Erie Railroad Regional Officials, 1920
Erie's New Regional Officials
From the June, 1920 issue of Erie Railroad Magazine:
When the railroads returned to private ownership March 1, 1920, after about two years of governmental control, general reorganizations occurred, which necessitated many official changes.
The Erie Railroad was divided into four regions, each with a full complement of officials. These regions are known as the New York, Hornell, Ohio and Chicago.
Among the official appointments are those whose portraits appear herewith.
NEW YORK REGION
H.C. SNYDER, general freight and passenger agent, with headquarters at 63 Vesey street, New York City, is a native of Delaware Water Gap, PA, and was educated in the public schools and Belvidere, NJ seminary. He began railroad life as agent and operator on the L&H railroad. He then became agent of the Erie at Ramapo, NY; agent, Middletown, NY; agent, Newark, NJ; general agent, Newark; agent, Paterson, N. J.; division freight agent, Bradford, Pa.; division freight agent, Youngstown, O.; division freight agent, Buffalo, N. Y.; assistant general freight agent, Chicago, IL.; general freight agent, Chicago; general freight and passenger agent, New York.
E. J. BAUER is superintendent of lighterage and foreign freight department New York city. He entered the Erie service as clerk in the general agent's office, New York city. He has been successively chief clerk at Duane street station; agent, Pier 7, East river; agent at Jersey City local station; agent at Long Dock, Jersey City.
A. K. STONE, safety supervisor, began railroad service with the C. B. & Q. as brakeman. He later filled the position of division superintendent for eight years. He was in charge of transportation of the Panama Canal and Panama railroad. He came to the Erie as safety supervisor in 1918.
ALVA C. ELSTON, general superintendent, NYS&W division, entered the service of that company, now a division of the Erie, in 1880 as operator. He became agent, dispatcher and chief dispatcher until 1902, when he was transferred to division operator on the Erie. In 1903 he was appointed superintendent of the NYS&W. From August, 1904, to June, 1910, he was superintendent of the New York division and side lines, being transferred to Buffalo as division superintendent. In 1912 he became general agent at Chicago. In 1913 he again resumed the superintendency of the New York division and side lines. In November, 1916, he was appointed general superintendent of the NYS&W.
H. W. ANDRUS, claim agent. New York region, hails from Cleveland, Ohio, in whose public schools his education began. He graduated from the School of Applied Science and the Western Reserve Law School in that city, and was later admitted to the Ohio bar. His first connection with the Erie was in 1902, when he was appointed special agent, Claim department. In 1905 he was made assistant claim agent, both of these promotions being in Cleveland. In 1906 he was promoted to claim agent, with headquarters in New York, which position he held until the four regions were established, when he was appointed claim agent, New York region.
ARTHUR B. SHAFER, superintendent of the Delaware and Jefferson divisions, is a native of Milford, N. J., and was first a telegrapher on the P.R.R. Successively he filled the following positions: Operator, L. V. R. R.; agent, L. & H. R. R.; operator. C. N. E. & W. R. R.; extra operator, N. Y. & N. E. R. R.; agent, L. & H. R. R.; agent, W. B. & E. R. R.; dispatcher's operator, NYS&W, Jersey City; dispatcher, NYS&W; chief dispatcher, NYS&W; trainmaster, WB&E; assistant superintendent, NYS&W and WB&E; superintendent, NYS&W; assistant to general superintendent, Erie; superintendent, Delaware and Jefferson divisions.
A. D. PARSONS, superintendent of the Wyoming division, is a native of New Britain, Conn. He entered the service of the N. Y., N. H. & H. as rodman, and was with that railroad from 1904 until 1905, when he came with the Erie as draftsman. He was successively levelman, draftsman, concrete inspector, resident engineer, division engineer, assistant superintendent and superintendent.
HORNELL REGION
EDWIN H. BUHLMAN, superintendent of transportation, has the following record with the Erie: Timekeeper, Susquehanna boiler shop; file clerk and stenographer, master mechanic's office, Susquehanna; stenographer, master mechanic's office, Hornell; clerk and stenographer, office supervisor of locomotive operation, New York city; stenographer and clerk, office of general superintendent, New York city; correspondence clerk, office of general superintendent, New York city; assistant chief clerk, office of general superintendent, New York city; chief clerk, office of general superintendent, New York city; trainmaster, Meadville division; superintendent, Meadville division; superintendent of transportation, Hornell region.
W. JAY FOSTER, regional engineer, is a native of Honesdale, Pa., and is a graduate of the Middletown, N.Y., academy. He has been continuously with the Erie since July, 1893, with the exception of one year. He has been chainman, rodman, track supervisor's and master carpenter's clerk, Buffalo division; engineer in charge of construction department; assistant engineer, Susquehanna division. In 1906 he was appointed assistant to engineer of grade crossings; resident engineer in charge of construction. Grade Crossing department; district engineer in charge of second track and grade reduction, C. & E. division; engineer of grade crossings; assistant superintendent of construction; regional engineer.
J. D. RAHALEY, superintendent of the Susquehanna division, entered the service of the Erie as telegrapher, and has been successively agent, yardmaster, dispatcher, chief dispatcher, trainmaster, superintendent of the Delaware and Jefferson divisions, and superintendent of the Susquehanna division.
E. J. EDMUNDS, superintendent of the Allegheny and Bradford divisions, has the following record with the Erie: Clerk, superintendent's office, Buffalo, N. Y.; car distributer and telegrapher, superintendent's office, Buffalo; assistant division clerk, Buffalo division; division clerk, Buffalo division; trainmaster, Buffalo division; superintendent, Wyoming division; superintendent, Delaware division; superintendent, Allegheny and Bradford divisions.
JESSE G. JUNE, superintendent of the Buffalo division, entered railroad work in the Engineering department of the Lehigh Valley railroad in 1884, and remained until 1906; roadmaster, Union Pacific; supervisor of tracks, Erie, at Stroudsburg; assistant to division engineer, New York division; engineer, Buffalo division; division engineer, New York division; assistant superintendent, New York Terminal division; superintendent, New York terminal division; superintendent, Allegheny division; superintendent, Buffalo division.
A. B. CALDWELL, superintendent, Rochester division, entered the Erie service as transitman, NYS&W division; transitman, New York division; assistant supervisor of terminals, Jersey City; supervisor, Northern Railroad of New Jersey division and New Jersey & New York railroad; assistant division engineer, New York division; division engineer, NYS&W division; division engineer, Allegany and Bradford divisions; assistant trainmaster, Susquehanna and Tioga divisions; trainmaster, Susquehanna and Tioga divisions; trainmaster, Buffalo division; superintendent, Rochester division.
CHARLES JAMES, mechanical superintendent, has served as machinist, roundhouse foreman, engine dispatcher, gang foreman, general foreman, Chicago, Huntington, Hornell and Port Jervis; master mechanic, Avon, Galion, Port Jervis and Jersey City; mechanical superintendent, Cleveland and Chicago & Erie division; is a Western man.
T. J. TALBOT, superintendent of stores, entered the Erie service as call boy, and advanced as follows: Machinist helper, stockkeeper, clerk in offices of general foreman and master mechanic; chief clerk, office of master mechanic; storekeeper, Hornell; chief clerk, office of mechanical superintendent, Lines West; same at Cleveland and Youngstown; special agent, staff of general mechanical superintendent; superintendent of stores, Hornell.
J. H. MAYER, chief of police, entered the service as patrolman, Kent division; promoted to captain, Mahoning division; promoted to inspector of police, Salamanca to Ashland; promoted to chief of police at Hornell.
H. C. MINNING, claim agent, entered the service in the Coal department as messenger; clerk in the Auditing department of the Erie dispatch; clerk, Payroll department and auditor of disbursements office; Claim department; special agent; division claim agent at Marion, Ohio; district claim agent, Jersey City; claim agent, Hornell.
G. H. SMITH, assistant paymaster, is a native of Montclair, N. J. He entered the employ of the Erie as office boy in office of F. A. Clark, auditor of traffic; entered the office of treasurer as messenger, after which he held the following positions: paymaster's clerk, paying teller's assistant, assistant receiving teller and assistant paymaster.
M. J. CALLAGHAN, freight claim adjuster, entered the Erie service in October 18?? (unintelligible) at ??? Street, New York. A month later he was transferred to Long Dock, Jersey City, as assistant on tracer desk. While at Long Dock he received the following promotions: O. S. & D. desk, claim desk, westbound claim desk, mail desk, lighterage desk. Entered the Freight Claim department in May, 1905, as voucher clerk, and served successively as statement clerk, investigator, special investigator and chief clerk. When the new regions were established he was appointed to his present position.
Also from the July, 1920 issue of Erie Railroad Magazine:
When the Magazine canvassed the New York Region for photographs of officials, J. M. Condon, Superintendent of the New York division, and P. O'Rourke, freight claim adjuster, New York Region, had nothing on hand that would do them justice. But now a photographer has had them facing his camera and we are able to demonstrate that last month's gallery omitted two of the finest-looking officials in the service. Here they are:
Mr. Condon, after graduating from the Galion High School, entered service of the Big Four as ticket agent. This was in September, 1900. He started work on the Erie in April, 1901, as yard clerk; appointed night yardmaster in 1903, filling positions of yardmaster, Galion, and general yardmaster, Marion; inspector of transportation for general superintendent, lines west; trainmaster, Kent division, and assistant superintendent, Mahoning division; appointed superintendent of terminals Jan. 23, 1918; appointed superintendent of terminals in charge of terminals and Marine department, March 1, 1920; appointed superintendent, New York division, May 15, 1920. Mr. Condon was away from the Erie several years in train service on the Southern Pacific and A. T. & S. F. in California, and was yardmaster for the Big Four on the St. Louis division.
Mr. O'Rourke entered the Erie service, doing station work, in August, 1891, and was transferred to the Freight Claim department in 1901. He was appointed chief clerk in November, 1912: assistant freight claim adjuster in March, 1919, and advanced to his present position March 1, 1920.
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