The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-10-10
HONOR MEMORY
CAR F0REMEN BY
PLANTING TREE
Celebration OF Rock Islands Seventy
Years OF Service" Brings To-
pether Road Officials and
Workers and Town Folks.
LYNCH PAYS TENDER
TRIBUTE TO DECEASED
Superintendent Sketches History OF
Road--To Span Continent Goal
OF BuiIders-Carmlehael
Speaks for Chlokasha.

OfiiclulS ana employees OF tue hock
Island today joined with citizens OF
this city in performing Chicka-
shas part in the great railroads
celebration OF It's seventy years of
service to the nation.
Perhaps the most impressive part
OF the program. came when Teddy
0Brien. who has served SO years
In the bridge department OF the
road aud Frank Blankenship, whose
period OF service in the track de-
partment OF the road dates an equal
number of years. planted tree on
the lawn near the southwest corner
OF the passenger station. in men,
ory of and honoring William j.
LoFsden. deceased. who was car
foreman OF the local Rock Island
plant when death claimed In June
of this year.
ter a short talk by John Lynch.
roadmastel in which he referred
in tender terms to the friendship
he held for the deceased and Of the
long and faithful service rendered
by Mr.. Logsden to the Rock Island.
Seated near the tree We're Mrs.
Logsden. widow of the man hon
ored and her eight children. As the
dirt was being placed about the
roots of the tree. George II. Pretty,
general foreman. unveiled tablet
Inscribed TO the memory OF Mr..
Logsden and read poem. dedicated
to a tree Mr. Pretty named the
tree in memory of William J. Logs
den.
Division Superintendent Talks.
O. l.. Bingham. president of the
Chickasha Chamber of Commerce,
acting as chairman. introduced j.
A. McDougal, superintendent of the
Oklahoma division of the Rock
Island
Mr.. McDougal explained the pur-
poses of the meeting, stating that
it was to celebrate the seventy
years of service and to honor the
memory of faithful employe of
the road and a friend. He told of
the start of the Rock Island, 40
years ago, when at 10 o'clock a. M,
October TO- 1852, the first engine
pulled train of three small cars
out of the station at Chicago on its
THAT engine said Mr.. McDou-
gal, was so small that it would not
pull even one of our .present-day
steel coaches. II was able to pull
seven coaches of those days
The vision of the men who started
the Rock Island the speaker de-
clared was to span the continent
with great railway system This,
he pointed out, was well along the
road to completion and he predict
ed that the ultimate goal would be
reached The Rock Island, he stat
ed, has in Oklahoma, 1850 miles Of
road and that in the nation, the
system operates 8,100 miles of road.
There are. he said, $4,000 employees
Of the system.
How Spanned Mississippi.
Mr.. McDougal told Of the trials
the Rock Island has experienced in
building the present system. After
we had built to Joliet we continued
until we reached Davenport he
said There an obstacle was en-
countered that was considered i'm
possible to overcome. The laws
would not permit the Mississippi
river to be bridged, on the grounds
that it would stop the beat traffic
on the stream which was then the
main transportation medium from
north to south.
"Officials Of the road consulted
and decided that one man and one
man only could devise a plan by
which the necessary legislation
could be passed, permitting the
Rock Island to Bridge the Mississip-
nj. That man AAs Abraham Lincoln.
Therefore he was employed as an
attorney for the Rock Island ana
through his efforts the first bridge
was built and it was the Rock Island
which first opened lane OF raii
travel from the east to the west.
Carmichael In Speech,
II. D. Carmichael local attorney,
speaking for Chickasha. referred to
this city as child of the ROCK
Jsland.' stating that without the
railway system. Chickasha never
would have become city