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
It was George T. Lanigan, a New York Journalist, who some years ago
wrote “The Akoond of Swat is dead--that’s what’s the matter”, which
made him over night one of America’s high salaried, most talked of
newspaper men, and his brother “Billy” has oratorical gifts and is
lucid with tongue and pen. He is an effective and witty after dinner
speaker who can be depended on to drive home facts in a pleasing
manner, and in 1900 when the late Phil. Slatter, City Passenger Agent,
Grand Trunk Railway, Toronto, was president of the Canadian Ticket
Agents’ Association, Mr. Lanigan delivered to that organization at
their annual banquet in the Walker House, Toronto, a humorous and
finished address proving that Moses was the first genuine passenger
emigration agent and that the very widely known and popular “C.P.R.”
official, W. T. Dockrill, was the second because of his marked success
in directing large parties of settlers beyond the Red River.
W. B. Lanigan has not been unmindful of former assistants and several
from Old Ontario, having merited his imprimatur, followed him westward
and are justifying his confidence.
The United States railway world has produced from time to time, and
held up to democratic public approval, scores of men of indomitable
will and working capacity who have wrested recognition and advancement
“from the ground up” to the highest executive honors capital could
bestow; for instance, C. W. Brown, president of the New York Central
Lines, who once piled ties along the C.M. & St. P.R., for a living, or
rodmen who now control the great United States Government affinity,
the Pennsylvania System, as well as a few naturalized “Americans”
with Canadian lines, but I do not recall a “native son”, laboring
always with one company, whose record surpasses the many sided
experiences--hard at the time--of the official who has been for ten
years Assistant Freight Traffic Manager at Winnipeg. This golden west
gateway is a strategical point to the wide-a-wake corporation employing
W. B. Lanigan, he measures up to requirements.
As this article goes to press his appointment as Freight Traffic
Manager, Canadian Pacific Railway, Montreal, is announced.
❦ ❦ ❦
JAMES CHARLTON
The Nestor and Grand Old Man among passenger agents
[Illustration: The Late JAMES CHARLTON.]
At no period in the world’s history have those fundamentals of a
stable, social structure--morals, fidelity and sympathy--been burdened
with more significance to humanity than at present and in alluding to
the strengthening bonds which link three Anglo-Saxon nations, it would
seem not inopportune to dwell on the characteristics of a gentleman,
a Briton who was highly endowed with those basic virtues and who, in
passing, left their indelible impress on his personal relations and
throughout a long life of active railway experience in England, Canada
and United States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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