Show p IN RAILWAY I k S GI G1EI I I Death of the Oldest Conductor i in the World i EDWARD ROBINSON SR The Veteran Passed Away at American Fork It VnH at HIM Sncrscstlon That the S tse of Sand in Railroading Vn Introduced Interesting Sketch of His 13v utfiil Career Affairs of the Northern Pacific Decision By C the Supreme Court in llcsrard to Taxing Hailroad Lands Western 1asscJiser Association the Local Lo-cal Field With the death of Edward Robinson who passed away at American Fork Friday night there passed into eternity eter-nity the man who enjoyed the distinction distinc-tion of being the first railway conduc r tor ir the world and at the lime of his I death was the oldest living employee I of any railway I was Edward Robinson who as Ian I-an employee of the Liverpool Manchester Man-chester railroad was the first to put railway trains into successful operation I opera-tion who was called upon to take the I place of Lord Huskenson who was killed by the first train run over the line which had by his own instrumentality t S instrumen-tality been constructed by authorization authoriza-tion of an act of parliament the passage pas-sage of which he had engineered to demonstarate the feasibility of railways ways Lord Huskinson as the chief promoter i promo-ter of the idea essayed to run the first train himself acting as conductor The i train left Liverpool on the morning of Scptember 15 1S30 At PatrScroft the I train met the second one to be run over the line which was started from Manchester Lord Huskenson alighting I alight-ing from his train stepped in front of the down coming train from Manchester Manches-ter and was killed and it was then that Mr Robinson was called UpOl to take charge He ran the train on to Manchester and on its return trip to Liverpool and from that time on remained iierp I roamed in the service of the road for < twelve years as conductor He there for had the honor of being the first railroad conductor in the world and an investigation made by his son He ber who lives at American Fork and who visited England last year proved beyond all doubt that he vas the oldest old-est man living who had been a railway employee in any capacity HIS LIFES STORY Edward Robinson sr t ough of humble peasant parentage and a man who never had the advantages of an education lived an eventful life andS and-S had a most successful career He was born at Little Button Cheshire Eng October 36 1807 He was therefore at his death 88 years and 6 months old j3e worked on a farm until he reached the age of 21 He then became a gentlemans coachman in which employment em-ployment he continued for over two years at which time he engaged himself him-self to the Liverpool Manchester Railroad company a aguard during construction When the time for opening open-ing the road came he was promoted to train man the intention being to make him conductor a soon as the road was in successful operation and he had acquired sufficient knowledge l t of the business to enable him to successfully suc-cessfully handle a train but the accident acci-dent to Lord Huskenson brought that promotion much sooner than he anticipated an-ticipated A stated Mr Robinson continued in the service of the company twelve years and i was one of his proudest boasts that he never in that time missed but one day and then he was given a vacation which however he terminated by his own volition at the expiration of the first day of it and went back to vork in preference BECAME CONVERTED p I was during these years that Brigham Young Orson Hyde Heber C C Kimball and Parley P Pratt began preaching the doctrines of the Mormon faith in England Mrs Robinson the first helpmate of the veteran became converted and he con an was himself a regular artenaant at tiie meetings There is no record of the time when Mr Robinson embraced the faith but The best information obtainable from hir relatives is to the effect that i wa in 1S42 Shortly thereafter he decided to corns to America and in the same year sailed with his family in the ship McHenry Arriving in America the family proceeded ceeded directly tu Nauvoo Illinois where with the weath he had accu 1 malated he built what was at that time considered the finest residence in that locality He devoted himself to farming and remained at Nauvoo Until 1S47 when he removed to Burlington Burlngon Iowa living there until 1849 In that he joined the westward year joine movement and came to Utah He remained in Salt Lake that winter and in the spring of 1850 went to Mill Creek and took charge of the farm belonging to the late l President Taylor upon which he remained till the spring of 1851 at which time he took up his abode at i American Fark where he spent the remainder of his days Mr Robinson was one of the first settlers at American Fork there being but a half dozen families there at the time of his advent among them being the family of James Chipman During 4 the Indian depredations some stIrringS stirring-S times were experienced and It was he who started and superintended the huilding of the old ort whose protection protec-tion the settlers wire wont to avail themselves of when Indians became to troublesome for safety The dead pioneer was married three tme and was the father of ten children child-ren six of whom survive him They fr are Edward jr William and George Heber residing at American ForkS Fork-S KIchard at Kanab Elizabeth Cox at Saeremento Cal and Mrs Mary Jane f Wood at HuntIngton Utah The Huntngon th oldest tz old-est of tim children Is 61 years and the youngest is 4 E EMPLOYERS RESPECTED HIM There are many Interesting facts and LI 1 o 0 5 5 I i reminiscences related of this man the father of railroaders He was exceedingly exceed-ingly proud of his early experiences and was never so happy as when reciting re-citing the stories of his life on the rail at which times he would produce with an air of the greatest pride an old and very much worn silver watch and show it to his listeners I was a present to him from the directors of the Liverpool Manchester and bestowed be-stowed at the time when he was leaving leav-ing their service as a token of their esteem On one cover is engraved Liveroool Manchester railway to 1anchester raiway Edward Robinson in token of regard from the directors 1842 This ancient timepiece is still in the possession of the family and was willed to Edward W Robinson grandson Among the directors was the father of William E Gladstone one of Mr Robinsons I staunchest friends S SOME REMINISCENCES I is told of Mr Robinson among other reminiscences which he was fond of relating that at one tithe during dur-ing his service on the Liverpool Manchester it came to the knowledge of the company that some I of the conductors were withholding withhold-ing fares collected and spotters were sent out to ascertain which they were Mr Robinson was found to be the only conductor in the service not practicing the knocking down system sys-tem and all but he were discharged THE USE OF SAND I was Mr Robinson whose suggestion sugges-tion instituted the use of sand for keeping the drive wheels of the engine from slipping The idea came to him through a slight accident which occurred oc-curred one day while his train was running down a grade The track was slipperyand the brakes failed to stay the speed o the train which bumped into a bumper at the end of the track doing some slight damage An official of the road said to Mr Robinson lIr This is a new venture and we are constantly meeting with difficulties which we must overcome I at anytime any-time you can offer any valuable suggestion sug-gestion we will gladly receive it In reply Mr Robinson that 11 suggested a box be attached to the engine in such a way that sand could be carried in it and sifted on to the rails when the wheels slipped The suggestion was acted upon and sanding the rails became be-came a feature of operating engines from that time I tme Among the passengers who came I over in the same ship with the deceased I de-ceased pioneer are two who are still I living and who reside in Utah They are William Ralph aged 84 living at American Fork and Mrs Thomas All II i man of Provo Mrs Allmans husband I was also a fellow passenger He is I since dead Both Mrs Allman and Mr Ralph will be at the funeral I Joseph Birch of American Fork is another who remembers the deceased in England He often rode over the line on which Mr Robinson was conductor con-ductor Mr Robinson was also distinguished in another particular as apioneer He started the first brewery in Utah I was at Mill Creek during the time he lived on the Taylor farm He later I built and operated a brewery at American Amer-ican Fork and It was from these facts that he became known as Brewer Robinson THE FUNERAL TODAY Death came to the pioneer Friday I night at1030 Theremains will be laid to their last rest in American Fork I cemetery the funeral taking place at the meeting house where he worshipped I wor-shipped so many years at 1 oclock today Many of the principal church ance officials are expected to be in attend I S RAILWAY LADS Decision Involvins the Right of the State to Tax WASHINGTON April 20rJuStice I Brown delivered the opinion of the supreme court today in the case of the Central Pacific Railway company vs I the state of Nevada involving the right of the state to tax the lands of the railway company The case came to the supreme court from the Nevada supreme court on a writ of error sued out by the railroad company The state courts held that the state I was entitled to levy taxes upon patented I patent-ed lands and also for lands which had I not been patented but which had been surveyed and on which the cost of surveying had not been paid Justice Browns opinion affirms this decision I he said the railroads had a possessory claim to the lands they are taxable under the statute of Nevada Remarking upon the plea that the land could not be taxed where the government reserved mineral lands j from the grant he said I I the state has no possessory claim because the lands are mineral I it certainly cannot be injured by a sale of the lands to pay the tax He did not think i possible that the railroad road companys enormous land grant should remain untaxed until the character char-acter of the land as to minerals could be determined Justice Field dissented on the ground that the reservation of mineral lands from the grant made it impossible to determine what lands could be properly pany prop-erly taxed against the railroad com S XORTIICRX PACIFIC OFFICERS Victory For Ives on the Reorpran ization Plan MILWAUKEE Wis April 20 Whatever doubt there may have been as to the intention of Brayton Ives toke to-ke p faith with the reorganization commissioners of the Northern Pacific were dispelled today when answer was filed to the suit of the Farmers Loan Trust company the foreclosure proceeding pro-ceeding in the United States circuit court by Ives admitting all of the allegations of the complaint The answer filed has the distinction of being the briefest document that has been recorded in the proceedings I reads as follows HAd now comes the Northern Pacific Pa-cific Railroad company defendant herein by Silas W Pettit its solicitor I and for answer to the bill of complaint herein states that i is advised that all the allegations contained in the bill of complaint and the several amended and supplemental bills of complaint of the Farmers Loan Trust company ate true and therefore there-fore it admits the same S The filing of the answer and its nature na-ture however does not portray a defeat de-feat of Ives but means a victory the terms of which no one will tell I develops that the commissioners were obliged to make terms with Ives and I that the magnate took every precaution precau-tion t see that they were carried out To this end two answers were drawn each of an entirely different nature and both were ready for filing In the court at a moments notice and neither to be filed until permission was given From the nature of the answer filed J this morning there is no doubt that the terms were complied with The second answer it is understood contained con-tained a refutation of all of the allega ContInued on page 6 < i 4 I IN RAILWAY CIRCLES Continued from page 1 tions which are now admitted supplemented supple-mented with some charges that might make racy reading and exceedingly sensational All of the parties that have come into court are now on record as agreeing agree-ing to the reorganization by acepting the decree of foreclosure asked for But it is learned that the effort centered I cen-tered in Philadelphia in the interests of the stockholders has assumed such proportions as to make further concessions con-cessions and moderations in the plan I is asserted that unless the modifications modifica-tions are made a suit will be instituted to protect the preferred stockholders trust hnnfls whirh are held bv the Farmers Loan Trust company The Philadelphia papers of recent date contain advertisements requesting request-ing the names and addresses of holders hold-ers of Northern Pacific preferred and common stock These advertisements were signed by Biddle Ward counselors coun-selors at law and proctors in admiralty admiral-ty Philadelphia The advertisement also contains the name of John G Johnson Ward a counsel acting for Biddle |