The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-20
Martin Gavin Death of Veteran Rail- road Man Is Widely Mourned by Legion of Friends.
BY THE OUT EASTER

01 AAG OO1 E20 \ GAe
 In the death the other day of Martin Gavin of the Brooklyn district, Waterbury has lost a tried and true citizen, one who led a life of quietness and good, and whose voice was seldom heard above a whisper by his many associates of the numerous years he had lived in this city.
 Martin was railroad man from boyhood practically, for he was only "a young lad" when he first took up his work with the old New England railroad. But he was a strong, healthy look ing, and active little fellow, and was never afraid of work. He al- most loved it, as we judged in our survey of him in the old days down around muddy Mea- dow street, when Waterbury lacked the paved or oiled high ways we now find all over the city.
 Martin Gavin fired" for the late Jim Mulligan of the west end, an engineer of the old school who always brought a train into Waterbury from Hartford about noon of each day, except Sunday. It was at a time when the old time drummer" travelled exten- sively, with several trunks in the baggage car, containing various samples of his wares. And when the train arrived, the late Billy Peters of Peters and Boucher, express men, with an office in "a hole in the wall' near Hod- sons in Exchange place, would take their checks, load the lug gage onto his truck, and either deposit 1t at the Scovill house, the Franklin house, The Exchange hotel now Hodson's, or the va rious smaller lodging houses that Waterbury had just about the tune 1900 reached us. But the travelling man of that time, was generally a high flyer" and those who patronized Billy Peters generally stopped at the best in the city. the Scovill house. At night, they sat peacefully on the tTont porch, sinking in the beau- ties of our fine old Green, and occasionally throwing a sly eye at the handsome young giggling girls, out for a stroll through the park to listen to the band con- Oerts and possibly for a straw berry soda" at Dexter's, if they happened to meet their boy friend in the crowd.
 And Martin Gavin's death re- minds us of the old red ball down at the intersection of the Nauga- tuck division and New England Railroad tracks, just south of the old New England station. Jimmy Dawson, a crippled railroad man, well liked and popular, operated the ball. If Naugatuck train was on its way, Jimmy hoisted the red ball indicative of danger to the approaching New England train. For years, it was Martins habit to catch Jimmy's signal as his train went in the direction of the round house in the Brooklyn dis trict.
 The late Charley Haugh was the baggagemaster of the New Eng land, the good MT. Murphy was his assistant, MT. Manwaring sold tickets, Mike Leary was the freight agent, Cedar street ran from the station to the foot of Grand street. Livery street, ran easterly to Hall street and Hall street was just off Grand street, beyond the Bronson Library. The new Library park did away with both Livery street and Hall street and the railroad changes of 30 years ago gobbled up what was once Cedar street.
 Martin Gavin witnessed all of these changes. He knew every inch of ground and track of the old railroad: he knew every siding and its exact distance in track age; he knew every old time rail- road man: he had their conf1d- ence and good will, respect and admiration.
 There was every reason why the world should like Martin Gavin. He was fair, just and de- cent, without semblance of anti feeling toward 8 soul. He went his way daily, respected those of his superiors, acknowledged to full degree the laws of the land, and never once did thing of an ob- jectionable nature.
 We liked and admired him for what he was; what he was to his fine family; what he was to his church; what he was to the com- munity in which he lived, and the city of his residence.
 For the past few years he was retired, but we met him occa- Sionaly on the street, going his way, the same as he did in the old days as he walked from his home to the old round house.
 His pals, many of them of by gone days, went before he did; he never forgot them in his prayers, in his thoughts, or in his mind. They were 8 fine lot," he used to say.
 Yes sir, they were, and Martin Gavin was also one of the fine lot"