The trail of the swinging lanterns : $b a racy, railroading review of transportation matters, methods and men — John Shaqi
The trail of the swinging lanterns : $b a racy, railroading review of transportation matters, methods and menCopeland, John Morison
History
The trail of the swinging lanterns : $b a racy, railroading review of transportation matters, methods and men
Copeland, John Morison
Railroads -- Canada
John Morley long ago forsook the excitement of the road. He died at
Winnipeg during the summer of 1908, and interment occurred at Toronto,
where his family is well known. The mantle of these gentlemen fell
naturally on the shoulders of a sturdy Spartan, Burton H. Bennett,
cryptic, yet merry, who jumped into the game with a will and has won an
enviable reputation in the dual position.
The “Burlington Road” was right up on the firing line, looked after by
a gentleman bearing the uncurtailed and historic cognomen, John Quincy
Adams Bean, from “way down east.” After him, in order, appeared Messrs.
Badgeley, Simpson and John A. Yorick. The late Joe Simpson was always
happy if his road secured patronage in regular twos and threes. Not
every one knows that he was for a few hours an unwilling guest of the
“Fenian” leader O’Neil in 1866, and had been with M.K. & T. and T.St.L.
& K.C.
Brilliant, well-informed, J. Francis Lee represented the “Rock
Island-Albert Lea” combination, D. J. Peace sought freight for them
and Eben MacLeod was located at Montreal somewhat later for “C.R.I. &
P.” Such watchful competitors as “Great Western Railway,” featured by
Messrs. Ridgedale, Noyes, Storr and Baker, and “Union Pacific Ry.” with
Ira P. Griswold in the van, M. C. Dickson and J. O. Goodsell holding
power later, before Geo. Vaux and J. J. Rose took up their work.
Charles A. Florence, an “Illinois Central” Agent, made Berlin--now
Kitchener--his headquarters.
[Illustration: GEO. B. WYLIE
Traveling Passenger Agent Illinois Central Railroad]
The “All Rail” mediums then available for transporting man and beast
destined California, the Dakotas and Manitoba from Old Ontario,
were “Grand Trunk,” “Great Western,” “Credit Valley,” and “Canada
Southern,” covering the distance as far as St. Thomas and Detroit,
thence via “Michigan Central” and Wabash Railroads to Chicago. Tom
Cochrane, R. W. Youngs, Bob Middleton, J. W. Kearns and G. C. Wilson
follow the footsteps of predecessors and patrol that neighborhood now.
As travel increased from a dozen or two people to an occasional weekly
carload, and more, the number of migratory railroaders multiplied.
Oldtimers will recollect some of those big hearted, brainy hustlers
including Sam Seymour of the “Pennsylvania,” Dave Cavan, formerly of
Stratford, John Laven, off the “Iron Mountain,” representing “M.C.R.,”
Charles Ousterhouse, T.P.A. N.Y.C. Lines, Geo. B. Wyllie for “L.S. &
M.S.” and later in full charge of “Ill. Cent. Ry.” affairs in Canada,
and the late much lamented J. Nelles Bastedo, who shipped from Barlow
Cumberland’s service several years ago to travel for “Santa Fe System.”
Joe Rattenbury, who twenty-five to thirty years back used to stow away
at his place in Clinton in one night as many as 18 of these railroading
nomads and cosmopolitans, often repeats a story the wiseacres will
recollect about his brother “Ike” and laconic “Bass.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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