en- tered the profession of engineering. He was soon allied with railroad work, which he continued as an active vocation until shortly before his death.
 In 1878 Mir. Drake put in a year at mining in Colorado, but the fas- cination of railroading won him back. He became division and To- eating engineer of the Atchison, To- peka & Santa Fe road and later chief engineer at Albuquerque. Railroad construction work occupied him in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Indian Territory until 1888, when he went back to an office and remained at Pueblo until he came to Arizona to be identified with the Prescott & Phoenix road in 1892.
 His work in Arizona IS monu- mental and includes the locating of the Atlantic & Pacific line, now fol- lowed by the Santa Fe from Gallup to Needles.
 In Arizona
 The story of Mir. Drake's work right here in Arizona is best told in his own words, as he wrote them for the June number of the Santa Fe magazine.
 He says:
 "It was at this time that F. M. Murphy of Prescott, Ariz., conceived the idea of building a road to Phoe- nix via Congress, he being manager of the mine at the latter place. Dia- mond Joe Reynolds, owner of the mins first tried to get Bullock to extend his road, the P. & A., to Con- gress. When this failed, he endeavor- ed to induce Bullock to arrange it so that Murphy would build the eXten- sion. But Bullock would do noth- ing, and Reynolds instigated the bluff of starting a road of his own. He engaged MT. Burns and another en- gineer to make surveys, and finally secured the services of N. R. Gib- son, who was then engaged in build ing the Gila Bend dam and canal. In 1892 the entire personnel was reor- ganized, and George w. Vaughn was appointed chief engineer and general manager He at once appointed Beard, Howe and me locating engi- neers, ill conjunction with a major whose name I have forgotten-a left over from Gibson. We finished the location ill the fall of the following year. From Phoenix north there had been IA miles graded by the Gibson forces, and l was then made resident engineer on the completion of the location work.
 "The track reached Prescott dur ing May, 1893, and no more was laid until some time during the winter of 1894. In that year the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix had a pretty hard time of 1t and did but little grading, being restricted as I remem- Der it to $5,000 per month. had charge of all the construction work but received no pay for five months. It was a period of extremely rough sledding. In the early winter, how ever, the road once more regained its feet, and the work to Skull Val ley was hurried through ill time to save the franchise. 1 had Billy Gwyn helping me then, he being the only division engineer on the work all the way to Phoenix.
 "The track reached Phoenix on the last day of February, 1895. Richard Coleman had charge of laying 1t all and was appointed superintendent of the line. A big celebration was held on March 13, 1895, the directors coming all the way from Chicago and Detroit to participate. Simon I. Murphy was the man who stood behind F. NJ. Murphy throughout the construction period, although the di- rectors - Messrs. Fairbank, Bowen and Ferry-lent splendid support
 q was appointed chief engineer in April, and shortly thereafter R. E. Wells was appointed assistant gen eral manager All of the stocks and second mortgage bonds were pur- chased by the Santa Fe in 1897, al though it did not take actual pos session of the property. From the beginning the s. F. P & P had a contract with the Santa Fe providing for 10 per cent of all through busi- ness, and this was continued. In the fall of 1895 the P. & A. C., the rival I;,a of tho C r D 2- D c,,cDendad