Bro. Phil Chase, now running passenger engine with the same company, was one of the men then employed as firemen, and my first recollection of him dates back to the time when I walked in to the Hover House at Bradford Junction at 2 o'clock in the morning and found him leaning against the lunch counter playing" Home Sweet Home" on a French harp to an audience of two or three. If my memory serves me correctly Bro. John Cassell (who is still running passenger train with them), Isaac Butterworth, B. Mason, Thomas Humphrey and Charles Chase were among the new force at that time. I think John Pontas, who is now road foreman of engines, was one of the old force the "kid" engineers of the present generation call him "Old John Pontas." Had they known him in the days I have mentioned they would have known a very "slick article." My memory does not serve me who the fireman was that instructed me how to scour the old engine, Piqua, but it might have been John Pontas, for when he fired engine No. 27 for George Spade, now deceased, it was the cleanest engine, as I remember it, running out from Columbus.

During my stay at Columbus I had the pleasure of visiting Div. 34, Sunday, April 2, where I found a large attendance, with my esteemed friend and Bro. Thomas Humphrey in the chair. It was truly a very enjoyable meeting for me, meeting my old friends and associates after such a lapse of time. Brother Hutchings, of the Westinghouse Co., was present and made a reduction in train line pressure, which Brother Sam is quite capable of doing, also Brother Nelson, of 155, was present, and was keyed for the occasion, his remarks being appreciated. One of the Brothers made a motion, which was unanimously carried, that I be given a present to bring back with me to New York. As they did not produce the goods I was obliged to return without it. I appreciate the Brothers' generosity, however, and no doubt Bro. Frank Mull, of Div. 480, will forward it. I was much interested and amused during my stay in the exhibit of fancy-bred fowls owned

by Brother Frederick and David Mull, the cultivation of which fills in their leisure moments while off duty. The following Sunday, April 9, a delegation of Brothers escorted me to Div. 79, where I passed another enjoyable day, meeting some of the old boys as well as the younger ones. Regretted not having the company of Bro. John Mull on our way from the Division, his duties of "pool"-ing engines detaining him until a late hour.

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On the evening of the 9th a delightful surprise birthday party, an enjoyable event, was given in honor of Bro. Charles Mull at his home on Long street by his wife to his brother and sisters, and as I happened to be a visitor I was included. The 'Anniversary Chimes" were rendered by Frederick, David and Frank Mull; piano solo by Mrs. Ida Callahan; duet by Mrs. Frederick and David Mull; recitation by Mrs. Frank Mull; dialogue between sister Lizzie and Frank Mull; specialty by Mrs. Charles Mull, the hostess, being the climax of the evening. In the dining room we found the table spread with all the good things imaginable to appease the dainty appetite. After partaking of the refreshments the guest of honor, Mr. Charles Mull, made a few appropriate remarks in appreciation of the occasion. When the good nights were said all expressed their delight, including the writer, in having passed such an enjoyable evening in a small family gathering. May you have many happy returns of the evening.

I wish to extend my thanks to all who contributed so generously to my many enjoyments and gave me so many kind attentions while sojourning in my native city.

On my way home I made a short stop at Cleveland, enjoying the privilege of paying my respects to the Grand Officers, regretting I did not have the pleasure of seeing our Grand Chief, Brother Stone, and President of the Insurance Association, Brother Futch, who were absent. I found Brother Salmons seated at his desk, with a pile of mail before him. The longer I remained the higher it grew. From here I made a tour of inspection

through the Grand Offices. I called on our Third Grand Engineer, Bro. Deloss Everett, where I found this genial Brother and his stenographer busily engaged at their duties. However, he took time to make my call a pleasant one and I wish to mention right here that I had a very pleasant visit with himself and wife at his home the evening previous. My next call was on Brother Prenter, our First Grand Engineer, who like the preceding Brother was engrossed in business matters. I glanced in Brother Stone's office and the committee room adjoining, and wish to say that no member of the Brotherhood need feel ashamed to have any railway officer or any other man of prominence visit the Grand Officers at their respective stations and departments, for they certainly present an attractive appearance. I noticed particularly that they have the tact of surrounding themselves with attractive and competent help, which from the fact that they did not introduce me proves they wish to keep faithfully at their duties. On the eighth floor I found Bro. M. H. Shay, Secretary of the Insurance Association, who, like the others, made my call a pleasant one, notwithstanding he was as busily engaged as they. In my short stay I could not but observe that there was not much time for play among the Grand Officers, and to fulfill the requirements of same was no easy cinch.

Yours fraternally,

J. PUFFENBERGER.

Back in the Fifties.

NORWALK, O., May 8, 1905, EDITOR JOURNAL: I occasionally read the JOURNAL, and in the May edition an article by H. G. Rust regarding the naming of engines carries me back to the early 50's. I have been in railroad service constantly since March 1853, and never was an engineer. I worked for the M. C. continuously for twenty-four years, the greater part of the time on the Middle Division between Marshall and Michigan City. I worked for the Canada Southern for six years, and twenty-two years for the W. & L. E. I do not think I ever knew Mr. Rust, but he reminds me of oldtimers I had not thought of for years.

He speaks of a Mr. Nixon. I wonder if it is Thomas Nixon-if it is, put him on the America," where he was at home.

The M. C. named their engines until names ran short. I remember well the Swallow, Alert, Pigeon, and a few others; a good-sized Teakettle, with one pair of drivers, the Comet, Gazelle, Reindeer, Mayflower and Hurricane. The later Gazelle was hauled by John McCurdy.

Freight engines were: Vesuvius, Etna, Peninsular, Salamander, Rocky Mountain, Washington; soon after came the Ajax, Ceres, Atlas, Stranger, the Tiger with Samuel Hill, the Lion, Samson, Challenger, the Defiance, the Grampus with Dad Robins, the Porpoise with Levi Sutliff, the Dolphin with Pony Cooley, the Jupiter with Levi Hancock, Pluto, Saturn, Mars, the Four Eagles, the Six Winds, Four Hounds, the Corsair, Arab, Mamaluke, Persian, Egyptian, Saxon, Foruynor, Twilight, Guttenberg, Storm, Ranger, Racer, Rover, Rattler, Rambler, Rusher. I think the Lightfoot and Quick Stop were the first coal burners on the M. C.-this all within a few years. Mr. Rust gives a few, but I presume I could give a hundred more. Is it not a wonder the M. C. ran out of names? I nearly forgot the Six Seas and the Atlantic, Arctic, Baltic and Pacific.

I often wonder if there will be as much improvement in locomotives in the next fifty years as there has been in the past fifty. It does not seem possible. Yours respectfully,

N. A. SOMERS.

Endowment Plan.

FOND DU LAC, WIS., May 4, 1905.

EDITOR JOURNAL: Please permit_me space to answer Brother Tinkham, Div. 176, page 390, May JOURNAL. His understanding of my endowment plan is certainly correct, but his idea of having to live 1,500 years in order to get our money back is a delusion. I do not claim that we will get our money back, that is, through the endowment feature, but he admits that annually seventeen of the oldest policy holders get their policies paid by this plan, which we will concede. Now he admits new members would have to pay the same amount, which is $20 per policy. Of course, that would swell the capital. Every member becomes a stockholder of capital and when he becomes the oldest policy holder receives his insurance to use during his declining years. That feature has cost him but $20.

I never did claim that we could figure on a certain age of expectancy as old line companies do, but look at the difference in the cost. I do not plead this from a personal motive, as I am a young man yet, but am willing to invest $20 per policy for the benefit of the old members because I have something to look forward to should I live to be the oldest policy holder some day.

I know well that insurance is a business proposition and must be conducted on business principles, or it can't stand the

test, but the suggestion of having to live 1,500 years is a delusion and misleading in the extreme. The capital is always there and every member in good standing a stockholder, but if you die before you get to be the oldest policy holder your insurance is paid from the mortuary fund and your relatives receive the benefit. If you live, the endowment feature of which I speak will pay the money to you in your old age. I cannot see wherein that is a hardship to young members to lay away $20 to provide for themselves practically a paid up policy for old age The money is only loaned the older members and their money will stay in the same fund for the younger man when it comes his turn. The old member certainly cannot participate unless he pays his share into the fund, and that at once, should such a plan be adopted.

Perhaps I am a crank, but it takes a crank to start anything that is outside of the ordinary. To make it plain to E. P. S., page 393, May JOURNAL, I would say that it would be impossible to exempt any policy holder from paying his portion of the fund since it is only a business proposition, and as such must use all alike. I firmly believe the feature could be successfully adopted and would enhance our insurance and our order. I am informed that other orders have a similar feature, at least one, officers of which I have spoken to.

Brother Tinkham seems to be selling endowment insurance, and of course has a revenue coming in from that quarter, perhaps enough to keep up his premiums, but for one that has to pay them, that luxury comes high, which he will admit. It is all right if you can afford it, but when you cry against the assessments of our present plan, how can you carry endowment in old line companies? For that reason it has been my aim to adopt some plan which will give the oldest policy holders their money without actually dying or becoming disabled. I hope more of our members will give this their earnest consideration. Meanwhile I remain, Fraternally yours,

J. F. FREENOR, Div. 372.

Sign Your Own Name, Etc.

HATTIESBURG, MISS., April 5, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: I have been silent about one year, but I read the JOURNAL next to my Bible and prayer book, and I am much interested in the discussions that are going on among the Brothers and it seems like a move in the right direc. tion, but here is a thing Brothers ought to be ashamed of. A Brother from my

native city, Altoona, Pa., calls himself "Bolivar; this must be somewhere on the Alleghany Mountains. Also a Brother from Div. 23 calls himself "Side Track." Does he mean the whole Division is sidetracked, or what sidetrack, pray tell? Also another Brother from Hillyard, Wash., calls himself "Johnny." Johnny who?

Now, Brothers, what you have to say, say out under your full name, so we can all know who you are, and do not be hiding behind the Editor's desk, as he has quite enough to stand for as Editor, and when he speaks through the JOURNAL you all know it is C. H. Salmons.

I heartily agree with Bro. J. F. Freenor, of Div. 372, in having a centrally located city for the Grand Office and the convention, as well; then Divisions located everywhere could figure on about what the delegates' expenses would amount to. The time has more than come to have a located convention city, and I do not know of any more reason to wheel the convention from one part of the country to the other, than it would be to require the United States Senate to change every year from city to city, or the House of Commons in England to do the same. And to say that every Division must have a delegate would be to say that every township must have a man in the Legislature or in Congress. Every thoughtful Brother knows if he will admit it that we could better our insurance and this should be done. What couldn't we do if all the money that is spent every year by Brothers with the old line companies if made use of in the B. of L. E. Insurance? I say, make policies which will mature in ten, twenty, or thirty years, and let all take out and carry such policy, providing they pass the necessary practical examination, such as is required by the old line companies. Fraternally yours,

J. O. DETWEILER, Div. 336.

Representation at Our Conventions.

PHILIPSBURG, PA April 5, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: The many good points in Bro. W. J. Boothby's letter in the April JOURNAL I appreciate, and in some things differ with him and give my opinion. I do not agree that it will be the chairman of or a member of the Board of Adjustment that must represent us in a convention of 100 members, and even if it should be and that would be the choice of the majority on any system, there would be nothing wrong about that. To set myself right, first, I am not a member of a G. C. of A. and never expect to be, but

if any system say of 4,000 engineers elect one man to represent them in the convention, who is a member of the G. C. of A., I naturally would think he would be the very best man on that board and even if he were not at the convention he would be a member and a Brother of the B. of L. E., and his capacity for voting for that system in the convention would be forty votes on any question, cut up as he had been instructed by those whom he represented, and if the measures as the Brother states had been submitted some time before to the Division to talk about, it would take a much smaller and few mathematical experts to count for one hundred delegates, than it does now with a convention of over 600 delegates. The trouble in our voting now is everything goes but the aye and nay.

I think it was the animals that had a convention once and the question came up as to how they would vote. The dog said, "Mr. President, I move that we vote yes, with tails up; no, tails down." I object," said the wolf.

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"State your objections," said the president.

"Well, my objections are that the goat would be voting yes all the time."

Just as soon as this remark was made the fight began; and so it does seem with us. We are so many we have never been able to agree. Like the goat, our tails are up all the time.

I cannot agree with the Brother in cutting the big Divisions up, but I do believe that their voting capacity should be according to membership; for instance, a Division that has 200 members should have as big a voting power as any 200 members that it takes to make six Divisions; but the convention says no.

That

means that six little Divisions with all told 200 members have always had six votes against the other Division's one, and of necessity it is often the goat-but to no purpose.

I heartily agree with the Brother in reducing the time for the convention to be in session, but it will never be done by increasing the number of delegates, by cutting the larger Divisions up. It will have to come by the honest determination of every member of the Brotherhood that this has got to grow worse or grow better.

I have no axes to grind; all I desire is our betterment. I believe we, our conventions, are too big and that the best interest to the B. of L. E. cannot be accomplished by them. In a sense, I am glad of their size-it denotes we have grown, but the result is no better. Our engines on the railroads have also grown and they run faster and pull more and give more satisfaction for money invested, but the

men are no bigger-no stronger than twenty years ago.

I have known of an order that it took 150 men in Pennsylvania to represent 80,000 men and it took 80 men to represent the United States. Now, it takes nine men to represent the United States, but it was accomplished by good honest effort to give every man in the United States the full value of money spent and all of the dollars saved. I go back to the records of our organization of the past to hunt up her sins and mistakes to profit by them, to discard the foolishness and the vices of some of them. Her virtue it is wise to emulate. It is human to make mistakes.

Take your constitution after conventions for twenty-five years and count the cost and you will agree if you keep it up until 1969, you will have an army something like Napoleon's, of which the song says, "He marched them up the hill and marched them down again, to his Waterloo." Don't put the Grand Chief of 1969 in the same position.

Fraternally yours,

C. B. NIXON.

What flower can rival my full-blown rose,
That sits, June's queen, upon its slender stem?
Upon its damask leaf the sunlight glows,
It wears morn's dewdrops as a diadem.

No trimmer's art has ever caught its hue
Of sunlight mingled with the crimson tide,
The rich red tint that stains it through and
through,

The soft glow radiant as a flush of pride.

No sculptor hand has ever moulded yet-
With all his wondrous aid of skill and art-
A form on which such gracefulness is set,
Soft petals blushing o'er a crimson heart.
No trick of man has caught the sweet perfume,
Trembling upon the south wind's passing sigh
The breath from out the chalice in its bloom,
That wafts like incense to the summer sky.

The Month of June.

The poets long ago fell in love with the month of June, and have never been weary singing its praises.

One calls it the "leafy month," another, "the month of roses," thousands have called it balmy, and one great poet has asked, "What is so rare as a day in June?"

In the sense in which Mr. Lowell meant we can agree that a day in June is rare indeed.

May is a pleasant month, but not reliable. The temperature is liable to drop to the freezing point with hardly any warning, and when a fine warm day does come we cannot enjoy it as much as we might because we are still encumbered with our winter clothing, which we have not dared to lay aside.

But June changes the complexion of affairs completely. With the coming of June comes, summer in all its glory. The very last trace of winter has disappeared, and we no more look for frost than we do for an earthquake. Every green thing that grows is growing and every flower is in bloom. The earth is one great garden of green and gold and crimson, the scent of roses pervades the air and all nature seems to be in holiday attire. It is warm, yet not too warm. The hot July and the sweltering August are still in the future and the air is balmy without being enervating.

June is essentially the month of sports -that is, out-of-door sports, since no one wants to stay indoors during this delightful month.

Campers out who generally choose August, would do well to try June for a change. Mosquitoes, gnats, sand flies and the hundred and one insect pests which mar the enjoyment of the trip have barely made their appearance in June, and cool, comfortable sleeping nights are assured. Any camper who has passed an August night wrapped up in a heavy blanket, as the only protection against mosquitoes, knows how to appreciate unbroken slumber. The seashore affords many attractions in June to the boatman, the shell and weed collector and the one who can indulge in a dashing drive or gallop on the smooth and solid beach. But, above all, June is the month for picnics in the woods, for exploring parties up among the hills or down in the valleys to find something new in the way of a waterfall or bit of scenery and give you something to talk about and remember.

The one who cannot extract some en