Sunday
PART TWO
EDITORIAL
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
PART TWO
SOCIETY
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
VOL. XLIIt-NO. 29.
OMAHA, SUN1AY MORNING, t1ANlTARY 5, I'M.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
sam ! WJiLMx.iwft-'iiiiu' ,; , i i "' 11 -r
The
Omaha
Bee
Omaha Men Well Withstand Passage of Twenty Years
whose pictures are produced, show them as they
looked more than twenty years ago, and also as
they look at the present time. By comparing 'the
pictures of twenty yearsago and now, It will bo
noted that while time has treated the men kindly,
it has plucked out a few hairs here and there and
that it has played havoc with many mustaches.
Still, perhaps, time is not responsible for the loss
of beards and muBtaches. Twenty ye'ars ago it was
considered quite the thins and was very manly to
wear whiskers. It fa different now, and ho smooth
face, without tho sign of a beard, is quito the
thing.
Of the Omaiia men whose pictures are hero pro
duced, they are all knoWn. by the majority of
Omaha people. Some are among tho pioneers, and
all of them have been active in railroad circles. In
the railroad world, many of them have been
moulders of opinion, having risen from the ranks
to places of distinction and responsibility, but they
have kept on railroading, tho prevalent idea being
that once a railroad man, always one. If they are
good ones, they stay by tho game until they die, or
become so old that they are retired on pension.
Omaha railroad men, however, aro not of the kind
to wither up and go upon tho pension list. They
aro too good for the pension rolls and conse
quently, as a rule, they keop right on receiving
promotion after promotion until called by the grim
reaper.
J. A. Munroe, vice president and general freight
traffic manager of the Union Pacific, is a fine ex
ample of the ability of Omaha railroad men to de
velop into comers, He was born some sixty years
pgo down in the old whaling town of Bedford,
Mass. His father was a minister, and it was the
desire of this father that tho son should follow in
his footsteps. He was educated for the calling, re
ceiving his degree from Andover college, and later
studying at Dartmouth. About this time young
Munroe heard the call of the wild and rame to Wis
consin. There he got a clerkship with the old
Green Bay & Minnesota road. He showed marked
ability, and other roads were looking for Just such
young men as J. A. Munroe. The next tiling that
was heard of him he was a general freight agent,
and in 1882 he came to the Union Pacific as as
sistant general freight agent. Two years later he
became general freight agent, remaining In that
capacity until Harriman took over the Overland.
Harriman was looking for just such men, and in
the reorganization that later occurred; Mr. Munroe
was promoted to the high position of general
traffic manager, with the(tltle of vice president.
A glance at the two pictures shows that ho has
not changed much In twenty or more years. He
has tho same kind and cheerful face as he carried
two decades ago, and his personality, a most de
lightful one, is the same.
Fred A. Nash is another Omr.ua railroad man
who has raced along with Father Time and has
come close to beating the old gentleman at jils own
game. It will be seen that Father Time has re
moved a bit of Mr. NaBh's hair, but he, himself, re
moved'tho mustache, not to make himself, look any
younger, but because his friends tell him that the
elimination Improves' his looks.
Mr. NaBh has been a railroader for more than
forty-flvo years and has made goo 1, now being gen
eral western agent of the Mllwiukee. However,
he was not always a general agent, for he started,
in his career on the top of a freight train on the
Union Pacific, twisting brakes. That was in 18C7,
and he "broke freights" between Omaha and North"
Platte. He was not made of tlu Etuff to evor ride
a freight, and inside of a yenr he was a conductor.
Then he went into the general freight office, and
in 1875 was given a station at Floyd, Colo. In
1877 he was called to Omaha and appointed chief
clerk In tho office of the general superintendent,
and in a short time waB filling the position of mas
ter of transportation. In the early eighties, the
Milwaukee peoplo got a line on him and ho went
to Milwaukee as superintendent of the Wisconsin
lines of the Chicago, Mllwaukeo U St. Paul road.
It was during his early employment on the Milwau
kee that ho met and formed a lasting friendship
with President Earllng of that road. That rela
tionship has always continued, and while it is de
nied' by Mr. Nash, his friends say that ho Is the
closest to the president of the Milwaukee road of
any official on tho system. In 1882 Mr. Nash was
appointed general western agent of the Milwaukee,
a position that he has since held. f
Thomas F. Godfrey is one of tho Old Guard.
He was born in Philadelphia, and. before ho was
out of kilts he had decided that he would be a
railroad man. When ho went to school, with his
pet Idea uppermost In his mind, he studied civil
engineering. Later he changed his mind and in
stead of bulldingy railroads, concluded to have
something to do with running them. In 1870 he
went with the Heading, and In 1875 Joined forces
-with tho Pennsylvania as train agent, having
charge of handling transportation during the Cen
tennial cxpoBltiou. Thou ho came west, and for
two years was with tho Rock Island nt Atchison,
Kan., resigning to accept a position with the Mis
souri Pacific, vlth which company ho haa since re
mained. For years ho has been agent of tho pas
senger department In this city, his Jurisdiction cov
ering all of Nebraska and a greater portion of
Kansas.
Harry E. Moores belongs to the younger gener
ation of railroad men. And while reasonably
young In yoars, he Is old In experience. You might
say that he was born in a railroad office. His
father, the lato Frank E, Moores, was among the
first of tho Wabash agents in Omaha, and when
Harry was 4 or C years of age, his father had him
at the office, and oven then let him sell tickets.
That was thirty years ago. When his father re
signed afi agent of tho Wabash in Omaha, Harry
fell Into the vacancy, continuing to hold the posi
tion until some two or threo years ago, whon ho re
signed to accept a position as traveling passongor
agent of tho Milwaukee, with headquarters In -Chicago,
where ho has since resided.
If you saw Court S. Carrier, the genial agent of
the Milwaukee's passenger department, twenty
years ago, and then saw him now, you would not
recognize him. In, those days hn wore a full beard
that was his pride and joy. Now he has followed
the fad and the beard has disappeared. In point
of continuous railroading, ho cornea pretty close to
being tho dean of tho Omaha fraternity, for ho has
been In tho work nearly fifty years, having started
as a telegraph boy when he was wearing short
pants, lu 18GG he got his first Job with the Rock
Island and it was over in a little town in eastorn
John
Iowa. Even at that time he was so small that in
ordor to got nt tho telegraph key on tho tablo, he
had to sit on a soap box placed on his chair. In
1872 Mr. Carrlor cast his lot with the Union Pa
cific, selling tickets at the old Union depot. Ho
continued with this company, resigning lu 1887, to
uccopt a position that he still occupies in the Mil
waukee's city ticket office In Omaha.
Although Oeorgo F. WoBt Is out of tho railroad
business now and one of tho hoads of a big transfer
concern, he lias spent most of his life listening to
the call of the rails, getting out of this line of work
only a year ago. As early as 1S80, when he was
but 15 years of age, young West became a tele
graph operator In the employ of the Grand Trunk,
subsequently going to the Peoria & Pekln, and
later to tho Bloomlngton & WcBtern, Joining forces
with tho Northwestern lu 1882, taking tho position
of operator and ticket agent at Marshalttown, In.
Then he was transferred to Cedar Haplds, remain
ing thero until 1887, when ho cumu to Omaha as
city passengor agent, later being promoted to gen
eral agent of the passenger department. This po
sition he held until last year, when he .wont Into
business for himself. Besides being a railroad and
transportation man, Mr. West Is something of a
horticulturist, developing and owning ono of the
best and most productive fruit farms in this local
ity. It Is a short distanoo north of Florence.
John Mellon, general agent of the freight and
passongor departments of 'the Northwestern in Ne
braska, is another railroad man who has made
good. Mr. Molten started in on his railroad career
twonty-ftve years ago as a telegraph operator, han
dling the yard business at Clinton, la. In a short
time he was' given u better Job and a few years
latpr came to Omuha with W, N. Babcock, goneral
agent, occupying the position of stenographer.
Having gotten where his work cnllod attention
' to his ability, the rlBe of young Mollen was rapid
after that. n a few months ho was appointed chief
clork in the general offices here and then traveling
freight agent. " One year ago he was promoted to
his present position. Besides' doing efficient work
for the Northwestern, Mr. Mollen finds time for
recroation. lie is an all-'round athlete and one of
the most active members of tho Omaha. Rod and
Gun club. Ho Is also very actlvo in Young Men's
Christian association work.
J. 0. Phlllippl, with the Missouri PAdflc, with
the exception of two years, has been in- railroad
work since 1870. A fow years ago ho broko Into
politics and was elected a member of the Board of
Education In this city. Resigning his position with
tho Gould system he entered the insurance field.
Tho now work was not Just what he liked and after
serving oue term he returned to his old love.
Mr. Phlllippl began his railroad career as a
telegraph operator with what was then the North
Missouri, now part of tho Wabash system. He was
at Ottumwa, la. Two years later ho went to the
Burlington, taking the agency at Plattsmouth, and
In 1870 was promoted to tho general agency at
Council Bluffs, In 1880 he was made superin
tendent of Burlington lines west of the Missouri,
with headquarters In Lincoln. In 1882 he quit the
Burlington and took a general agency with the
Santa Fe, being located in Chicago. Then he was
promoted to assistant goneral freight agent, having
charge of the business between Pittsburgh, Pa.,
nnd tho Missouri river. In 1888 he resigned and
cant his lot with the Missouri Pacific and has been
with that company ever since with tho exception
of the short time that ho was in politics.
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