“Right you are, and you can see that I am doing business at the old stand,” came from Col. Dickey as he halted to shake hands with W. B. Hibbard and J. C. Sheldon, who were passing along in an automobile.
It was a great pleasure to witness the meeting between Harry C. Hope and U. J. Fry, the former of St. Paul and the latter of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul road at Milwaukee. Mr. Hope was never a speechmaker but he is certainly a most delightful and entertaining single-handed talker.
Mr. Fry was in his usual kind and gentle mood and made inquiries for the many gone before whom he was anxious to meet.
E. J. Little, from St. Paul, a recent arrival, accompanied Messrs. Hope and Fry around the Tabernacle, shaking hands with old friends. Mr. Little brought the latest telegraph news from the Earth, which was listened to attentively.
Many old commercial superintendents whose names are historical with the telegraph now came along in automobiles to take part in the meeting.
Of course there was the revered S. F. B. Morse, father of the telegraph, who received a great ovation. There was C. H. Haskins, so well known to the old Chicagoan, Col. J. J. S. Wilson, so long with the Western Union at Chicago; I. McMichael and James Swan of Minneapolis, C. O. Rowe of Pittsburgh, E. P. Wright of Cleveland, L. C. Baker of St. Louis, Frank G. Beach of the Atlantic and Pacific, Cleveland; David Flanery of New Orleans, George H. Usher of Atlanta, Ga.; C. A. Darlton of Washington, Asa R. Swift of Chicago, S. A. D. Forristall of Boston, Sam S. Bogart, Jesse H. Bunnell and E. G. Cochrane of New York, and George M. Dugan of Tip Top, Ky.
The smiling face of James H. Guild, who was superintendent for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company’s telegraphs for so long during the pioneer days of Oregon and Washington, was much in evidence. He was surrounded by a happy throng of his old boys, who were relating all the latest news which came up from the Earth. Mr. Guild had always been a great exponent of total abstinence and he expressed much pleasure to know that both Oregon and Washington had gone dry. Many of the other superintendents readily gave their “ok” to Mr. Guild’s views.
Frank Jaynes, James Gamble, George Ladd, R. R. Haines, Peter Lovell and others of the Pacific Coast were busily engaged in making the day pleasant for all those in attendance and in this they were cheerfully assisted by their brothers from the East.
A committee composed of Henry C. Hope, U. J. Fry and Wm. Kline, Jr., was appointed to draft a telegram of congratulations to be extended the president of the Association of Railway Telegraph Superintendents, soon to convene in Washington, D. C.
Copies of Telegraph and Telephone Age containing the news of the passing of Charles A. Tinker were read with much interest and a committee was appointed to watch the Cannon Ball Express train to welcome that gentleman’s arrival on the planet Mars.