La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959, March 20, 1929, CITY EDITION, Image 7

La Grande evening observer., March 20, 1929, CITY EDITION, Image 7

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Newspaper Page TextWednesday. March 2(C 1029. LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER - v ill: effers of the . ;---:.-.. y y i ' 1 V Vice-President of Great Railroad System Knows the Boys by Their First Names Xfch from Track Laborers oil Up, for One of 'Em; Began Career Thirty-eight Years Ago as Messenger Boy in Telegraph 7 Office and as Call Boy for Tram Crews i J- llv Ji 1.. Ilius "Hill Jrrfori! nf tln 1?. P.'' I. living iJie great Aniprircwi iHlvi'ntiii' ; ho luid iu .udvuntnfce tr lir-lnpr Ixirn pnor-nnfl luivlng-to do -h muntf work lit fitiirii-pn. XnW hivn'lii. rhwiw of nil Ih nimnliiiK siilo of a Krenr railroad system, Thi,U. I- Trail .of ,tJoncr days- was tho wrxlfrinx path of the pony )ira the cov ered wagon. anl the t'nlon I'aclfie railroad. It followed the-Platto river to civilization's fde heyond which lay the (creut Northwest Kmplre. (in that trull wan born William Mar tin Jeffern who Is an outstanding flirure on tho r. r. Trail of todoy -the trail of fid vancentent and achievement with the Union Pacific system which Is still u pioneering road of the. west. , - ' j We of the Pacific Northwest should know '!lil Jeffer of the P." He knows us. As vice president of the V. P. system he Is in tensely interested In. the O.-W. K. K. & N. unit and will pay uh frequent visits. Dally w are before him on. his often consulted desk map; and by glanrintr at his watch! he can tell you the exact position of .scores o( frclfiht trains which are In transit, bearing our lum ber, our fruit, our train, cattle and other products to market. . .And Hill Jeffers prob .ably knows more "Jims." "Jacks," and "Joes" Q U,np the rlpht of nf tho IT. T lnwhn loperullon:hv -1 trHiMl with, liiun.iiny.miin i-jiHroiiuiny tonit.; . .. v" -i.--A ciin't recall when" 1 -wim really -a 1oy," Mr. JeffeiH recently tnUl nn Interviewer. "It rfeems to nra that I hnve alwnyM been wnrklnK Itut rvo always liked my work anil I've yet to fml a ilny loo lontj." iviiHiim lartln Jeffern whm hrn at North Platte. Neb., Jan. 2, 1876 in a little home not Jcffers BS tf boy. fur from the tracks, rno tool oi uniiuiws mlivn eil?4( nf tho wll(I tlUl cowpunrlier town, Cheyenne. NiRhta n lone there winter night nn (he rre.nt of Wynmintf'H roeky dlvMct when the eowboya horw-H were tabled and the wind wan the only rider niKhta when the little mii tlon rattled and the ntnv burned hot mid and tho tlok-tlek, tick-tick, td-k-tick of the blc Mrur-fared clock went on and on forever keeping a count on eternity thoae niKhtH will never fade before the "Inward eye" of the rail niuder rhoHp Jurisdiction now extended over every mile of track on the Union Paclflr Hyntem, VounK Jeffern next bectime n elerk for the rallroiid at North Plntte, hrindtlng time roIlN ii nd there developed a rapacity for detail Hunwr of bellH and the puffing ot Hwiirn enplnea wim often hl lullaby. IIIh father wan earning $ii.00 a month n a mechanic. In the V. V. nhopa not a low wage for that day. Hut then, there were nine children. Ho, with one vear of high nchool to hi credit, young Rill went to work with the Union Pacific an mewenger boy in the telegraph office and call boy for train crew. That wan In WO. He wan fourteen yearn old. He worked twelve hour a day. arven days a week, and got $l!0.n0 a month! Mastered Trlefrrnphr The old time telegrapher liked "the kid" who never found work too hard. They taught him ifrrr.inhv and In two yearn he could handle hi kev with the rcat of them. In W2 work, lit atepped from that to timekeeper he waa rewarded with the Job of night oper- and extra foreman on a uteel gang a two utor for the railroad at II II Male. Wyo., a few 1 fiwted Job where hlx robtiMt phyalciue I he grew to ) a 200-pound, six-footer) Htood him In uood Htead. lie got acquainted with bunk car life, with frying hl own hacon and egg, with open air railroading. And then, before he whh nineteen, they made htm train UJh patcher. Ho had Htarted up with the V. P. . Some how, when a hard Job needed to be done, they Juxt naturally thought of young Hill J ef fort. It warin't that he laid more ability than cthei'H, but he developed hi latent ability. Jle whh ntwaytt 1 imp per cent at work, ' s; In X!H he niari-led a home town girl, the daughter of a Union Pacific head Wiu-kumith. it lookH uh if you could turn every page In ihiK fellow'H life nud find "Union Pacific" written on them all. The Union Pacific! ia hlH life; and men of hla kind are tho Ufa of tho Union Pacific. ; i r ' ' A year . paHKed and-rtho .roiul gave, htm a hlfiger reHponHlbllily alio Job , of chief dlH pnlcher with territory extending from North Platte to t'heyenno and with hU train di liatehera under him. Then In JD)5, they made him IralnmaHter at flreen Ulver on tho Wyo ming division with Jurisdiction over opera -tloiiH on the road nn well aH in the office, lie waa twenty-nine, full of the Joy of living, happy in having a lot of work that "hud to br. done, rlgnt." ".leff wnH a big, aggretwfve fellow, who had no time for tho man who wun't ready to take on I era and do hl Job well," aald an old-time friend of that period. "They noon got to know that when ho Ha id a thing he meant buMlncKM, I and no man who did the right thing ever ! found a fellnw more willing to help him along when he needed It." 1 PmmolkuiM Come Vui !' It'a an old Ktiylng that getting kluHCH from (a pretty girl Ik like getting olivea out of a bottle. .The similarity lan't in the flavor but In tho fact that you have to ntnigglo for the flrnt oiio find the rent aren't ho hard to get, PromotlonM are that way, loo. When fi com pany HtartH promoting a man and ho 'pro duce the gondn'' on each new Job, bigger pro motions follow In rapid HuceeHHlon. It wan that way with young Hill JefferH. From flreen Hiver he went to Jjcnver nn traln moater In IfOC, and in J'jOK hecamo atwlHtnnt Hiiierlnteud nt at 'Jreen Itlver, The next yeur he waa promoted to become mipcrlntendent of tho divlNlon from HiiwIIiih to Ogdeu. In 11)11! ho waa made mipcrlntendent nf tho ronKoll dated divlNlon from Ogden to Cheyenne. On Wanhlngton'ri birthday, HUG, ho came to Oma ha an Hiiperlntendent of the NebniHlta divi sion. November 1, 1 0 IIS, he became generul rtuperlntendeiit, nud June 3, 131(1, wn made Iteneral manager. '. ' IiHt Oct. .11 William M . .fefrera became vice preHldeitl In ehnrgo of operation of the entire Union Pacific nyntem, lie micceeded K. K, Calvin, veteran operating head, who retired on that datn, 'On Tlino" and "SnfHy Flrat" V: i When a WuHhlngtoii fruit grower conHlgnn IiIk car of fruit to an eitHtern point via the Union Pacific today he UnowH It will reach Uh deHllhalloii undamaged und on time, Jle known that 10.000 fruit tralnM, eaMtbound, have ur rlved In fimnha on Kchcduln without u Hlngle train being late Mlnco 1920, He may not know, however, tluit no one Ih more proud of thia record than W. M. Jeffern, who haa hod great faith In (he ability of hlH fellow em ploy en to achieve It. Tho record Ih vigilantly guarded. The U. P.'a telegraph "wirea would "burn up" with ordei-N If there wan a pOHHiblllly thnt tho Khlppcr'a fruit ear wax goiitR to arrive late. ' , you have rend the newa thnt Uplon Pa cific employeH have again won national awards for Hafety work. The road contlnuea to rank forcmOHt In furthering the caimo of ''Hafety Klrat." "Illll" Jeffera devolea hln bent rffortti tc Hafety work. With him tt Ih a enne, not of diminishing but eliminating accident h. He won't bo HallHfled until aecldeuta reuffe to happen. i'crhapH that'H hla formula for nuceeB. Nothing Ih "good enough"- there Ih ftlwuyn a goal ahead. And then, too, there Ih the mut ter of thin mun'ft Helf forgctfulmxM. Jle Uvea hie work, lie Iovch It, Jtnek In 1X01 when he wan married he took 10 dayn off. Three yearn ago he wan 111 for u period of three weekri, IjikI year he took four weeks for a trip acroHH the water Ho, roughly Hpenkiny, you run Hay he ban had two months of vaca tion thbt century! That haa all tho ear marks nf real railroading. COVE PEOPLE ' 3 RETURN FROM ! DENVER TRIP Ily Mm. A. O. Conkltn ' .. COVK. Ore., Hpecia1 Mr, and? kirn. C, K. l4twnon who left here) by automobile Keb, S to vlU in Itenver, traveled a fur h HoUe Idaho, but found tho highways lnw puiutable and left their cart polnsT from there by train, Mr, Uw kon's father, C K. lawson Hr who) went with them, went on to Neh raeka to vlMtt u eon. Mr, anil Mill, 4twR0ti r3tuined. to their home here a few days ago. Tho Hev. and Mm. 1. 1 Hturfea and Mrs, It. 1. Itarker attended the tea at the home of Mrs. H. N. Ash by in la Grande Saturday after noon, -; . v-".; ,, ,; - , , , .vJ'$ James Og i Hie, son of Mr. aptt Mrs. i N, Ogllvle fa employed on? the ranch of A. A. Andornon, nean Im Grande, ' ; .'r Tho son born to Mr, and Mraj T. i Hefty at the Grande ftonde hoHpltnl Mar. 1ft has been name onatd HuynVond and weighs six and one-half pounds. Hoth mother and baby are doing nicely, Churlcf hdwurd. the four-year-old heir np- parent of the Hefty family, is snM" to ho very much , pleaded with his baby brother. . ' . a - Mrs. A. G. Conk I in was hostesa at an Informal breakfast Htinduy' morning. Covers were laid eight, lieslde the hoRtena there were, the Hev, und Mrs. P. Ht urges, Trof. and . Mrs. C Ot Hp ringer, Mr. and Mrs. T. It. Conk' lln and Albert Conklln. - Mrs, 1.. J. Chndwick entertalncil the "Kun and Joy" bridge cluh at her homo north of town Haturdary afternoon. Spring flowers were . UHed In decoration. Three tnblea were at play. Mrs. Stewart Freiyfh won high honors. I.unch was scr ved after the games, . The Ite.v. A. K, Hall who Is con ducting a revival here at the Hap tlHt church was called to hla hum In Helix Friday owing to illneae In thn family. Ho returned butt Hat urday.' Tho revival waa carried on by tho Uev. Mr. Howie who Is & truest at thn home of the Hev. and Mrs, W, Plait. '- Mra, Cora lUoom .came home Sunday after spending two day with her daughter, Mira. ( Jhnv Guley, of Union. u-i , xy Yamhill county for the btHt month nn grange official work, is export ed home thla week. mm First Snake Of C Season Reported At Summerville By Mrs. C. I. Hale) (Observer -Correspondent ilini.KR. Ore. (Sprrlal) Art other sign of spring wait encoun tered last Jld:y when alumes Woodell and A. Pace found a imake st the Suinmerville cemetery. It In Tery umiitnl for the snakes to T come out from their winter quar ter so early In the spring, hut Mr. Page says that this one could trav el with as much speed over the enow Itanka, us over tin bare ground. f -r A shower was given Mrs. Chris Hunt' last Friday afternoon at the hnma of Mrs. . Dan Westenskow. There jrere about 20 grown people and in children in attendance, bur- fin; the afternoon a program was given consisting of several musical numbers by Mrs. Berrtice rid wards at the piano, and Mrs. EeHafe Wes- Item-kow. violin. Mrs. Lucy Wes ItenHkow gave a reading entitled j "Lucy's Baby." Mrs. Hunt recelv icd many beautiful end useful gifts. .iirB. vnurm" nomm, jit, tjim nu - lchamin.' Mrs. Alvtn Westenskow snd Mrs. P. If. Weetenskow acted -Us homesses and served refrewh menta diirine the afternoon. I Wins Merle Krinell. of Plsnnt j.G rove, came over Sunday and vlp- .Ifed at the Frank McKennon borne, j Wra. Ratlt Hudaon end children. Beta. Oordon and Colleen, of Jos eph, motored over Friday, spend ing the weekend with Mrs. Hud son's parents. Mrs. Alvin Westenskow, Mrs. Iun Weatenekow, Mrs. Harvey CroWMcr and .Mrs. Otis Buchanan were shopping in I-'i Orande laM Saturday. While In town they stopped lit the firande Bonde hos pital, calling on their friend, Mrs. Willi:. in Furman. Mrs. Thomas. Mrs. Leo Perry. Mrs. Pat Bolllns and Ifalbert Bolllns. all of whom are patients at the hospital, I Mrs.. I eo Perry was brought home from the hospital Sunday. j While eortvaleirng he will be at the home of her mother. Mrs. Hone Gam. ' ' . Bupi'mal services of the Infant ton of Mr. and Mrs. M. H. Fox iwere held lnt Sunday at the Meth lodlnt church. The ha by was chrls jtened Havid Klmer. Mr. Fox fill jed tho pulpit here Sunday morn ing in his father's place. He Is pastor at Jordan V.ltey. In honor of her daughter Don na'a tenth birthday anniversary. with a eurprle partv Inviting Ih jinerabera of the fourth grade , and . iheir teacher, Miss Audrey HeLJip, An guest h. Befreshrnenta of lee cream and cake were served. H. C. Johnston, of Sunmiervllte, is seriously III nt the home of Jits !d.iuchter, Mrs. Vcf Frlzzell, Mr. I Johnston Is a ptorfer of the Vfl'l ley. .".'7;, . Mrs. -Josle .Day, ot La Orande, was visiting friends i here last Thursday. Hit expects soon to go to Ixis Angeles for a visit with her daughter. filen I ed hotter, who Is home from Wlllumette university, for the spring vacation, was calling on friends In Imbler Monday, Lee Oreyblll and family are mov ing to Imbler. Mr. Oreyblll will wot k on the section. He Is also a minister and expects to conduct services at the Union church. Mr. Oreyblll is a brother of Mrs. B. M. McCoy nnd Mrs. Charles Me Fall. Mis Portia Westenskow who Is teaching at Muddy Creek, spent the wcekeyuj here with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Weatenskow. The Woman'a cluh of Imbler met last Wednesday at the home of Mrs. Irvln Westenskow. Mrs. Wil fred Westemtkow hd charge f the program which was Vlteadluy In tho Home." The next meeting 1 will be Mar. 27 at the home or Mrs. 'CharlcH Kennon, where they will Uakn up the subject of "Music In f tho Home." Liberty Sunday j School Re-Opened By Mrs. Charles Spencer (Observer Correspondent) OKAXOI3 II ALL (Special) Lib erty Sunday school, which was dis continued during the early part nf I the winter because of weather con 'dlilons, was resumed the first Hun day In March. Krnesl Deling Is superintendent of the orgnnlKallnn. V .Mis Dorothy Kuiutz, student nt ihft state imrniiil a-hoo) at Mon mouth la expected home to spend the spring vacntfon. I-Zd Dunn has accepted a posi tion at the C. L. It role farm. Carl and Waller Solders, of Weiser. Ida., nrrlvrd Sunday eve ning and will spend a few days at the home of their slaters, Mrs. Willis Smith and Mrs. Thomas Mc comb. ' The IJherty parent-teacher meet ing will be held next Friday eve Jning at the school house. Mrs. I Bert Grout, the president, on nouncea that h A. Kayre, county school superintendent und Wrny Ijtwrence, acling county tig rut, will be preaent. Mr. and Mrs, Clarence Redhead, and son, Bobert, of Im Grande, were visitors Sunday nt the home of Mrs. , Itedhciid'M mother, Mil. Udlth flekeler. ; Itoy Uukeler, who has teen In Jr ovep-38 ; Baking BavyDni Guaranteed Pure . Use KC for fine texture . and large volume J in your bakings Millions ot pounds iu4 by our Government Hardwood Floors This is a good time of year to lay that oak floor you have been planning on. We have several 'dif- feicnt . grades, in oak, mnnlo and beech. V YanPetten Lumber Co. Phone Main Til -; , "Good Canto Quick" :, .