The Nome nugget., 1931-01-10
RAILRCAD PRESiDENr DEAD

CHICAGO, Jan. s, uP) Charles
 Henry Markham, President of the
 Illinois Central Railroad, died hore
 today following q short Illness.
 which had confined him to his
 bed slightly more than week.
 Following is a graphic descrip
 Ii T of his ri from a section hand to the top-most post in the raj
 road industry.
 Charles Henry Markham. as
 president of the Illinois Central
 Railroad. became leader in the railroad frat arnity. electrified the roads Chicago terminals. and in
 fifteen years doubled the assets of the system
 Beginning at the proyerhial bot tom of the business he devoted his life to it, with the exception of six years spent in the oil industry.
 First substantial recognition of his organizing abilities came in 1911, when he gained the presi. dency and nine years later he in angurated radical changes in op- eration and policy which marked his vision.
 Al time when most railroads were retrenching in the wake or the postwar defiation. he spon- sored the appropriation of one hun dred million dollars to elec,rify the Illinois Central's Chicago terminals. This doubled the speed of trains within city limits rid the city of it's principal smoke nuisance and began d movement for electrifca- ton of other terminals there. The system had physical assets of 3oO,00o,000 on his ascendencv, and the doubling of this sum show ed th" profits accrujng from q systematic campaign of taking tho public mo she confidence of uriI, htv operation. His plans crystalliz- ed in 1920, when he said:
 "The public is going to run the railroads from now on. IL is run ming tn" Illinois Central now"
 He inansuratod the first conso- cutive series of advertisements ev- CT run in newspapers by railroads, issuing monthly bulletin to aid his employees in keeping the com 1nnnitieS served by the road in ton"h with i's affairs. and solicit ed lette"s from the public. The,o received his careful attention
 Born .n ClarkSvile, Tom. on May 22. 1861, and schooled brief ly at Alison N. Y. 10 which his parcn's moved when he was q boy, Markham entered raiIroadinr on a handcar.
 Al twenty Ar was a section hand in Kansas on the Atchison. Topeka, and santa Fc. At forty. however, he gave up the assistant traffic manasership of the sonth- eFn Pacific 10 heromp vice presi- dent of rhe Houston and Texas Central road. and although in the next decade he spent six years in 'he oil business, he came back in , 1911 to his first love, as presiden, /, of the Illinois Central.
 The most uCfablp of thn ,,.,,, he carried out as president of the road was the elec trfication of the Chicago Termjn- al Ninety million dollars were expended in substituting electric enE nei for steam in creating new freight classification yard: in construction of new passenger and suburban terminals: in e,mination 'f every grade crossing within the limits of Chicago and its suburbs. and in prepa ration for eventual el sctrification of all freight handling It the terminal and for extension of he road northward.
 The Illinois Central was the first II the scores of lines emanating rom the nations railroad center in .dapt electricity to it's terminal 'roblems
 Markham's twin powers of fore eeing business conditions and of licking and rplyinp unop .-o.n4. l