Ed and list
There is still one unidentified individual in the photo which shows JDF et
al. It could be Fred Gurley. I don't have my EZ copy here, but there is a
photo in the early part of the book showing a group of Q executives and
others sitting in the observation car of the PZ. One of these men is, per
the caption, Fred Gurley.
I never personally met either Farrington or Gurley, but they were both
personal acquaintances of my grandfather. I recall my GF saying that "if it
wasn't for E.P. Bracken, Fred Gurley would still be a clerk in the Trai
nmaster's office at Alliance Nebraska"
Mr. Farrington was at one time in his Q days Superintendent of the St. Joe
Division.
There was a problem of disappearing cigarettes from LCL shipments to Rock
Port and Mr. Farrington and my GF came up with the idea of putting red
Aniline (sp) dye in the cases of cigarettes so that anyone attempting to
break into the cases would get the dye on their hands and the culprit would
be evident. After application of the dye, apparently, someone tipped off
the thieves and no more cigs were taken. My GF said "we got so close to them,
that they quit"...kind of like Clinton and Bin Laden. Just one of those
little memory flashes from the past.
Some of you guys may not know who E.P. (Edward Payson) Bracken was. He was
the Q's Operating VP in the 20's and early thirties. He was my GF's hero and
role model. GF thought that he was the finest operating man he even knew.
It was said that his initials stood for Every Person Busy.
Bracken was a native of Tecumseh, NE. He died in December 1937 shortly after
his retirement. He is buried in a hilltop cemetery at Tecumseh. His
gravesite overlooks the Q's Lincoln-St. Joe line.
When Bracken died the Q ran a special train to Lincoln and then on down to
Tecumseh. Most of the then Q officials were along. The train took the
mourners from Lincoln to Tecumseh, and while the funeral service was being
conducted the train was taken to Table Rock to be turned on the wye.
I'll never forget my grandfather relating his experience of standing by the
grave as the preacher offered prayer and just as the casket was started to be
lowered into the grave the funeral train was approaching the Tecumseh Station
Board. My GF related that just as the casket started down the "engineer blew
the longest and loudest station whistle you ever heard....you couldn't have
timed it better by radar".
Still gets me a little teary eyed when I think of it.
I have visited the gravesite and have copies of the Tecumseh paper relating
the events at the services for EPB, along with his obituary. Of course the
"station whistle" wasn't mentioned in the newspaper article, but it
cooborates what GF told me.
Just another of those little memories which don't mean much to anyone but
me, but I thought since the Farrington and Gurley thread brought it to mind
I'd relate it here.
BTW there is (was) a town between Auburn and Nemaha named Bracken. I haven't
made an attempt to find it, but that will be on the list for an upcoming
"journey to yesterday".
Pete
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