"Uncle John" John \\I. Flauslon, in chargc of thc ~)uiii]~i~ig station at Stcel\.ille,.\lo., who celel~ratetl his so\.c~ntieth birthday April 5, 1914, has a record of forty-one years continuous service to his cnredit and is ~)robal~ly thc oldest c'lnploye in point of scrricc. IIOX in thc cmploy of the Frisco. "l'nclc John" as 31r. Ilouston is I'a n~iliarly I<non.n among his associates, really entered thc scrvice of the old Atlantic and Pacific: Flnilroact in 1869, in thc brldgc and building departnic~nt. but, becitusa of work on thc Gasconade bridge being sr~spcndctl Tour nionthx later, he was ol~ligctl to seek elnploynlcnt in other fields. TIIE FRISCO-MAN 29 ~no~~etl I'ronl Sankey, 1\10. From 1896 to 1904, Air. I-Ioustou was employed on the niain line of the Frisco as carpenter in tlie Iwidge and building de- [~artlnent, after which he was assiguctl to the car department at Salem, lo. FIc rcmain~d at Salem until 1906, when he was assigned thc 1)uml)- ing station at Steelville. No., which position he continues to fill. Chester Rogers That little Chester Rogers has railroading r~ght in him is very c~id~nt evcn at the earl) age of three )'cars, for he slwnds his hours ol' 11lay build- On Sel~tember 4, 1Si2, Alr. Houston re-entered the service on the Salem in the bridge and building ing railroad tracks and bridges and and c.al. de,,artments under F~~~~~~ inventing tralns to run upon them. Lively. In 1880, he n-as promoted to Chester is the son of Isaac A. Rogforeman which position he held untll ers a car repairer, North Yard, Kan- June, 1896, when the round house was sas City, No.
SAFETY FIRST First is second nature-if we are trav- tion, and it. is against lhis danger \vc ersing a thoroughfarc~, crossing rail- are battling-baltling not alone for ~'o:~tl tracks, etc., do \vc not, almost \vithout l.hor~gl~t, look to see if ti (Ianour own safety, but for the safety of our fello\v man, m~d those n-ho arc dcgc>r is al)1)1~~1c:hi11g? It is this tl~ougl~t pendent 111)on 11s I'or l)roteutio~~ and or second natnre, which we must cul- salcty. tivate, agitate, argne \vith our fellow \\'hen we stop to Lliink of the Inlewo~~k~iien, unt,il we have indelibly ful results whic711 may ant1 often do ~)lac~tl it not only in the ~nintls of o11r follow tha taking away of a father, I'ello\v ~.orlin~(?n, but ill the minds of ~)rotector of our Imys and girls, our the ~~~ultit~~tle \vl~o reside along ~III. hearts stantl still and ollr l>lootl runs right of way, our neighbors. If \ye cold; the great responsibility pressvs continlie in well doing, serving those heavily ri11on us and we are appallod wit11 \v11on1 we conic in contact, laying at the ~nigl~ty task wliic.11 confronts tlown our lives, in other \vortls, doing us and are \vant to say "I c:n17 do nofl1- with our n~ight \\.hat o11r bauds lint1 iii{l." l311t anolhe~~ tlio~~gl~t comes, 1 to ilo for tho comfort and protection cnn 11 rxl~i, and thc b111.tlen soenls to of others, n'c can, at least have a lighten, our niintls clear, and we arc, 1ial)py and free ronscicnce, as the days ready to do our share in this great go by. organization. wllicli we have Cor~ncd I am glad to look into the happy I'or the ~)rotcc'tion of o~~rsc'lvc+s, our I'accs os the Frisco e~nl)loyc's, as I go Itintlretl, and our fello\v Inan autl if 111) and down the line, loolting after we \vo~~ld haw it accon~plish the rcthe work allotted to me-l am sure I sults, for \viiit!11 it was formed, tlwn can tri~st them to 11sc every preran- \vo mnst, each one of us, stand s11o111- tion for the safety ol' those, wl~o pass dcr to shoulder and help. t111,ir yay. I\:? sho~ld not c~online OIIY lal)ors dn 1~ r?s Eib. Rond,1nnstc:r. Rnste1-11. Division. Self reservation, or Stifet!: First is the first law of nature. It was for this 11rincil)al our fore-fathrrs I~antled then~selves together, and for which they fought so maufully (Inring thc carly days of ririlixation in America. The sarnv [,are was talien by the early sc3ttlers of thc fair land nl~ic~h \v(l today c.n,ioy, co~nl)aratively frc~ from the dangers which 1)esct them on every hand. Theirs were dangers, incident to the time and place, but \vc today are confro~~tc~d \\it11 another form of da.ngw, the danger of c,ivili;?a- for Safety First to the line of road Tor which we \vorlc, nor to any one thing. The ~)rinriple is \vorlcl wide and shor~lcl he l~roadencd out and the general pu1,lic tcken into our confit1enc.e. They stantl in as n~uch, if not n?ow necd of rducation along this linc t.han do the e~nployes of onr road ant1 to this rnd, I would rccommrnd the holding of great nlass meetings in all ol' tl~c larger rbities, and public 111eetings ill all towns, 11ntler the tlirectio~~ of ~ncn capal,lc of presc,nting thc matter to the!)eol~le in a manner \vhic,h \vould leave lasting impressions ou t11ci1 minds, not alonc for t,hc prevention of accidents to themselves, h ~ ~ t