The Coolidge examiner., 1931-04-10

E them a thrill.
They hoped to
rise that high in the world them
selves some day in the future.
Patrick e. Crowley shared the
ambition of his playmates to be-
come first-class railroad man.
He was born in house near the
tracks of the Erie in 1864. His
father had worked on the Erie for
years. He was the station agent
at Cattaraugus and as such was
man of authority and prestige in
the little railroad community.
The yOungSter knew the lam
guage of the railroad almost as
soon as he was able to talk. His
ears would tell him when the
putting engines were in need of re-
pairs or Overhauling before he was
ten years old. He could tell at q
glance the condition of the rolling
stock as it passed through Catta-
raugus. He was inquisitive and
friendly with the train crews from
the time he was able to get
around alone.
He was wiry yOungster, rather
on the SmalliSh size. While he
played in the fields with the other
boys, he managed to spend much
fathers little office. He took par
ticular interest in the work of the
train dispatcher.
His mind was made up while he
was in grammar school that he
would seek job on the railroad
as soon as his father would per
NIT. In those days the generally
accepted way TO learn the business
was to begin young and work your
way up. The boys father thought
| that as long as he was so anxious
to start railroading he might as
well pass up high school educa-
! ton.
SO the lad left school when he
was fourteen years old and went
| to work as a messenger and odd
! job boy for the Erie in his home
town. Each month his pay enve-
Iope contained So While that
wasn't much financial incentive
the yOungster was satisfied and
proud of being a wage Garner. He
was learning the business he liked,
! getting a lot of fun out of it and
being paid in the bargain.
Getting up at 5 80 in the morn
ing, going 20 work at seven
o'clock and not finishing the days
tasks until nine o'clock at night.
might not seem so much fun to
boys of the present day. But
young Crowley thrived on the hard
| grind. His thin legs carried him
over many mile in the course of
an average days work as messen-
| ger.
When he wasn't on the jump he
sat and watched the telegraph OPP
orator at his work. There was
something in the click of the in
Strument that seemed to fascinate
the lad. The train dispatcher, not
ing his interest, helped him to
learn the Morse code. The boy
proved to be a mighty apt pupil.
By the time he was sixteen he was
a full fledged operator.
Most boys would have gone to
bed as soon as they arrived home
from such a hard days work as
this youngster put in. But not
young Crowley. He was a great
reader of history and technical
books dealing with railroad prob
lens. Often he remained up read
ing until midnight or later. In
this way he continued the educa-
ton that was halted, so far as
school was concerned, when he
finished his grammar school
course.
Long before he was able to vote
he was known as boy who al
ways was on the job, who studied
it thoroughly until he knew his
particular work better than any,
one else. 1t wasn't so strange, in
view of this, that when he put his
mind to it he became an expert
telegrapher at the age of sixteen.
The Erie sent him to Custer City,
Pa, as telegraph operator. There
were only a couple of trains day
at the little way station, but 1t
was a start for the boy. He didn't
remain there long. Soon he was
transferred to Buffalo and became
a train dispatcher at an important
point.
He continued to be wide read
er of good literature in his spare
moments, burning the midnight oil
to improve his mind. He worked
as hard as he had done on his first
Job. He was gaining a thorough
foundation in railroading. He
went with the New York Central
In 1890 as a train dispatcher. Next
he became chief of the department
and then chief train master. He
was already a man marked for
promotion.
When he was offered the place
of superintendent of the Pennsyl-
vania division of the Central SyS-
TEN, he refused it at first. He
was so modest he didn't think he
deserved such an important post.
Friends persuaded him to change
his mind.
From then on his promotion was
steady and sure until he was
named president of the vast Cen
tral system. His thoroughness in