Evening star., 1953-01-08
By W. H. shippen

~ 14C OtOV1AAcES among W01Ce
House correspondents sometimes
refer to Harry Karr as "Flat
Wheel Harry" they're only kid
ding.
Several generations Of report
ers have learned that Harry's
chief aim in life is to see that
Presidents Of the United States
ride on the finest set Of wheels
ever mounted on the rails.
They say that even when
Harry sleeps. his ears are tuned
to the harmony Of ticking rails.
weil-oiled journal boxes, locked
switches and the clatter of
echoes thrown back from trains
safely sidetracked to clear the
road for the Presidents Special.
Prowls at All Hours.
The faintest note of discord
Is enough to bounce Harry out
OF his berth. like q fireman
ready-clad for an emergency
and on the alert a. hours q day.
En- route with the Presidents, the
veteran railroader sleeps about
four hours q night and prowls
the train from engine to OBJ
servation platform the rest Of
the time.
At the age of 81, Harry A.
Karr completes so years with the
Pennsylvania Railroad tomorrow.
The gold button he is to receive
on this anniversary will be
treasured along with the me-
n1entoes Of his travels with Pres
idents Harding, Coolidge, Hoo
yer. Roosevelt and Truman.
AS passenger agent for the
Washington division since 1929,
Harry has accompanied many
celebrities, in addition to the
Presidents, on their rail jour-
neys-Winston Churchill, Gen.
Eisenhower and Nine. Chaing
Kai-Shek, to mention few.
Love Of Horses Started It.
Harry took up railroading in
his early teens because Of all
things, he was infatuated with
- 11ne horses. He earned $27.50 a
month for thirty 12-hour days
as cashier at the Pennsylvania's
elegant cab service in New York.
From a stable near the station
at the West Twenty-t third street
ferry. the railroads smart VIC
torias. hanson cabs and coaches
famed out all over town to de-
liver well-to-do passengers to
their homes or hotels. The Nor
gans and the Vanderbilts were
hInored patrons. Hafry's young
friends envied him his job near
the highbred horses of harness
racing stock.
Harry later was transferred to
Baltimore and came to the Cap
ital in 1922 as passenger agent at
Union Station. Shortly there
after. he began to meet the great
and the near-great.
He Gets q Midnight Call.
The newcomer received an
inkling of what his Washington
job might lead to shortly after
the death of President Harding,
on August 2, 1923. He was called
at midnight by Ted Clark, secre-
tary to Vice President Coolidge.
and urged to hurry to the CEN
tral Office Of the telephone COM
pany.
Mr.. Karr reached the Office
In 10 minutes behind a, police
escort.
''Mr. Clark was in the SWITCH
board room talking with Chief
Justice Hughes about arrange
ments for Mr.. Coolidge to be
sworn in as President by his
father in Plymouth. Vt.," Mr..
Karr said.
The railroader listened in, on
the solemn. early morning GER
emony in the Vermont village
and then made arrangements for
q special train to bring the new
President and his party to
Washington. But MIR. Coolidge
never took to special trains.
When he learned they cost extra.
he put his foot down with all
the flnality of frugal nature.
It Didn't Work Out.
AS a result. Mr.. Karr recalled,
the B. & O. Railroad was called
upon to attach the Presidents
special car to a regular train
to st. Paul, MINI. Mr.. Coolidge
was to attend an. American
Legion convention there.
But the task of fitting a presi-
Dental party into a regular
schedule proved a strain on all
concerned = the railroads in
volved, the Secret Service and
the special security details along
the right-of-way.
After that. the railroads serv-
ing Washington got together and
agreed they would run specials
for presidential parties but they
would call the trains "extras"
and charge only the regular
fares. They have lost money on
the service since the Coolidge adj
ministration but. as Mr.. Karr
explains:
Railroad men consider it an
honor and privilege to get the
Presidents business"
The White House requests the
service with as much impartiality
as possible. It has been found
practical, however. for one rail-
road to carry through on the
whole trip, although this may
involve the use of numerous rail
facilities.
Reporter Gets An Idea.
It was an extra" and not
special" train that took Mr..
Coolidge to Boston to another
Legion convention. One Wash-
igton reporter anxious to break
down the Presidents reluctance
to being remembered as q chat
terfOx left the special verv earlv