Show THE PENNSYLVANIAS GOLDEN JUBILEE JU-BILEE J is always pleasant to turn from the turmoil and strife of politics the talk of international complications to the story of the triumph of a great industrial enterprise The celebration cele-bration of the Pennsylvania railroads golden jubilee last Tuesday in Philadelphia delphia is such an occasion The life of this great railroad has measured almost half that of the great republic itself The celebrtion of the golden jubilee was an important event the great event in Philadelphia if not in Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania last Tuesday The exercises exercses began at 1130 a on when the board of directors met in President Roberts room After an exchange of congratulations congratu-lations and the compliments of the day the heads of the various departments depart-ments were received At noon the president delivered an address after which a reception was heldbeing attended at-tended by some eight hundred invited guests President Roberts said that his only regret was that he could not welcome all ot the 100000 employees of the road and i is safe to say that the regret was shared by each of the employees for they all hold the president presi-dent of theroad in the highest esteem In his address Mr Roberts sketched the history and growth of the road from Its first organization April 13 1846rup to the present time The first few years of its life he said I had to spend in starting out and gathering to it that measure of confidence which has ever since been accorded it In 1852 when it was first opened as a transportation line it consisted of 224 miles of railroad with a capital of 12 000000 He begged his hearers not to forget that theln from Philadelphia to PittsbUrg is the keystone of the entire system I now owns or controls con-trols or has owned and controlled 256 corporations which by consolidation f I I and merger are today represented by 138 1 distinct companies I controls by lease or ownership 9000 miles of rail road The capital of all these companies com-panies is 834000000 T he Pennsylvania transported 70000 tons of freight in 1852 and 160000000 tons in 1895 In the latter year It carrIe car-rIe 75000000 passengers In the former for-mer year i owned about fifty locomotives locomo-tives and some 1000 cars Today it owns 3400 locomotives and 141000 cars of all kinds including 226 barges In 1852 the gross income of the corporation cor-poration was less than 2000000 while Jn 1895 it was 133000000 Within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania the corporation owns and controls 3253 miles of road and outside of the state 5630 making a total of 8 8S3 miles Over this great railroad system presides pre-sides George B Roberts He may be called one of the great captains of Industry His rise to his present posi rse tion is the story of the push and enterprise of an American boy and to the American boy his life is a lesson His career on the road began as a roctman in the corps of civil engineers I is not necessary to trace his rise to the presidency of the road in 1880 step b step Around him he has gathered an able corps assistants and to them also is due the success of the road for they are to Mr Roberts what he was to Colonel Scott There Is no better managed system of railroads in the United States than the Pennsylvania no road takes better care of its passengers while its limited express trains are unsurpassed anywhere any-where if equaled The Pennsylvania has cause for much rejoicing on the occasion of its golden jubilee That it will have the public confidence in the future as In the pat there is no doubt for it is ever abreast of the times in all things pertaining to railroads I well deserves continued prosperity i has our best wishes for its continued prosperity |