Messrs. V. M. Came, W. Barnes and Sam. Beatty soon followed Mr. Burnham of the St. Paul Road to further the interests of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, but were transferred before many moons had silvered the landscape. The two Jacks, “Morley” and “Winnett” swung into line in 1879 and did good work in both departments for the “C. & N.W.R.,” opening an office in Toronto in the old Baldwin Building, I understand, in 1880.
John Morley long ago forsook the excitement of the road. He died at Winnipeg during the summer of 1908, and interment occurred at Toronto, where his family is well known. The mantle of these gentlemen fell naturally on the shoulders of a sturdy Spartan, Burton H. Bennett, cryptic, yet merry, who jumped into the game with a will and has won an enviable reputation in the dual position.
The “Burlington Road” was right up on the firing line, looked after by a gentleman bearing the uncurtailed and historic cognomen, John Quincy Adams Bean, from “way down east.” After him, in order, appeared Messrs. Badgeley, Simpson and John A. Yorick. The late Joe Simpson was always happy if his road secured patronage in regular twos and threes. Not every one knows that he was for a few hours an unwilling guest of the “Fenian” leader O’Neil in 1866, and had been with M.K. & T. and T.St.L. & K.C.
Brilliant, well-informed, J. Francis Lee represented the “Rock Island-Albert Lea” combination, D. J. Peace sought freight for them and Eben MacLeod was located at Montreal somewhat later for “C.R.I. & P.” Such watchful competitors as “Great Western Railway,” featured by Messrs. Ridgedale, Noyes, Storr and Baker, and “Union Pacific Ry.” with Ira P. Griswold in the van, M. C. Dickson and J. O. Goodsell holding power later, before Geo. Vaux and J. J. Rose took up their work. Charles A. Florence, an “Illinois Central” Agent, made Berlin—now Kitchener—his headquarters.
Geo. B. Wylie
Traveling Passenger Agent Illinois Central Railroad
The “All Rail” mediums then available for transporting man and beast destined California, the Dakotas and Manitoba from Old Ontario, were “Grand Trunk,” “Great Western,” “Credit Valley,” and “Canada Southern,” covering the distance as far as St. Thomas and Detroit, thence via “Michigan Central” and Wabash Railroads to Chicago. Tom Cochrane, R. W. Youngs, Bob Middleton, J. W. Kearns and G. C. Wilson follow the footsteps of predecessors and patrol that neighborhood now. As travel increased from a dozen or two people to an occasional weekly carload, and more, the number of migratory railroaders multiplied. Oldtimers will recollect some of those big hearted, brainy hustlers including Sam Seymour of the “Pennsylvania,” Dave Cavan, formerly of Stratford, John Laven, off the “Iron Mountain,” representing “M.C.R.,” Charles Ousterhouse, T.P.A. N.Y.C. Lines, Geo. B. Wyllie for “L.S. & M.S.” and later in full charge of “Ill. Cent. Ry.” affairs in Canada, and the late much lamented J. Nelles Bastedo, who shipped from Barlow Cumberland’s service several years ago to travel for “Santa Fe System.” Joe Rattenbury, who twenty-five to thirty years back used to stow away at his place in Clinton in one night as many as 18 of these railroading nomads and cosmopolitans, often repeats a story the wiseacres will recollect about his brother “Ike” and laconic “Bass.”
The many sided men above enumerated made it their duty to assist with Customs formalities at the frontier and also assuage the fears of intending passengers trembling at the prospect of meeting in Chicago that much heralded and maligned bugaboo the bunco steerer.
It is worthy of remark that while to-day the railroad companies caution and forbid passengers riding on the platforms, thirty-five years ago the travelling public swarmed on that perilous projection, on the steps and quite often took possession of the car roofs with a nonchalance that would make the cold chills play peek-a-boo up and down your spine. How many of the lads and lassies in this year of grace would have the temerity to sally forth, for instance to the London Fair, decorating the top of a flat car rigged up with benches for the occasion? Your fathers and mothers did it.