Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway System AND REPRESENTATIVE EMPLOYEES A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAKE SHORE & MICHIGAN SOUTHERN RAILWAY, FROM ITS INCEPTION, TOGETHER WITH INTRODUCTORY AND SUPPLEMENTARY CHAP- TERS, TRACING THE PROGRESS OF STEAM RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION FROM THE EARLIEST STAGES, IN AMERICA AND ABROAD. RECORDS OF MANY MEN WHO HAVE WORTHILY UPHELD THE INTERESTS OF THE L. S. & M. S. RY. COMPANY. ILLUSTRATED. BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, GEORGE RICHMOND, Pres.; S. HARMER NEFF, Sec'y.; C. R. ARNOLD, Treas. BUFFALO, N. Y., CHICAGO, ILL. 1900. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year ]900, by BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. PREFACE. HE preparation of a niinute and authentic history of a great railway system is a task fraught with grave responsibility. Especially is this true when such a narrative involves many processes of accretion, traces the inception and growth, at wide intervals, of separate enterprises—all destined to become integral parts of a grand whole and holds up the mirror of faithful portraiture to a succession of personages and events, spanning more than two generations. Into less than a century of railroad progress has been crowded so much of creative thought, of fervid purpose, of vehement endeavor, of inventive research and production, and of intense devotion of vital forces to the accom- plishment of great results—that no historic pen has kept pace with the wondrous unfolding. No comprehensive and coherent record is available, of the formative growth of any of the principal railway systems in this country Of railway archives, replete with historic data and prolific in personal and material information, there are none. The sole sources of primitive railway history are meager memoranda from departed pioneers in organization and construction, and the reminiscent experience of other veterans who survive. The leading men of our chief railway systems originate substantial matter for historic use. Their busy lives, however, afford no opportune leisure to formulate this valuable material into shape for enduring preservation. So rapidly has our country bounded forward since 1830, in the multiplication and extension of her railroads, that the foundation for accurate and specific narration has been left unlaid. The publishers hereof have diligently striven to make this a volume worthy of its subject, and deserving of an honored niche in the home of every subscriber. They have zealously endeavored to perpetuate within these chapters all vital and essential particulars, excluding whatever was deemed extraneous or irrelevant. Having aimed to make the work a clear, concise, comprehensive and veracious history, they now submit it to the judgment of those interested therein, with unfeigned gratitude to all who have contributed to its compilation. Much of the artistic embellishment is due to the courtesy of the Brooks Locomotive Works, of Dunkirk, N. Y., in supplying photographs of locomotives, and to the Field Columbian Museum for similar accommodation. The personal sketches in Part II, and the vivid portraits which speak from its pages, are elements of the book which greatly enhance its interest and value. Especial prominence has been given to the latter feature. The brief biographies—in essence, autobiographies—depict the individual careers of men who have worked their way up through toilsome and perilous years of endeavor. "Representative Employees" is, indeed, their rightful designation. No men are worthy of more respectful consideration than they whose lives impress a significant lesson in this biographical array. Their attainment is indicative of those manly traits that uplift and adorn our common nature—promptitude, constancy, courage, self-control and unwavering fidelity. May others, who study their lives, find therein a high incentive, and emulate the virtues conspicuous in each ! THE PUBLISHERS. CHICAGO, III., April, 1900. NOTE All the biographical sketches published in this volume were sub- mitted to their respective subjects, or to the subscribers, from whom the facts were primarily obtained, for their approval or correction before going to press; and a reasonable time was allowed in each case for the return of the typewritten copies. Most of them were returned to us within the time allotted, or before the work was printed, after being corrected or revised; and these may therefore be regarded as reasonably accurate. A few, however, were not returned to us; and, as we have no means of knowing whether they contain errors or not, we cannot vouch for their accuracy. In justice to our readers, and to render this work more valuable for reference purposes, we have indicated these uncorrected sketches by a small asterisk (*), placed immediately after the name of the subject. They will all be found on the last pages of the book. BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING CO. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Facts and Comments Bearing on the Inception and Evolution of the Idea of Steam Railroad Locomotion. CHAPTER II. Original Components of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway System. CHAPTER III. The Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad. CHAPTER IV. The Michigan Southern Railroad. CHAPTER V. The Northern Indiana Railroad. CHAPTER VI. The Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railroad. CHAPTER VII. The Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland Railroad. CHAPTER VIII. The Junction Railroad. CHAPTER IX. The Cleveland & Toledo Railroad. CHAPTER X. The Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad. CHAPTER XI. The Erie & North East Railroad. CHAPTER XII. The Buffalo & State Line and Buffalo & Erie Railroads. CHAPTER XIII. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway. CHAPTER XIV. The Rise and Fall of the Ohio Railroad Company. CHAPTER XV. Railroads and Railroading; Past and Present. CHAPTER XVI. Old-Time Newspaper Items Concerning Railroads. CHAPTER XVII. The Fastest Long Distance Railroad Run on Record. CHAPTER XVIII. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Mail Service. APPENDIX. BIOGRAPHICAL. LAKE SHORE & MICHIGAN SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM. a a CHAPTER I. FACTS AND COMMENTS BEARING ON THE INCEPTION AND EVOLUTION OF THE IDEA OF STEAM RAILROAD LOCOMOTION. N THE stately rhetoric of Macaulay's historic pages, appears an impressive conception of the importance of steam transportation as a civilizing and developing influence in I the progress of mankind. The words of that illustrious author were happily chosen as a fitting inscription to spread over the elaborate archway forming the principal entrance of the "Transportation Building" in the World's Columbian Exposition. There, for half a year, the historian's eloquent periods fixed the attention of eager throngs gathered from many lands to witness an unparalleled display of the productions of human industry and skill. They are herein introduced as prefatory to this work, and apposite to its purpose. "The chief cause which made the fusion of the different elements of society so imperfect, was the extreme difficulty which our ancestors found in passing from place to place. Of all inventions, the alphabet and the printing press alone excepted, those inven- tions which abridge distance have done most for the civilization of our species. Every improvement of the means of locomotion benefits mankind morally and intellectually as well as materially, and not only facilitates the interchange of the various productions of nature and art, but tends to remove national and provincial antipathies, and to bind together all the branches of the great human family." To what extent the railroad and locomotive have been factors in the marvelous advancement of our race during the nineteenth century, is beyond the possibility of calcu- lation. Since the era of universal activity ushered in by them, electricity has been rendered obedient to man's behests in varied forms of service. These two prime agencies of progress, together with that other marvel of our times, the modern printing press, have kept even pace in promoting the growth of nations, and have added more than the inventions of all pre- ceding generations to the general sum of happiness, wealth and knowledge. It is an interesting study to follow the successive stages in the development of the theory of applying steam power as a means of propulsion on rails. The idea first took shape in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and for the succeeding hundred years, in changing phases, occupied the attention of many ingenious thinkers in different coun- tries. At intervals of greater or less duration crude plans were devised for practical tests, and after long and intense experimentation, the dimness of the first conceptions of such a 9 10 L. S. & M. S. RAILWAY SYSTEM method of conveyance was lost in the clearer light of partial successes through the con- struction of improved designs. From these, in turn, were gradually evolved the admirable mechanisms of modern days. The earliest idea of steam locomotion on land of which any narrative is afforded was conceived by Isaac Newton, in the year 1680. His was a rude and awkward device, con- sisting of a carriage, surmounted by a spherical boiler, from the rear of which a steam pipe projected straight backward, the reactionary force of the steam issuing therefrom upon the atmosphere pushing the carriage ahead. The driver from his seat in front controlled the steam by a handle and cock. For nearly a century afterward no appreciable prog- ress was manifest in this sphere of inven- tion. At that period the sole pretense of a railway was an idea carried out by Beaumont, and was composed of narrow pieces of timber of one width. It was styled the " single way." There was no rim, and the road merely lessened the difficulty of hauling coal by reason of its even surface. The public roads of Eng- land were then graveled, and made smooth and solid by the wearing of teams and vehicles of various sorts. The next contrivance worthy of mention was that of an officer in the French artillery service named Nicholas Cugnot, the model of which is yet observ- able in the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, Paris, dated 1769.