Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 256, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 October 1910 — HAS PROUD RECORD [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAS PROUD RECORD

RAILROAD MAN’S LONG TERM WITH ONE LINE. George Wrightson, Employed for Fifty Years on the New York Central, Refuses to Quit—His Mahy Experiences. Fifty years of continuous service with the New York Central railroad.

Fired the engine of the train upon upon which Abraham Lincoln was secretly taken to Washington for his inauguration. Five years later was the engineer who carried Lincoln’s body from New York to Albany. Engineer on the famous Continental Limited for 26 years, running beJtween Syracuse

and Utica. Never had but one accident during his entire service and that was eightyears ago. Lost his right eye and since that time has been running a switch engine in the Albany yards. Could be retired on half pay for the rest of his life, but refuses to give up the throttle. Such is the remarkable record of George W. Wrightson of Ravenna, N. Y., who has been visiting nephew, J. B. Hall, manager of the Belvidere hotel. Mr. Wrightson is west on a six months’ vacation given him by the railroad company because of his half century service. He stopped in Denver for several weeks and left today for Los Angeles. Mr. Wrightson is 70 years old, says the Denver Times. Mr. Wrightson went with the New York Central in 1860. He fired for three years and in 1863 was changed over to the right hand side of the cab. He had two notable experiences in his youthful days. When Abraham Lincoln was smuggled into Washington for his inaugural, the trip being taken with the utmost secrecy because of the fear he would be assassinated, Wrightson was one of the firemen who assisted in that Journey. In 1866, when Lincoln was killed, Wrightson was an engineer. He had the funeral train, on his division of the road. For 26 years Wrightson had the Continental Limited between Syracuse and Utica. he had his first and only accident. He lost his right eye, one of the worst possible afflictions to an engineer, for it made him partially useless on the main road and resulted in his being transferred from the limited to a switch engine in the Albany yards. The accident occurred in 1902. Mr. Wrightson is secretary of the railroad legislative board of New York. He has been a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers since 1864. While in Denver he delivered an address to the members of Division 186 of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. His talk was on the workings of the legislative body with which he is connected. ' ■