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Show SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. Editor Truth: The survival of tho Attest is exemplified exem-plified bettor in tho railroad station agent than in persons of any othor calling. Nlnety-Ilvo per cent of all tho railroad presidents, superintendents, superintend-ents, traffic managers, general passenger pas-senger nnd freight agents, commenced their careers in tho freight or passenger passen-ger depot nnd worked their way up. Not ono man in a thousand over so-cured so-cured nnd maintained a high position In tho operating department of any railroad becauso his father was president presi-dent or his undo wns a director, or his mother a stockholder, or that ho had any othor pull, political or otherwise. other-wise. A person to bo a high official of any railroad must commence at tho bottom and work up. My observation obser-vation as an immigration agent leads mo to believe there is no other way. In 1808 I did considerable business through qno of tho largest stations on tho Chicago and Northwestern rail-load rail-load between Chicago and Omaha. This station was a junction point of an unfriendly road nnd it required tact to transfer tho passengers from this road to the Northwestern. I called on tho agent at this depot, but ho was not interested "In immigration; ho did not havo time to bother with an Immigration Im-migration agent; ho was too busy smoking ten cent cigars and entertaining enter-taining tho swell peoplo of tho town who sauntered up to tho depot. I thought I would havo to give up that station, for without tho hearty cooperation coop-eration of tho station agent an immigration immi-gration ngont can do but little. One evening I went to the depot and saw tho night agent, a big, good natured man. I told lilm who I was and what I was trying to do. Ho Invited mo into tho office (tho day man forgot that), looked over my papers and was Immediately Im-mediately interested, for ho saw that my scheme would bring business to the road that employed him. He learned all ho could about Dear River valley, got a timo tablo and followed tho train my peoplo would take from his station to Ogden, Utah; learned where they would stop for meals or get hot tea or coffee. Although in tho passenger office he knew the farmers would como to him for freight rates on their household goods, Implements, etc. He looked up an old freight classification clas-sification list, found that the rate on a car of immigrant moveables would bo ?115 from his station to Corrlnno, Utah, for ten tons, which would include in-clude ten head of live stock and ono man to look after them, etc. After that evening ho did not havo to fumble fum-ble over a lot of papers to tell my farmers what thoy wanted to know. Ho was cheerful, kind and obliging, and always ready to answer questions. ques-tions. I notified my local agents and all the farmers who wero Interested that If they wanted to know about Rear River valley and how to get there, to ho suro and call on tho night man at tho depot, and through this young man's inlluenco wo wero nble to sell over thirty homesoekors' tick-ots tick-ots to Dear River Valley that fall. The next spring this night man was given a station on a branch lino and a litt 0 later a larger station on tho main lino, an, ien a larger station on tho main ino, and In less than four years fron. tho timo ho was night ngent ho wns promoted to district passenger nnd freight agent, while tho agent who smoked ten cent cigars nnd entertained the peoplo Is out or tho railroad business. At n division and Junction point, ono of tho largest stations on tho Union Pacific between Omaha and Choyonno, I did considerable business in tho year 1900. This station had a general agent with a day and a night ticket agent and a baggage man and an assistant. Tho general ngont had Just been promoted to this station from a smaller ono. Ho wns ono of tlio best railroad men I over met Ho was at all hours of tho day or night ready to hustle business for the Union rnd'T"0 day nmlth0 nlht " bnggago mnn seemed to hnvo Imbibed tho same spirit. With such help I know I could tako two oxcur-slons oxcur-slons a month to Dear River valley. ninnmy an$, party returned from Dear River valley those agents gath- 1nd th?,m nnd soon '"1 that Utah was all right, for two of tho returned men had purchased farms 1 there, and after this overy man who camo into tho depot inquiring for land was informed about Dear Rlvor valley, val-ley, how cheap and easy to get there. If thoro wero any doubts about his not going his name and address were taken, so I could call on him on my return. As a result of our united of- A fort for this summer's work over ?V twenty-flvo families from that section of tho country settled in Dear River valley, six cars of household goods wero sent and over ono hundred homeseekers and settlors' tickets wero sold. Tho day agent was promoted pro-moted to the main office and now ho is a traveling freight and passenger agent for an affiliated road. Tho night man was elected county clerk and is now serving his second term; tho baggago man was promoted to ticket ngent. These promoted men never got too big for the positions J they held, but tho railroad company lli soon found that tho positions they . held wero too small for thorn. $1 tf At a smaller station near tho abovo I learned that there wero some farmers farm-ers who wero getting Interested in Dear River valley. I wont to this station sta-tion nnd called on tho agent, but ho was not interested at all In tho Immigration Im-migration business; In fact ho would not talk about It. I found tho farmers and persuaded four of thorn to visit Dear River valley. Wo arrived at the depot after tho ticket office Was closed. I asked a small boy where I could find tho ticket agent. He told mo over In a certain pool room, as the agent was tho best pool player in town. I called at tho pool room and told tho agent I had four peoplo who wished to buy tickets to Salt Lako City and return. The agent told mo ho did not care a d if I had a hundred hun-dred men; that he was not hired to chaso up farmers or to do business outside of business hours. I telephoned tele-phoned my friends at tho next station to havo four tickets ready when No. 3 camo in for Salt Lako City and return. re-turn. During tho live minutes whllo thoy wero changing engines tho four tickets wero purchased and wo went on our way rejoicing. This young Important Im-portant pool-player agent will never get promoted and when a change or position comes, which will, sooner or ater, ho will bo offered a Job tamping tamp-ing gravel under a railroad tie or wiping engines In tho round house The man who Is afraid he will do moro than ho was hired to do never has his salary raised, and tho man who does not earn his salary will never got n promotion, or a raiso in wages. If an agent merits tho good will and promotions of tho road ho Is working for ho must please tho peoplo peo-plo who patronize It. If an ngont wants to pleaso tho general public ho must bo well posted, kind and obliging, oblig-ing, and always ready and willing to answer questions. Doing well posted is very Important. I know many ticket tick-et agents who can tell you at once tho faro from their station to overy other station on their road; they also know 01 Yi . of arrlval and doparturo of all trains at important stations nnd tno connections timv nmi,n ,m. roads. Ono of theso men is worth Jlvo paper fumblors. A paper fumbler s ono who when asked what tho faro is from his station In Nebraska to f fi Salt J-nko City, and If No. 3 makes I I good connections at Ogden. will havo A to finger oyer two or throe timetables I and rato sheets, and after keeping a " crowd wait ng for ten minutes, says ho will let them know afteh tho train nNmv v,' trlvs to Pennsylvania nnd Now York In January and Juno or w M?f I"'1 1 lmrt ,)eS" to think that tho only good ticket and pesson- ger agents wero In nnd west of Ch - bam. Pnanttna F0d man ln W1 bat re, Pa., to help mo. I asked my friend Mr. W. H. Capwoll, editor of tho Dallas (Pa.) Post, If ho know of Ruch a man. Mr. Capwoll replied Indeed I do. It is Mr. Fred FrS tho Lackawanna city ticket ngont Ho is always looking for business, Is always al-ways ready and accommodating, and knows his buslno s." I called on Mr. ' Fraco and stated my business. It pleased lilm, for lie saw a chmco to help the road ho wns working for. Ho learned all ho could about Bear River , valley and the route west of Chicago. Ho did not havo, to look up his own road or its Immediate western connections. con-nections. Ho knew when ovory Lackawanna train left New York City . and when It arrived at Scranton, Bin'ghamton, Waverly, Elmira and Buffalo. Ho also knew the connections connec-tions they mndo jvlth the Michigan tibn'tral for Niagara Falls anil Chi-'ca'go. Chi-'ca'go. Mr. Fraco is not a paper tumbler. tum-bler. It was a very hot day when I called on Mr. Frace, and would havo matlo almost any ono disagreeable. Mr. Fraco had sent his assistant out jl to look after a lady and her daughter t who were going to Chicago over tho J i& Lackawanna. While Mr. Fraco sat at 'his desk a poor old ltuly came into tho '"ofllco. Her hair was whito with tho snows of many winters, her back was . bent from tho many burdens it had .1. borne, her hands were deformed by toll, slio was very poorly dro3scd and sho carried a bundle. Sho hobbled up to tho counter, laid her bundle on tho floor and' with a cracked and childish voice" asked what tho faro was to "Whitehaven and how soon tho train would go. Mr. Frace quietly arose from his desk and went up to '' '' this pcor old lady and told her that ' Whitehaven was on the Lehigh Valley road and the faro was about seventy cents. Sho asked Mr. Fraco where tho depot was. Mr. Fraco went outside out-side of .tho counter, picked up her bundle and assisted her to tho sidewalk, side-walk, pointed in tho direction of tho "Valley depot and told her sho had bettor go through tho court house park to avoid tho street cars and teams, and that sho had thirty minutes, min-utes, to catch her train. Mr. Fraco camo back to his desk and went to work as though nothing had happened. hap-pened. It is coming in contact with such men as Mr. Fraco that makes railroading a pleasure and Hfo worth living. I will wages a Bear River valloy farm that if that poor old lady had gono In tho Podunk or Sucker-vlllo Sucker-vlllo depots on the jerkwater railroad rail-road and asked tho Rwellcd-hoaded kid who manipulated tho tickets thero tho same question sho did Mr. Fraco ho would not havo rlson from his chair, but would havo yelled back In an "I am it and you are not" tone, "Don't know; Hain't on our road; go over to tho Valley." Then ho would havo leaned back in his chair and put his feet on tho desk and rolled a cigarotto and wondered when tho road would mako him a general passenger pas-senger ugont. Yours truly, V. S. PEET. Salt Lako City, Sept. 13, 1005. |